Synthesis of Course Material #2

Death of a Salesman

• Taking a break from reading, our class was introduced to the several eras of literature. My group chose to present Modernism and Postmodernism. This allowed us to work together through Prezi and offer the information we gathered about the era. We learned of the several different authors and movements that took place during the time and the effects it had on the society as a whole. The emphasis placed on contemporary styles and the discovery of objective truths also reflected the era through a different perspective.
• Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller was the next piece that we tackled. After watching the movie and reading the play, our class got a feel of what a true tragedy was. Willy Lowman's constant failure on achieving what he believed was success showed us the importance of understanding the different cycles that characters encounter. Our discussions of this play also lead us to a debate of the role that religion played in the piece and connected that to Arthur Miller's background story.
• Annotating the play also helped us create a better understanding of a tragic play while also allowing us to discover new topics for discussion.