Story so powerful and so moving Essay Example for Free

Story so powerful and so moving Essay By what methods does Arthur Miller make Willy Lomans story so powerful and so moving? In Arthur Millers play Death of a salesman he tells the story of the frustrated Willy Loman who has spent his whole life striving for a dream which he has not made possible by the end of his never truly fulfilled career. It is a very powerful play as it gives us a direct insight into the complicated and mixed up workings of a tired, confused mind. I am going to look at the techniques Miller uses to do this so effectively. Arthur Miller has created a strong character to portray is tale. Willy Loman is a very ordinary man living out his life. Miller opens us up to his thoughts and actions and brings us into his world, and through this shows us the evils of capitalism and the shallowness of the all American dream, which was so predominantly important in so many peoples lives. The point that miller is making is that this perfect image of wealth and professional respect is so unachievable for most people and they will spend their whole lives striving for something that is so unimportant, and torturing themselves over the fact that they have not succeeded. Willy is not a heroic figure who has fallen, or a pitiful soul who has achieved greatness. He is true to life, living out tragedies and successes like every other man. He is not always admirable, he has his weaknesses as a man and especially as a husband; he is rude to his wife and unfaithful. Willy: why do you get American when I like Swiss? Linda: I just thought youd like a change Willy: I dont want a change! I want Swiss cheese, why am I always being contradicted This also demonstrates another important aspect of Willys character. He hates change, in a way he avoids it, which is another reason he is this way. He hasnt changed with the times and still has the same viewpoints about things that he did when he was young. This emphasises how confused he is, he seems lost in his own world. Willys imperfections bring us closer to him as a character as it is much easier to compare ourselves and the people we know to a flawed spirit like him. Miller is highlighting the excessive and unnecessary emphasis that is put upon wealth in modern society. A man like Willy Loman feels like a failure to his family because he hasnt become rich. He is desperate to impress his sons but wants them to fulfil his dream for him and so has missed out on building proper relationships with them and has taken their actions in life the wrong way. Such as Biffs desire to be a simple man, with no need for material possessions. Willy takes this as a failure as it is not what he sees to be a strong image of a successful man. When in fact Biff is much more admirable as he has realised the pitiful route his father has gone down and why he has ended up the way he is. Willy doesnt appreciate that he doesnt want to be part of the corporate machine that his father and brother are, striving constantly to be the best. Happy however is the opposite and is blind to the fact that his fathers business has ruined him and he is quickly heading down the same path. He has sold out to the American dream and when he realises, like his father, that he may not have all the money and glory that he expects, he may become a very dangerous and bitter man. Figure it out. Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and theres nobody to live in it This tells us at the beginning of the act, Willys feelings about his sons. It makes him very troubled that they have left home, his whole life since their birth has been for his sons. Arthur Miller was accused of being a communist and being against American democracy, Which is perhaps why he chooses to focus on these issues so much in his plays. It means that his feelings on the subject of capitalism come from direct experience with the American government and I think this comes across in his writing. Miller has created a very poignant character in Willy, which makes the story very powerful. It is very easy to feel sympathy for someone when they are failing in so many ways as Willy is, and has not fulfilled their potential. Arthur Miller makes Willys character very pathetic in certain scenes, in particular when he is in his boss Howards office and is begging him not to fire him. Howard: then thats that then, heh? Willy: all right, Ill go to Boston tomorrow. Howard: no, no Willy: I cant throw myself on my sons, Im not a cripple! Howard: look kid Im busy this morning Willy: (grasping Howards arm) Howard, youve got to let me go to Boston! Willy is begging this man not to fire him, not to force him to admit to the fact that he is in trouble, that things arent going, as he would wish. And most importantly to Willy, not showing himself up as a failure to his sons. It is pitiful to see a grown man begging this way and is almost heartbreaking. Willy is so proud in front of his family that he would regress to feeling like a piece of fruit in front of this man just to keep up appearances. The fact that Howard calls Willy kid is also quite significant as this is very humiliating for Willy as he is older than Howard and has been working for the company longer than he has. Willy often does this, acting differently in front of different people; this is another way in which Miller shows us how confused and insecure a man he is. He is constantly keeping up all these pretences and as the audience we know that the other characters see straight through them, while Willy thinks he has quite successfully fooled everyone and especially himself. Miller makes Willys conversations with people very strange in a way to make Willy seem completely out of it. He contradicts himself and imagines things, which really shows that he is in his own little world and terribly confused within it. Biff is a lazy bum! Theres one thing about Biff-hes not lazy. These sentences are about three lines apart and are very effective. I think another reason Willy comes across as slightly mad is because his brain is thinking on many different levels-past, present, future, and the subconscious. Miller uses the different parts and levels of the stage to represent this. Instead of thinking like this inside his head as most of us do, he thinks them very openly but has similar frustrations to us all. What he was meant to achieve, what is the point of his life. Linda is very patient and humours him always, which accentuates the desperation of the situation. Willy: why dont you open a window in here, for gods sake? Linda: (with infinite patience) theyre all open, dear.

