Conversation Term Exam Questions (Seniors)
Morning Class:
1. What's the most interesting thing you've learned recently?
2. If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?
3. What's your favorite way to spend a weekend?
4. If you could master any skill instantly, what would it be?
5. What book has had the greatest impact on your life?
6. If you could live in any fictional world, where would it be?
7. What's a goal you're currently working towards?
8. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?
9. What's the last movie that made you cry or laugh out loud?
10. If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future?
11. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
12. If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
13. What's your favorite type of cuisine?
14. What's the most beautiful place you've ever visited?
15. If you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be?
16. What's a skill you wish you had, but haven't had the time to learn?
17. What's your favorite childhood memory?
18. If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be?
19. What's the most challenging thing you've ever done?
20. What's your go-to comfort routine?
21. If you could witness any historical event, what would it be?
22. What's your favorite season and why?
23. If you could have any job for a day, what would it be?
24. What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done?
25. If you could live in any era of history, when would it be?
26. What's your favorite way to relax after a long day?
27. If you could only listen to one genre of music for the rest of your life, what would it be?
28. What's a hobby you've always wanted to try but haven't?
29. If you could have dinner with any living person, who would it be?
30. What's the most important lesson you've learned in the past year?
31. If you could visit any country in the world, where would you go?
32. What's the most unusual job you can think of?
33. If you could be famous for one thing, what would it be?
34. What's your favorite holiday and why?
35. If you could have any three people over for dinner, who would they be?
36. What's a movie or TV show you can watch over and over again?
37. If you could have a 30-minute conversation with your past self, what would you say?
38. What's the most surprising fact you know?
39. If you could have any talent in the world, what would it be?
40. What's your favorite type of exercise?
41. If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be?
42. What's a skill you have that people might not know about?
43. If you could be a character in any video game, who would you be?
44. What's the best piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
45. If you could witness any natural phenomenon, what would it be?
46. What's your favorite type of art (painting, sculpture, music, etc.)?
47. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
48. What's the most valuable thing you own?
49. If you could speak any language fluently, which would it be?
50. What's a movie you love that everyone else seems to hate?
51. If you could have any animal's abilities, which would you choose?
52. What's the most beautiful sound you've ever heard?
53. If you could have any historical artifact, what would it be?
54. What's a quote that inspires you?
55. If you could have any car in the world, what would it be?
56. What's the most challenging goal you've set for yourself?
57. If you could have any fictional technology, what would it be?
58. What's the most important quality in a friend?
59. If you could marry any fictional character, who would it be?
60. What's your favorite board game or card game?
61. If you could have any job for a week, what would it be?
62. What's a place you've always wanted to visit but haven't?
63. If you could be an expert in any field, what would it be?
64. What's a YouTube channel or podcast you recommend to everyone?
65. If you could have any animal as a sidekick, what would it be?
66. What's your favorite way to stay active?
67. If you could be a character in any book, who would you be?
68. What's the most interesting park you've been to?
69. If you could have any device right now, what would it be?
70. What's a skill you admire in others and wish you had?
71. If you could have dinner with any musician, who would it be?
72. What's the most exciting adventure you've been on?
73. If you could have any fictional gadget, what would it do?
74. What's your favorite way to celebrate an achievement?
75. If you could live in any fictional universe, which would it be?
76. What's a goal you've achieved that you're proud of?
77. If you could have any animal communicate with you, which would it be?
78. Who’s the most inspiring person you've known?
79. If you could be any character in a movie, who would it be?
80. What's a skill you've always wanted to improve?
81. If you could have any fictional creature as a pet, what would it be?
82. What's the most unique job you can think of?
83. If you could have any meal prepared by a chef, what would it be?
84. What's your favorite type of weather?
85. If you could have any view from your window, what would it be?
86. What's the most beautiful piece of art you've seen?
87. If you could have any animal's instincts, which would you choose?
88. What's your favorite way to spend time with friends?
89. If you could have any car, what would it be?
90. Who’s your favorite soccer player?
91. If you could have any historical figure as a mentor, who would it be?
92. What do you think of education in Iraq?
93. Do you think Iraq now vs. past?
94. What's your favorite type of outdoor activity?
95. Which culture do you prefer, western or eastern?
96. What's a song that always puts you in a good mood?
97. If you could live anywhere in the world ,what would you choose?
98. What's the most interesting movie you've watched recently?
99. Share your views on the role of women in society.
100. What role does humor play in your life?
101. Discuss the influence of family on personal development.
102. Discuss the role of sports in society.
103. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of working in a team.
104. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the world today?
