Charley's Statement

    In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman goes through a tough time. His life is based around being a salesman. He is not a very successful one though, and his neighbor Charley can see that. Charley in a way pities Willy. He constantly lends Willy money and plays cards with him. Willy tends to treat him badly because he is jealous of Charley’s successful son.  Nevertheless, he offers Willy a job many times. However, Willy never accepts the job offer, even when he loses his job as a salesman.  Charley tries telling Willy “the only thing you got in this world is what you can sell” (1256). Willy cannot seem to understand this though. Here, I think Charley is trying to tell Willy that he does not have anything to sell. Willy is losing everything he has and it is making him lose his job. Willy’s most valuable asset is his job as a salesman, and that is what he is living off of. This reflects America in the 1940s in a different way than America now. In the 1940s, a man’s most important responsibility was his job. Losing his career would be losing everything. As America in 2012, salesmanship is not the only thing a man has got in the world. There are so many more opportunities in America now. Overtime, things have changed a lot. Back then, a man seemed to only work and worry about his job. Now, men do much more than just work. They spend more time with the family, go out with their friends, or use their time watching Sunday night football games. I guess America’s morals have changed overtime.

My Trip to England

     This past summer, I had the privilege to fly myself to England. I stayed there with my friend Chris Hedgecock and his family for three weeks. I had never flown out of the United States before; I was quite excited to see what a part of Europe looked like. Getting to see my best friend was also quite thrilling. We did lots of tourist things while I was there. They took me to Arundel castle first. I had never seen a real castle in my life, thus I was very enthused to tour the magnificent and historical castle. A couple of days after that, the Hedgecock family took me to see Legoland. It was an amusement park based around legos. Almost everything was built out of legos. I am sure it would have been a lot more fun if I was a toddler, but I made the most of it and had fun there. Near the end of my second week there, Chris and his mother took me to London by train. We went on the London Eye when we arrived there, and seeing Big Ben was astonishing. After spending a night in the city, we toured around different parts of London. I could not get enough of how incredible it was there. When we got back home, Chris took me out with his friends and we went to celebrate for his birthday. It was extremely fun considering the drinking age in England is eighteen. The third week I was there, my old winter guard instructor, Becky, invited me to look around Brighton with her. Since she is from Brighton, she showed me around the city and took me into a palace. The palace was made for a prince and it was astounding. It was just as cool as the castle but more beautiful and detailed. It was nice catching up with her, but then had to travel back by train to Chris’s house. I will never forget the incredible times I had in England. It was the best trip I ever had. I always wish I could go back since I miss it there so much. I made so many friends and created so many memories. Maybe someday I’ll be lucky enough to revisit.

Death of a Salesman

    The story Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is quite complex. Willy Loman is a typical salesman with an average family. Well, so he likes to think. He is always striving for him and his family to be successful and apart of the American dream. Willy seems a bit delusional and cannot quite grasp the real world. He does not want to believe that his own son, Biff, truly flunked out of high school and never persuaded his football career. For Willy’s roll, I would probably consider casting Charlie Sheen. They both do not seem to be mentally straight and appear to live in their own made up world. In Biff’s case, he is a boy that always wanted to be successful and strived to make his father proud. He finds himself stuck between his father’s dream of becoming a flourishing salesman and his own dream of being a farmer out West. After failing his attempt of making his father proud, he realizes that he should not do what his father wants and that he is only a normal human being, just like his father is. I would cast my cousin for the role of Biff. My cousin wanted to make his parents happy by fulfilling their dreams and could not seem to accomplish any of it. He has recently grasped that he should do what makes him happy, not what makes his parents happy. As for Willy’s wife Linda, I know my mother would be a great choice for the casting of her role. They both are very kind to their husbands and seem to always agree with their husbands even if they are wrong. They only want best for their companion, whatever makes them happy. Willy’s other son, Happy, is the younger of his two children. He is always striving to get attention from his parents for the reason that he is always in the shadows of his older brother. For Happy’s part, I would choose my dog, Buddy. He is always trying to get my attention, especially when my other dog, Maggie, is getting loved on. Happy and Buddy seem to have the same motivations to rise above and show their parents what they are capable of.

American Dream

     There are so many different dreams in America. There are dreams to be a model, a pop star, or a successful entrepreneur. What is the true American Dream though? I do not think there is a specific category for it however. When people think about the true American Dream, they may think of a successful lifestyle. It is having great health and being in great shape. It might be a strong family. A close knit family is always what we strive for. The ideal partner with mutual true love and the perfect children that we always try to teach to be their best is what most may want. Also living in a big house with no financial worries is always one less thing to worry about. Definitely something to look forward to when one gets home from a long day at work. Which work, is ideally a good paying job that one loves to go to everyday. The true dream is to not see one’s job as work, but as a hobby, something one enjoys doing and looks forward to going to. You hear about people coming from other countries to have a better life. They may come here to make more money, to be closer to their family, or to pursue a dream. America is seen to be a wonderful place to follow one’s dream. There are many opportunities here. Other countries may want to be a part of the America Dream. Somewhere where they can be free and start their own business. Having a healthy lifestyle with a wonderful family is ultimate. Having your own business or working a job you love is the true dream. Living with no worries about money either can put one into a wonderful life. A perfect lifestyle is the real American Dream.