Death of a Saleman; general Vision essays

Death of a Saleman; general Vision essays This modern American 20th Century play by Arthur Miller, presents us with a very pessimistic view of life, filled with the social realism concerning the plight of the modern man. In particularly this is promoted by the fake existence that is the American Dream. Willy believes that one who is well liked and personally attractive will deservedly acquire the comforts and success offered by modern American life. However these superficial qualities have to face against a more rewarding understanding of the American Dream supplied by the reality of hard work without complaint. This is in fact the real key to success and is demonstrated by Miller through the likes of Bernard. Willy has lost at trying to live the American Dream and the play can be viewed as commentary about society. Willy was someone who worked all his life by the machine of democracy and commercialism that is modern America, only to be then spit mercilessly out like a piece of fruit. He is lost in the past and constantly tormented with hopes and dreams he had years ago that have since fallen through. His flashbacks provide a fundamental structure and understanding of the play. It is his version of the American Dream, which causes his psychological decline, unwilling to accept the disparity between the American Dream and his own life. Miller seems to criticize the subject of capitalism. Life is seen as a competition where one must get ahead of the next fella and force yourself to conform to white-collar success. Afterall money defines success. Miller uses the jungle that Ben talks about as a metaphor of life. Its is the same jungle Willy talks about when he tells Happy; .... The woods are burning... Towards the end Willy talks of planting a garden. I think this is some sort of motif provided by Miller, the idea of leaving something behind. Willy has yearned to make a differe...

Wardens and Guardians

Wardens and Guardians Wardens and Guardians Wardens and Guardians By Maeve Maddox A discussion prompted by Daniel’s word of the day ward put me in mind of one of my favorite etymological factoids: the relationship between words like warden and guardian. English suffers a bad rap for its spelling, but the variety of spellings is an inevitable side effect of the richness of vocabulary acquired by borrowing words from different languages at different periods of history. From 1066 until about 1250, English and French were spoken side by side in England. Then, because of political changes, the French-speaking ruling class shifted to English. The words warden and guardian are good examples of the linguistic mingling that went on between the two languages at that time. Old English had the verb weardian to keep guard, and the noun weard a guard, a watchman, a sentry, Old French had the verb guarder, â€Å"to guard.† Speakers of Norman French were people who had been Vikings a hundred years before William of Normandy invaded England in 1066. They brought their own distinctive pronunciations to French. One peculiarity was that Normans tended to pronounce the letter combination gu– as w-. For example, Old French guarder, â€Å"to guard,† became warder in Norman French. However, Parisian French kept the gu spelling and pronunciation. As a result, English ended up with words derived from both forms The OED gives numerous meanings for the word warden, including one that is identical to one of its definitions for guardian. In general usage, however, a guardian is a â€Å"protector,† while a â€Å"warden† is a â€Å"keeper.† A similar pair of words is warranty and guarantee. Both words have the sense of an assurance that a certain standard of quality or integrity will be upheld. As a legal term, warranty means n. a written statement of good quality of merchandise, clear title to real estate or that a fact stated in a contract is true. An express warranty is a definite written statement and implied warranty is based on the circumstances surrounding the sale or the creation of the contract. Law.com A new car comes with a warranty. If anything goes wrong with the car during a specified period, the warranty is a document that entitles the owner to have the problem corrected without charge. The word guarantee is often used as a synonym for warranty. However, a guarantee can be something more concrete. Warring sides might exchange hostages as a guarantee that neither will fight during an agreed period of truce. A parent might confiscate a child’s cell phone as a guarantee that he won’t be texting instead of doing homework. Etymology nerds can have fun looking for modern French words beginning with gu that correspond to English words beginning with w-. For example: war/guerre: Old English wyrre; Norman French werre; Modern French guerre. And of course there’s William the Conqueror whom the French refer to as Guillaume le Conquà ©rant. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About Numbers"Certified" and "Certificated"50 Plain-Language Substitutions for Wordy Phrases