105. Discuss a current social or environmental issue that concerns you.
106. Share your perspective on the importance of education.
107. Discuss the impact of social media on society.
Evening Class:
1. Can you share a cultural tradition that is important to you?
2. If you could travel to any country, where would you go?
3. How do you stay informed about current events?
4. Share a positive role model or mentor in your life.
5. How do you handle disagreements or conflicts with others?
6. Share your thoughts on the importance of mental health.
7. Discuss the importance of lifelong friendships.
8. How do you stay physically and mentally healthy?
9. Share your views on the impact of automation on the workforce.
10. What do you believe is the key to effective teamwork?
11. Share your thoughts on the role of government in addressing social inequalities.
12. Discuss the impact of consumerism on the environment.
13. What is your perspective on the role of diplomacy?
14. Share your thoughts on the role of free speech in society.
15. Share a moment when you had to step out of your comfort zone.
Drama (Seniors)
G.B. Shaw’s Arms and the Man
What factors contributed to the gap between the Elizabethan period and the Modern period in drama?
The gap between the Elizabethan period and the Modern period was caused by politics. The Puritans denied singing, laughing, and other entertaining aspects. They did so for about 70 years until they were overthrown.
Shaw was a member of a socialist society. What was it called, what was its aim, and how did it influence his plays?
George Bernard Shaw was associated with the Fabian Society, a British socialist organization founded in 1884. The aim of the Fabian Society was to advance the principles of socialism through gradualist and reformist methods, rather than revolutionary means. The society advocated for social justice, equality, and the gradual transformation of society through democratic and legislative processes.
Idealism vs. Realism is a main theme in Arms and the Man. Discuss.
One of the central criticisms of Arms and the Man is of the tendency of people to romanticize or idealize complex realities: in particular love and war. Literary romanticism began to decline right around the time Shaw was born, and the play in many ways illustrates how and why romanticism historically failed: it could not accurately describe fundamental human experiences.
Raina is the play’s most obvious romantic. Her relationship with Sergius (whom the stage directions call a “Byronic hero” after the Romantic poet Lord Byron) embodies almost all of the romantic ideals: they are both beautiful, refined, and appear to be infatuated with each other. However this romantic, idealistic vision of love does not stand up when reality sets in. The “genteel” Sergius lusts animalistically—even, sometimes, violently—after the servant Louka and Raina is in love with the anti-romantic Bluntschli. Their ideal romantic love is all an act. In reality, love is much more multifaceted, and complicated, than Raina and Sergius make it seem.
Raina and Sergius’s flawed romanticism also shows through in their conception of war. Raina waxes poetic about how Sergius is an ideal soldier: brave, virile, ruthless but fair. It turns out Sergius’s cavalry charge was ill-advised, and the charge only succeeded because the opposing side didn’t have the correct ammunition. Sergius is not the perfect soldier—he is a farce. And the real soldier, Bluntschli, runs away from battle and carries sweets instead of a gun. He also speaks honestly about the brutality and violence of war—which involves more drunkenness and abuse than it does heroics and gallantry.
Shaw displays an interest in revealing human realities like love and war for what they really are: often ugly, contradictory, and thoroughly complex. He implicitly criticizes romantic art for avoiding these realities, and giving us a sugarcoated version of human life and human history. Conversely, his work puts forth the argument that art should be able to make sense of and account for human experiences.
Heroism is a main theme in Arms and the Man. Discuss.
A central question of Arms and the Man concerns the nature of heroism. What makes a hero? What does it mean to be a hero? What responsibilities does such a label convey? At first, Sergius is painted as a hero—he led a successful cavalry charge, displaying immense (in fact foolhardy) bravery. He is physically strong, courageous, and handsome. He thus embodies a very traditional kind of heroism. But it is made clear that Sergius’s actions are considered by more seasoned soldiers to be farcical. Though Raina and her mother fawn over Sergius, in part because Raina is betrothed to him, others find him more of a clown than a hero.
Bluntschli is a kind of “anti-hero.” He is dubbed by Raina to be the “chocolate cream soldier”—a moniker that inspires images of weakness and sweetness—because he typically carries chocolates rather than extra ammo. He is older, more modest looking, and doesn’t believe courage is a virtue. But by the end of the play he is revealed to be both a better soldier and a far more desirable husband than Sergius, and wins Raina’s affections.
The question of heroism is a rich and diverse one. By wondering about what makes a hero, Shaw engages various lines of thinking. What do heroes mean to culture? Who ought to be a hero? And what of literary heroes?—Shaw was writing in a time of social and political upheaval. The clash between socialism and capitalism was growing more contentious, and the rise of new industrial technologies was exacerbating the already sharp class divisions and changing the cultural landscape. It was accordingly a time of artistic and literary upheaval as well: literary Romanticism no longer seemed fit to make sense of or address contemporary human problems. The Byronic, romantic hero had been forsaken—what would the new literary heroes look like? By engaging these questions about heroism Shaw is asking questions about the future of culture and art.
