"Tragedy and the Common Man"

1.What is the main point of this essay? Write Miller’s thesis statement below.

“I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were (Miller “Tragedy and the Common Man”).” Arthur Miller makes this statement and continues to prove it throughout “Tragedy and the Common Man.” In this essay Arthur Miller attempts to prove the point that tragedies no longer need to be associated with only kings and gods, but can also be applied to the lives of ordinary people in order to make it more modern and realistic.


2.According to Arthur Miller, what one quality causes every tragic hero to “fall?”

Tragedies always reveal a “tragic flaw” of the hero of the story, which is the reason for the downfall of that character because of the unwillingness of the character to work past the so-called flaw instead of fighting that flaw.


3.Based on Miller’s point about that quality, why does the common man fit so perfectly into the role of a tragic hero?

The common man would fit perfectly into the role of the tragic hero because most people are able to accept their flaws and move past them without a fight, but some cannot do so. These are the ones who try to change that which cannot and should not be changed, because changing those things would ruin the flow of life, which then causes fear and tragedy.


4.What is the one thing that separates the traditional tragic hero from a common everyman tragic hero? And is that one thing important, in his view?

The one thing that separates the traditional tragic hero from a common everyday man tragic hero is that the rank of the hero in the traditional tragedies is very important. Miller believes that this is not important, because it is just a “clinging to the outward forms of tragedy.” Also, he believes that the stories of monarchs are no longer interesting and take away from the importance of tragedies today.


5.What does Miller say about tragedies are actually optimistic?

Miller says that tragedies show more optimism in the author than a comedy does. The ending of a tragedy should be a reinforcement of the reader’s brightest opinion of humans. Tragedies demonstrate the indestructible will of man to achieve his humanity, due to his intent upon claiming his whole due as a personality in total and without reservation.


6.Using the points Miller has made in the essay, discuss how Willy Loman can be considered a tragic hero.

Willy Loman is a common man who has to deal with his everyday problems throughout “Death of a Salesman.” He is a tragic hero, because he continually tries to overcome his major flaws, which cause him much pain. His struggle to overcome his flaws leads to his suicide.

Marriage

Why do you think two people get married?
Two people usually get married because they are deeply in love. There is a mutual feeling that they need each other, and they cannot imagine life without each other. They accept each other for who they are and they are extremely happy together.

Why do two people stay married?
Two people stay married because the feelings that they had for each other when they first got married have gotten stronger. Love is a powerful feeling, and it is what makes a healthy marriage that is full of trust and happiness.

Do you think that one partner should accept the other partner’s “failings” or “flaws”? Why or why not? Do you think there is a limit to what a partner should or should not accept? Explain.
I believe that a partner needs to accept his or her partner no matter what, because that is the only way in which they can be happy together. When entering a relationship, there is always the possibility of being hurt, and there will always be flaws, but working through those flaws is what makes a great marriage. Everyone has a limit to what he or she accepts, but the point of marriage is to accept each other no matter what, so unless that is taken literally, marriage should not be entered.

What do you think are some things married couples commonly argue about? Why do you think that is?
I believe that many married couples argue about small things, such as where to go to dinner or who’s house to go to on a holiday, but every once in a while there is a big fight. This fight might be about their kids or parents, or anyone else in the family. It could also be caused by stress outside of their marriage that is taking a large toll on them.

What should you do if you feel that one parent is abusing the other—verbally, emotionally or physically? Why?
If I thought that one parent was abusing the other in any way, I would turn to the rest of my family. I know that they would do everything to get the parent being abused out of the situation. My brother would be the first person that I would confront in the situation, because I know that he would help me fix the situation.

What would you do if you find out that one parent is lying to the other? Why?
If I found out that one parent is lying to the other, I would confront the lying parent in order to persuade the parent into telling the truth. It would be best for both parents if they talked about it themselves rather than getting others involved, but if the lying parent is impossible to persuade, then I would confront the parent being lied to because I would not be able to just stand around and watch any longer.

Parents

Parents can be hard to understand and talk to, but they can also be the best people to talk to. Even though I do not tell my parents everything about myself, or everything that I do everyday, I do talk to them when needed. I can talk to my mother about many things, but the same does not apply with my father. This might be caused by my father’s closed mind. He is a very inside-the-box type of person. As time goes on and things change, he does not, and his old style of thinking is not easy to deal with at times. On the other hand, my mother is open to many different things and topics, which is why I feel comfortable talking to her about my friends or school. Talking to my mom about situations that confuse me, or decisions that make me feel uncomfortable is a nice way to get through everything. I believe that as I grow older, I become more secretive about my social life, but I believe that as I continue growing, things will become less complicated and I will be able to talk to my mother about many different aspects of my life once again.

Although my parents are always there for me if I need them, it is much easier to confront my friends about situations in school or within my group of friends. It is hard to talk to someone who does not attend my school or hang out with my friends for help in those subjects, which is why I deal with those problems directly with the person or people who are involved. It would be nice to know that my parents went through similar situations as I am going through now and that they would be able to give their input, but that is unrealistic, because my parents grew up in completely different situations than the one that I am growing up in. My mother grew up in Dominican Republic with eight brothers, one sister, and her parents. My father grew up in Cuba with his three brothers, his sister, and his parents. I am growing up in Hillsdale, New Jersey, which is completely different than the places that they grew up in for many reasons, including financial reasons. My friends, sister, and brothers grew up in similar situations as mine, so talking to them is much easier than talking to my parents at times.