The Chicago Fire Of 1871 Essay -- essays research papers

The Chicago Fire of 1871 The summer of 1871 had been an unusually dry one in Chicago. Between July and October, only 5 inches of rain fell. In addition to twenty-seven fires in the first week of October, on Saturday night, October 7, a blaze broke out in a planning mill on the West Side and destroyed almost every building in a four block area before it was brought under control Sunday morning. They lost a hose and other fire-fighting equipment, including one of seventeen steam fire engines and a hose cart. Nearly half of Chicago's 185 firemen fought this fire and many were on duty all day, so they were already exhausted when the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 struck. Some people think that the fire was started by Mrs. O'leary's cow kicking over a lantern. Others have different theories, but one thing is for sure,on the Sunday evening of October 8, 1871 a blaze started in Mrs. O' leary's barn. Daniel sullivan sat on the wooden sidewalk when he saw a flame in Mrs. O'leary's barn. He managed to save a half grown calf. By now everyone in the neighborhood woke up, including the sleeping O'learys. The "America" hose cart was the first to reach the scene. They were soon joined by the "Little Giant" engine company. A neighbor ran to a drug store to turn on an alarm but the alarm failed to work. The court house watchman had given wrong directions but later tried to correct his mistake, but the alarm operato... The Chicago Fire Of 1871 Essay -- essays research papers The Chicago Fire of 1871 The summer of 1871 had been an unusually dry one in Chicago. Between July and October, only 5 inches of rain fell. In addition to twenty-seven fires in the first week of October, on Saturday night, October 7, a blaze broke out in a planning mill on the West Side and destroyed almost every building in a four block area before it was brought under control Sunday morning. They lost a hose and other fire-fighting equipment, including one of seventeen steam fire engines and a hose cart. Nearly half of Chicago's 185 firemen fought this fire and many were on duty all day, so they were already exhausted when the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 struck. Some people think that the fire was started by Mrs. O'leary's cow kicking over a lantern. Others have different theories, but one thing is for sure,on the Sunday evening of October 8, 1871 a blaze started in Mrs. O' leary's barn. Daniel sullivan sat on the wooden sidewalk when he saw a flame in Mrs. O'leary's barn. He managed to save a half grown calf. By now everyone in the neighborhood woke up, including the sleeping O'learys. The "America" hose cart was the first to reach the scene. They were soon joined by the "Little Giant" engine company. A neighbor ran to a drug store to turn on an alarm but the alarm failed to work. The court house watchman had given wrong directions but later tried to correct his mistake, but the alarm operato...