Shaw is connected to the concept of the superman. What does the concept mean, from whose philosophy did he adopt it, and what change did he bring to it?
One of Shaw’s philosophies is the concept of the Superman. He adopted it from Nietzsche’s Übermensch. The characteristics of the superman are as follows: physically healthy, intellectual, emotionally smart. Shaw adds that a woman can be super as well. A superman needs a superwoman to bring advancement to humanity.
Discuss the following quote: "All of them, dear lady, all of them, believe me. It is our duty to live as long as we can."
Here, the man assures Raina that all soldiers fear death. This is deeply relatable to Raina because, of course, she is a normal human being with normal fears. But all the military people she has met have refused to acknowledge fear, so she is shocked by it. Shaw didn't mean this acknowledgment of fear to be an admission of weakness on the part of the soldier, but rather, an admission of humanity.
Discuss the following quote: "I know the difference between the sort of manner you and she put on before one another and the real manner."
Louka, a pragmatist, tells Sergius, a romantic, the truth. He and Raina act out a pantomime of love, but they don't really talk to or value each other. What Louka heard between Raina and Bluntschli was "the real manner." She also knows that the way Sergius treats her is honest and real.
Discuss the following quote: "I would marry the man I loved, which no other queen in Europe has the courage to do."
Here, Louka calls him on his lack of bravery. She says she would marry the man she loved no matter how far beneath her he might be. This, she claims, makes her braver than any queen because no queen would do that. They all submit to the dictates of society and social class.
Discuss the following quote: "Oh, war! war! The dream of patriots and heroes! A fraud, Bluntschli, a hollow sham, like love."
This quote is a nutshell summary of the entire play. Sergius says that soldiers lie to themselves about the brave conquests they will make in war. However, once you get there, it's a sham. In the same way, love is a sham. You can't choose the person you really want, and you are expected to act in accordance with social rules, not speak honestly.
Sketch out one of the following characters: Raina, Louka, Catherine, Petkoff, Sergius, Bluntschli, or Nicola.
Raina
Raina doesn't know exactly what she wants. She has been raised to marry a man like Sergius and to hope for him to be a hero. She has also been raised to be sweet and kind and never to lie. It's difficult for her to admit that these things are impossible for her. When she meets Bluntschli, it is her first experience with the idea that gray areas exist. Not all soldiers are brave, not all cowards are bad, and not all lies are unforgivable.
Bluntschli
Bluntschli is a very practical sort of fellow. He wants to make money by being in the war, but he doesn't particularly want to die. However, he isn't as cowardly as he would have Raina believe, and he also isn't as mercenary. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. Rather, he wants adventure and to live his life.
Sergius
Sergius is a very conflicted character. He has always believed that he has to be a certain way—a brave soldier and a worshipful admirer to Raina. The war and the servant Louka challenge these beliefs. He comes across as sort of a cardboard cutout of a man, but he wants to be more than that.
Catherine
Catherine is presented as a very typical woman of her era. She can be bribed by her husband with pretty things, as with the bet over a piece of jewelry. She sets a standard for Raina to be a perfect woman who never lies or does anything wrong. In fact, she does lie to her husband, as she is never really herself around him. She is also very concerned about what people think. She worries people will think the Petkoffs are low-class for yelling for the servants or because Raina made a poor marriage.
Petkoff
Petkoff is smarter than his family would believe. He sees what is going on most of the time. He realizes Sergius is something of a buffoon and also that Raina put a photograph in the coat for someone to find. He also realizes the coat was missing in the first place. He is not an expert on military tactics, but he knows he isn't and is willing to delegate.
Louka
Louka is very clever, and she sees everything. She is the one who tells Raina that the shutters can be opened, and she knows that someone can come in. Although she isn't Sergius's equal in class, she is more than his equal in intelligence. She feels she shouldn't be kept down by her low station. Moreover, she is not willing to degrade herself.
Nicola
Nicola is a man who knows his place and wants to be safe. He doesn't want to defy the Petkoffs, and he warns Louka against doing so. However, in the end, he is willing to give up his claim on her to see her rise in class. He is a capable servant and hopes to be rewarded for that in the end.
What is the genre of Shaw’s Arms and the Man?
The genre of Shaw’s Arms and the Man is satire.
One of the symbols in Shaw’s Arms and the Man is The Library. Discuss.
