In the Introduction included in our copy of Death of a Salesman, scholar Christopher Bigsby maintains that the play is
not an attack on American values. It is, however, an exploration of the betrayal of those values and the cost of this in human terms. Willy Loman’s American
dream is drained of transcendence. It is a faith in the supremacy of the material over the spiritual….What Miller attacks, then, is not the American dream of
Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, but the dream as interpreted and pursued by those for whom ambition replaces human need, and for whom the
trinkets of what Miller called the ‘new American Empire in the making’ were taken as tokens of true value. (xxiii-xxiv)
Agree or disagree with Bigsby using examples from the play. You may also back up your claims using information from other works we studied this
semester. Don’t forget to use specific examples and direct quotes to support your arguments.
Include a Work(s) Cited page at the conclusion of the paper.
Length: Two-three pages using MLA format
instruction:
+Try not to use second person (the dreaded “you”) in formal writing.
+Remember to use page numbers (in parentheses) after quotes and paraphrases.
+Use strong and varied signal verbs–using literary present tense. Example: Douglass argues, Douglass cries, according to Douglass, Douglass concedes, and
so forth.
+Don’t forget to italicize book titles.
+Adhere to the prompt