Communication skills in a group interaction Essay

Communication is one of the most imperative things of being a human being. If we were not able to communicate, we would not be able to interact with others; therefore we would most likely be unsuccessful in leading our lives to their full potential. There are two types of communication, which are verbal and non verbal. So we can use our voice along with non verbal communication like your eyes, gestures and voice tone to name a few. Everything that we do can give off a positive or negative vibe about yourself, which could potentially enhance or worsen communication. LOOKING AT EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION The job of a health and social care worker is to enhance the quality of people’s lives. They must allow the clients to be in control and independent. This is why it is imperative that care workers are aware of what demands the clients have on them, and the appropriate communication skills they need to use to improve their life. Abraham Maslow theory which said ‘the goal of ones life was person growth’ would show that everyone should aim to develop their own ability and potential. However, before this stage can take place there are such things which need to be taken into account, the main thing would be ‘deficiency needs’. see more:explain how distress may affect the way an individual communicates These have been put into a pyramid which is shown below: It is important for any health and social worker to posses certain vital skills. They need to understand how important it is to communicate and interact with other, along with knowing and understanding their own individual needs. Basically Maslow (1) theory is explaining how an individual person should strive to develop their individual ability and potential. Before the individual can develop their own potential the levels in the pyramid will need to be met. This deficiency needs play a role in fulfilling individual needs, and it is therefore it is imperative that social and health workers are fully aware of these deficiency needs. Communication that takes place in an early years setting has to that of a high standard to enhance the potential of the clients, especially when working with children because they tend to pick up on things much easier. Therefore teachers need to be trained, so they are fully aware of all their communication skills they use, this even means from the way they dress to the manner in which they speak to the children. Everything has to be adapted to the client’s level, like the manner in which they talk. Usually they would talk with some degree of difficult language; however they simply cannot talk to the children how they would a fellow member of staff. They constantly need to change from one role to another, and they need to make sure that this does not become mixed up. COMMUNICATION WITHIN A GROUP SITUATION Communication skills within a group interaction are just as imperative as communication on a one to one basis. A set of people in today’s language is considered as a ‘group’. A member of a group may posses the sense of belonging and this gives the members of a particular group and ‘group feeling’. This group feeling is sometimes known and described as a group identity. This occurs in a caring, or working situation where people belong together and would identify the as belonging in a group. There are two types of groups, primary and secondary, which have been identified by social scientists. The is thought that a primary group of people are that of people who know each other and feel that they belong together while as the secondary group is people who only have something in common. A primary group in care tend to share the subsequent features; Some groups require a lot of team leadership or effort before they are able to work well together; however there are groups, which naturally come together, and this enables them to work well. There have been many theorists, which have studied the way people start to work together. People need to get to know each other and learn about them before a group can have a sense of belonging. It is also thought that ever group goes through a period in which the group struggles before they unite and work effectively together. One of the well-known theorists in which to explain the stages was that of Tuckman (1965). Tuckman suggests that most groups go through a process involving four stages before they can become effective. (1) * Forming- this is the first stage of group formation. The introductory stage is most likely to happen when group members first get together. There may be some people who are unsure of the reasons why they are attending the meeting and the purpose of the group may not be clear and at times prejudice and stereotyping may occur and be expressed within this stage. Storming – within the group a ‘power struggle’ may occur, this is where individuals will contest against each other for the role of leader of the group. Arguments may occur over how the group should work, who should perform certain tasks. Some groups can fail within stage two or individuals within this group may decide to leave as the do not feel comfortable within the group. Within a working group, this can occur and staff will sometimes refuse to communicate with certain members of the group, this is known as group storming. Norming – common beliefs or norms can be developed within the group at this