Parents are looked up to for many reasons, and usually at one point or another; their children view them as heroes. When a child thinks so highly of his or her parents, it puts a lot of pressure on the parents to do the best job they can as parents. They try to keep that unrealistic role as the perfect parents. Every parent will make a mistake with his or her children, and the worst part of that is the disappointment. Disappointing a child because they could not get a video game or a toy is not a big deal, because that would be forgotten soon enough. The worst disappointment is that which comes from making a mistake that changes a child’s perception of his or her parents. This works vice versa also, because a child that is so highly appreciated is expected to do the best that he or she can, and when it appears that the best was not done, disappointment could be the worst punishment. Parents and children do not like being disappointed with each other, because it shows a sign of weakness in their relationships, and it means that something has to be fixed. Nonetheless, with disappointment can come bonding through realizing that continuing the feeling of disappointment is not worth ruining a strong relationship over.

Disagree or Agree?

1.It is better to live a poor life but live your dreams.
I disagree with this statement because I believe that living a poor life, if it is to a major extent, will make me unhappy. Living your dream is not worth being unhappy for. Also, I believe that dreams are temporary and continue to change as life goes on, so it is not worth the pain.

2.Lying is ok when trying to keep a good reputation.
I disagree with this statement because I think that lying in order to keep a good reputation is the same as living a lie. There is no point in pretending to be something that I am not, because that would make me unhappy and uncomfortable in my own skin.

3.Disillusionment can lead to distrust.
I agree with this because with disillusionment comes doubt. This doubt can lead to distrust in others, yourself, or in whatever has disappointed you.

4.Flashbacks are a way to relive the past.
I disagree with this because I believe that the past cannot be relived. Flashbacks are meant to be memories, but that is all. They cannot take you back to that time in reality and the past cannot be changed.

5.Forgiveness leads to peacefulness.
I agree with this because to forgive means to forget. If all is forgotten, then your mind will find peace due to the fact that there is nothing to worry, fret over, or regret anymore.

6.It is better to ignore something unpleasant than to face reality.
I disagree with this because the only way to move on and live your life, reality needs to be faced. Ignoring something does not make it go away, but it does make you ignorant and naïve to the reality of the situation.

7.Happiness consists of having financial stability.
I disagree with this because I believe that it is possible to be happy without financial stability. The reason for this is because as a kid, I do not have a job or money for myself, but my parents support me. I am glad to say that I am happy, even without my own money, so I think that it would be possible for an adult to be happy as long as he or she has support.

8.The life of a salesman leads one to be financially stable.
I disagree with this even though both my father and brother are salesmen, and both of them are financially stable. The reason I feel this way is due to them, because living with my father has taught me that finances of a salesman depends on the demand of the products in the company, and if the demand is low, the financial stability would be also.

9.Determination always leads an individual to live his/her dreams.
I agree with this, because determination is exactly what is needed in order to do what a person wants to do. Without determination, there is nothing pushing a person towards his or her goal. Determination is very strong, and is enough to get you to where you want to be as long as you keep your determination strong throughout the steps that lead to your goal.

Eventually, I would like to settle close to/far away from my parents, because...

Eventually, I would like to settle close to my parents, because I could not imagine being far away from my family permanently. Even though we do not get along at times and I repeat over and over again how much I want to move out of my house as soon as possible, I love my parents with all of my heart and I would be no one without them. My family has always been and will always be the most important thing in my life no matter what. I love spending time with every single person in my family, which is why I am grateful that a majority of my family lives near me. I love living in New Jersey with my family, and I hope that the living situations never change. I want to continue my close relationships with everyone and I hope that the places which everyone move to will not destroy that.

Something I do not understand about my father/mother is...

Something I do not understand about my mother is her fear of telling others the truth. Even though she tells me a lot of the things that she worries about, she fears telling others the same exact things. Sometimes my mother keeps secrets from my father, sister, her brothers, and even her own mother because she is afraid of them and what they will think. She decides to keep secrets from them about many aspects of her life and about her opinions because she does not want them to react badly. The reason this confuses me is because even if she strongly believes that she should say what she wants to say to them, her fear takes control and she backs out of saying whatever it is. I wish that I could help her realize that she can tell anyone in her family anything, because no one will judge her and everyone will support her no matter what.

The best thing about my relationship with my father/mother is...

My mother and I have a very strong relationship, mainly because we trust each other more than we trust anyone else. I have told my mom things that I have never told anyone else, and she has told me things that she has never told anyone else. This is because my sister and father are not the best at keeping secrets, so we turn to each other to have conversations that we need to get out of our systems but that we never want to come up again. I love having this bond with my mother, because it makes me feel comfortable that I know that I can tell her anything, and it also makes me feel good that she feels the same way towards me. I would never give up that bond with her for anything, which is exactly why I try not to lie to her ever and to tell her everything that she should know.