The library in the Petkoff home is often held up as a symbol of their wealth, status, and accomplishment. Libraries are rare in Bulgarian homes, and therefore the library does indicate the family’s wealth—but it also ironically symbolizes their lack of better learning, critical thinking, and cultural awareness. The library notably has very few books in it, and Major Petkoff, despite his pride in his library, isn’t very well read. Though it indicates financial success it also indicates the emptiness and shallowness embodied by people like Major Petkoff.
In what year was Shaw’s Arms and the Man published and performed?
It was published and performed in 1894.
What does the title Arms and the Man signify?
The title, Arms and the Man, comes from a line in Roman poet Virgil's epic poem Aeneid about the founding of Rome: "I sing of arms and the man who first from the shores of Troy came destined an exile to Italy and the Lavinian beaches." As Shaw’s Arms and the Man satirizes or ridicules the sort of nationalistic military heroism portrayed in the Aeneid, the title is meant ironically or contrastingly.
Who wrote Arms and the Man?
George Bernard Shaw wrote Arms and the Man.
Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot
How is Waiting for Godot an example of Theatre of the Absurd?
Originating in the aftermath of World War II, Theatre of the Absurd is a theatrical movement that relies on existentialism and illogical scenarios in order to offer commentary on the meaninglessness of human existence. Plays of this genre typically feature a non-logical universe, unclear character identities, a breakdown of communication, and a confusing or circular plot. Waiting for Godot features all of these characteristics as Vladimir and Estragon, who have no clear idea of who or where they are, find themselves trapped in a pointless cycle of waiting for a man who never arrives.
Why is Waiting for Godot considered a tragicomedy?
Beyond the fact that Beckett includes “A Tragicomedy” as the play’s subtitle, Waiting for Godot presents itself as a tragicomedy for the way in which it combines humorous actions and attitudes with rather bleak subject matters. Vladimir and Estragon gleefully discuss hanging themselves from the tree in Act One, for example, and brutal acts of violence contrast with their bumbling physical comedy. The dissonance between these two moods works to put the audience in an uncomfortable position, making it virtually impossible for them to distinguish how to react to the events on stage.
What does Godot represent?
It is important not to attach one specific identity to Godot because Beckett himself said he didn't know who Godot was. Many readers and audience members see similarities between the name "Godot" and "God," and that might have been intentional. Although Beckett originally wrote the play in French, he was a native English speaker and would have recognized the similarity. From his later statements though, it seems the similarity wasn't meant to be a concrete sign that Godot was God. It is possible, however, to conclude from the play's allusions to Christianity related to Godot that he represents something about religion, possibly spirituality in general—anything people seek outside themselves to try to provide meaning in their lives.
Sketch out one of the following characters: Vladimir, Estragon, Pozzo, or Lucky.
Estragon
Both Estragon and Vladimir are essentially Everymen, representing all of humanity, but they also contrast in some ways. Estragon is primarily concerned with feelings, particularly his own suffering, rather than intellectual thoughts, and he has trouble understanding much of Vladimir's logic and philosophy. He displays intuitive leaps, however, that go deeper than Vladimir does with his logic. If the two primary characters represent two parts of a person, Estragon is the body. The beatings Estragon says he receives represent the suffering that afflicts and traps humanity. There is nothing noble about this suffering—Estragon's complaints about it are self-pitying, and the fear of another beating keeps him locked in the endless waiting.
Vladimir
Vladimir is the more logical and intellectual of the two primary characters. He is the only character who remembers most events from one day to another, and he works the hardest to fit those events into a logical time frame, despite conflicting evidence. He tries to explore philosophical ideas logically, but often misses deeper truths Estragon seems to grasp instinctively. If Estragon represents the body, Vladimir represents the mind, with all its ability to deceive itself.
Pozzo
In contrast to the other characters, Pozzo is a wealthy landowner with power and resources. He clearly sees Vladimir and Estragon as beneath him but condescends to talk with them anyway. His concern with appearances and social conventions is ridiculous, pointing out their meaninglessness. Pozzo uses his power over Lucky to abuse him horribly. But his power and resources are ultimately useless—they don't give his life meaning or protect him from misfortune. When he becomes blind, he must rely on his slave, Lucky (who was previously merely a convenience and for entertainment) to help him navigate life, becoming pitiful in a single stroke of fate.
Lucky
As Pozzo's slave, he must constantly carry burdens that are not his own. His body is constrained, much like his free will. This might be why he seems not even to consider leaving when Pozzo becomes blind, losing most of the power he had wielded over Lucky. However, Lucky demonstrates some willpower during his long speech in Act 1, and he is upset by the prospect of Pozzo selling him, which suggests he may choose to remain in his role. There is a dependency between Lucky and Pozzo that seems related to, but not limited to, their inequality.
