Short Answer Questions Part 1. In general, unless otherwise stated, answers consisting of 5-10 complete, well-written sentences will suffice. Use MLA-formatted quotations to support your remarks. 1. Arthur Miller’s play is filled with oft repeated phrases such as “well liked,” “the woods are burning,” and “I’m going to lose weight.” What others can you find? What general purpose do these repetitions serve in terms of characterization? 2. Why are Willy’s interview suggestions to Biff so contradictory? Does Willy follow his own advice in his conversation with Howard Wagner? 3. Charley claims that Willy was happy “with a batch of cement.” Willy himself desperately wants to grow things and laments, “I don’t have a thing in the ground.” What positive and negative values are suggested by these details? 4. Willy Loman, wife Linda, and sons Biff and Happy are all archetypal characters—simplified and compressed personalities with exaggerated strengths and weaknesses. What label would you assign to each? Why? 5. Examine the copy of Johann Peter Hasenclever’s painting included in the materials for Lesson 7. What character types can you see in Hasenclever’s work? In 5-10 sentences per type, identify 3 explaining why you have chosen these particular distinctions. Short Answer Questions Part 2 1. Identify the six elements of plot in an infographic, and summarize the action of each part for Miller’s “Death of a Salesman.” In general, unless otherwise stated, answers consisting of 5-10 complete, well-written sentences will suffice. Use MLA-formatted quotations to support your remarks. 2. What is the inciting incident or destabilizing event in Miller’s play? 3. The play is set in post-World War II New York City, while the flashbacks take place in 1928. Why is this? 4. Is Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” about Willy Loman or someone else? Why? 5. How does Biff grow, or change, over the course of the play? 6. How do Linda and Happy’s character defects contribute to Miller’s plot? 7. Does Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” have a subplot? If so, what is it? Short Answer Questions Part 3 Create a PowerPoint in which you answer the following questions: Identify the overarching theme in Miller’s play and why you feel this is the most important of all the themes present in “Death of a Salesman.” Which details seem especially important to the play’s theme? What words, phrases, or objects provide clues about the theme of Miller’s play? What is the play’s attitude toward its theme? How do you know this? The use of MLA-formatted quotations is required, as is the incorporation of images. For help creating a PowerPoint presentation, please see Wellehan Library’s Support Page. Essay Writing Assignment In an essay that’s at least 5 paragraphs in length (with a catchy title), identify the tone of Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman” and explain how you arrived at this conclusion. A rubric, planning sheet, model for its use, and an essay based on this model can be found in the Appendices module. Use MLA-formatted quotations to support your remarks.