stage. People are now beginning to trust each other more and have now developed clear roles for each other. Norms are the shared expectations of the group on one another. These norms enable the group to be able to work together. * Performing – the group can now start to perform well because the group shares the same values and norms. People may feel that they are comfortable and belong to the group, and the group morale may be high, which contributes positively to the group. GROUP SEATING PLANS: Sometimes it is noticeable on the way in which the group sits are stands to whether it is in it ‘performing stage’ or it is working as a successful interaction as a group. If you are working within a group discussion it is imperative that all the participants of that interaction are made aware of one another and they can see and hear all the other participants. This is why the circle is one of the favourable seating patterns because all the participants’ faces can be seen in this structure and the body language is clearer. This can help to promote the interaction and skills used within the communication. Being seated within a circle may sometimes suggest to the participants that everyone is equal to each other. However there are many other seating patterns which can be structured in a way to suit specific interactions. For example a carer or teacher may like to sit within the circle half way, or in the front of a half circle. This will give out the message that all of the participants are equal however the carer or teacher will be taking the lead role of the interaction. MY GROUP INTERACTION: Where my interaction took place: For my group communication, I have decided to revisit my school which I had previously looked at whilst doing communication skills within an early year setting. My school that I will be revisiting is Buxton County Primary school. I would like to do my group communication with class 2 because I feel that it is an appropriate task to do with them, although I think that reception class is a bit too young. My interaction took place with 6 pupils, within class time. I decided to make Thank you cards with them, because it was just after Christmas and I feel that this task is suitable. Purpose of my interaction: The purpose of my group interaction with the group was to promote interaction between the pupils and also with the members of the group. I am also looking to show an observer some of the communication skills I have learnt, and also to show that they are valuable and in a group situation, successful. The group were working together to produce Thank you cards for their family, and sharing their ideas to help others. I wanted the children to be able to help each other to make the cards and choosing the individual materials, which were needed to make their cards. I also would like to make this a fun activity for the children, in which they will get some learning experience out of too. I am also hoping that the pupils will be willing to ask me questions about the activity and that I will be able to give sufficient answers. Mrs Paterson (the classroom teacher) decided to choose five pupils in which I was going to work on my selected activity with. Mrs Paterson said that she chose children which she knew had previously worked together, and have been successful in interacting with each other. I think that this would be quite helpful for me because there was a smaller likelihood of misbehaving in the interaction. Setting and layout: My interaction took place within the year 2 classroom at Buxton Primary School. I decided to do it within class time, so there were no irregularities to the children’s timetable. The classroom was brightly coloured, with lots of pictures, posters, art work, cards and writing the children had done themselves.

World War II Battle of Kasserine Pass, North Africa

The Battle of Kasserine Pass was fought February 19-25, 1943, during World War II (1939-1945). Armies Commanders: Allies Major General Lloyd Fredendallapprox. 30,000 men Axis Field Marshal Erwin Rommel22,000 men Background In November 1943, Allied troops landed in Algeria and Morocco as part of Operation Torch. These landings, coupled with Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomerys victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein, placed German and Italian troops in Tunisia and Libya in a precarious position. In an effort to prevent forces under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel from being cut off, German and Italian reinforcements were quickly shifted from Sicily to Tunisia. One of the few easily defended areas of the North African coast, Tunisia had the added benefit of being close to Axis bases in the north which made it difficult to for the Allies to intercept shipping. Continuing his drive west, Montgomery captured Tripoli on January 23, 1943, while Rommel retired behind the defenses of the Mareth Line (Map). Pushing East To the east, American and British troops advanced through the Atlas Mountains after dealing with the Vichy French authorities. It was the hope of the German commanders that the Allies could be held in the mountains and prevented from reaching the coast and severing Rommels supply lines. While Axis forces were successful in halting the enemy advance in northern Tunisia, this plan was disrupted to the south by the Allied capture of Faà ¯d east of the mountains. Situated in the foothills,  Faà ¯d provided the Allies with an excellent platform for attacking towards the coast and cutting Rommels supply lines. In an effort to push the Allies back into the mountains, the 21st Panzer Division of General Hans-Jà ¼rgen von Arnims Fifth Panzer Army struck the towns French defenders on January 30. Though French artillery proved effective against the German infantry, the French position quickly became untenable (Map). German Attacks With the French falling back, elements of the US 1st Armored Division were committed to the fight. Initially halting the Germans and driving them back, the Americans took heavy losses when their tanks were lured into an ambush by enemy anti-tank guns. Retaking the initiative, von Arnims panzers conducted a classic blitzkrieg campaign against the 1st Armored. Forced to retreat, Major General Lloyd Fredendalls US II Corps was beaten back for three days until it was able to make a stand in the foothills. Badly beaten, 1st Armored was moved into reserve as the Allies found themselves trapped in the mountains with no access to the coastal lowlands. Having driven the Allies back, von Arnim backed off and he and Rommel decided their next move. Two weeks later, Rommel elected to make a thrust through the mountains with the goal of decreasing pressure on his flanks and also capturing the Allied supply depots in the western arm of the mountains. On February 14, Rommel attacked Sidi Bou Zid and took the town after a day-long fight. During the action, American operations were hampered by weak command decisions and poor use of armor. After defeating an Allied counterattack on the 15th, Rommel pushed on to Sbeitla. With no strong defensive positions in his immediate rear, Fredendall fell back to the more easily defended Kasserine Pass. Borrowing the 10th Panzer Division from von Arnims command, Rommel assaulted the new position on February 19. Crashing into the Allied lines, Rommel was able to easily penetrate them and compelled US troops to retreat. As Rommel personally led the 10th Panzer Division into the Kasserine Pass, he ordered the 21st Panzer Division to press through the Sbiba gap to the east. This attack was effectively blocked by an Allied force centered on  elements of the British 6th Armored Division and the US 1st and 34th Infantry Divisions.   In the fighting around Kasserine, the superiority of German armor was easily seen as it  quickly bested US M3 Lee and M3 Stuart tanks. Breaking into two groups, Rommel led 10th Panzer north through the pass towards Thala, while a composite Italo-German command moved through the south side of the pass towards Haidra. Allies Hold Unable to make a stand, US commanders were frequently frustrated by a clumsy command system that made it difficult to obtain permission for barrages or counterattacks. The Axis advance continued through February 20 and 21, though isolated groups of Allied troops hampered their progress. By the night of February 21, Rommel was outside Thala and believed that the Allied supply base at Tà ©bessa was within reach. With the situation deteriorating, the commander of the British First Army, Lieutenant General Kenneth Anderson, shifted troops to Thala to meet the threat. By the morning of February 21, the Allied lines at Thala were reinforced by experienced British infantry back by massed US artillery, largely from the US 9th Infantry Division. Attacking, Rommel was unable to breakthrough. Having achieved his goal of relieving pressure on his flank and concerned that he was over-extended, Rommel elected to end the battle. Wishing to reinforce the Mareth Line to prevent Montgomery from breaking through, he began withdrawing out of the mountains. This retreat was sped along by massive Allied air attacks on February 23. Tentatively moving forward, Allied forces reoccupied Kasserine Pass on February 25. A short time later, Feriana, Sidi Bou Zid, and Sbeitla were all retaken. Aftermath While complete disaster had been averted, the Battle of Kasserine Pass was a humiliating defeat for US forces. Their first major clash with the Germans, the battle showed an enemy superiority in experience and equipment as well as exposed several flaws in the American command structure and doctrine. After the fight, Rommel dismissed American troops as ineffective and felt they did offer a threat to his command. While scornful of American soldiers, the German commander was impressed with much of their equipment which he felt well-reflected the experience gained by the British earlier in the war. Responding to the defeat, the US Army initiated several changes including the immediate removal of the incompetent Fredendall. Sending Major General Omar Bradley to assess the situation, General Dwight D. Eisenhower enacted several of his subordinates recommendations, including giving command of II Corps to Lieutenant General George S. Patton. Also, local commanders were instructed to keep their headquarters near the front and were given greater discretion to react to situations without permission from a higher headquarters. Efforts were also made to improve on-call artillery and air support as well as to keep units massed and in position to support each other. As a result of these changes, when US troops returned to action in North Africa, they were significantly better prepared to face the enemy. Selected Sources History Net: Battle of Kasserine PassWorld War II Database: Battle of Kasserine PassOlive Drab: Tunisia Campaign