What is the relationship between Estragon and Vladimir?
Beckett never clearly defines the relationship between Estragon and Vladimir, although he does imply that they have been waiting for Godot together for some amount of time. They have moments of hostility as well as moments of adoration, and these contradictory interactions reinforce the idea that they do not even understand the nature of their connection. Adding this ambiguity to their interactions hints at the struggle to find meaning in interpersonal relationships. Vladimir does, however, tend to take on more of a protector role while Estragon’s presence keeps him from feeling lonely.
Why does Pozzo go blind?
In Act Two, Pozzo reappears having completely lost his sight and explains that he “woke up one fine day as blind as Fortune.” This line is the closest answer that Beckett offers as to why this sudden change occurred, and his choice of the word “fortune” here suggests that Pozzo’s blindness is completely random. Not only does this explanation add to the non-logical nature of the play’s universe, it also emphasizes that individuals are powerless to change the course of their lives.
Who coined the term Theater of the absurd?
It was Martin Esslin who coined the term.
What are the characteristics of Theater of the Absurd?
- A departure from realistic characters and situations.
- The plays offer no clear notion of the time or place in which the action occurs.
- Characters are often nameless and seem interchangeable.
- Events are completely outside the realm of rational motivation and may have a nightmarish quality commonly associated with Surrealism (a post-World War I movement that features dream sequences and images from the unconscious, often sexual in nature).
- Both dialogue and incidents may appear to the audience as completely nonsensical, even farcical.
- Themes of loneliness and isolation, the failure of individuals to connect with others in any meaningful way, and the senselessness and absurdity of life and death.
What are the themes of the Theater of the Absurd?
Themes of loneliness and isolation, the failure of individuals to connect with others in any meaningful way, and the senselessness and absurdity of life and death.
Discuss the following quote: "Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful!"
Estragon breaks out this extremely accurate summary of their circumstances, and indeed the whole play, as they wait for Lucky to begin thinking. It's a bit absurd that he chooses a time when someone has actually come and something is about to happen to complain about nothing happening and nobody coming, but it doesn't diminish the larger truth of his statement.
Discuss the following quote: "But at this place, at this moment ... all mankind is us, whether we like it or not."
When Pozzo and Lucky fall down, Vladimir and Estragon are the only ones around to help them. They at this moment are representing all of humanity and, as such, they have a responsibility to help. This is by far the most humanitarian impulse displayed by anyone in the play. (Its characters are usually focused on their own pains and struggles.) The results, however, are less than inspiring. When Vladimir and Estragon try to help Pozzo get up, they also fall and get stuck on the ground.
Discuss the following quote: "We are all born mad. Some remain so."
Vladimir has been trying to determine whether the waiting is making them lose their reason, but Estragon goes straight to the heart of the matter. Everyone is born mad (meaning crazy, or without reason), and some never escape it. Despite all of Vladimir's thinking and reasoning, he and Estragon may not have escaped the madness of existence. Of course, the audience realizes their endless waiting is crazy and completely without reason.
What does the recurrence of the word “tennis” signify in Lucky’s speech?
In Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Lucky repeats the word tennis ten times. As a kind of sport, tennis is based on the recurrent pattern of back and forth which may refer to the cycle of life and how people repeat the same tiresome process over and over again, such as: sleeping, eating, breathing, etc. Once this process stops, life stops.
Lucky uses the words “For reasons unknown” eleven times. Discuss.
In Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot, Lucky's monologue is a pivotal moment that is both bewildering and profound. Within this monologue, Lucky repeats the phrase "For reasons unknown" multiple times, adding an air of mystery and existential uncertainty to his speech. By repeating this phrase, Lucky emphasizes the inherent unknowability and randomness of existence, highlighting the characters' perpetual state of confusion and uncertainty. The repetition of this phrase also serves to highlight the characters' lack of control over their circumstances and their inability to fully understand the world around them.
Discuss the following quote: “When! When! One day, is that not enough for you, one day he went dumb, one day I went blind, one day we’ll go deaf, one day we were born, one day we shall die, the same day, the same second, is that not enough for you? (Calmer.) They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it’s night once more.”
In Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Pozzo says these words to Vladimir when the latter asks the former about when Lucky becomes dumb. Pozzo’s repetition of Vladimir’s “When! When!” reflects our insatiable desire for answers, for certainty. Pozzo then proceeds to list a series of events that happen every day. This emphasizes the idea that life is a brief and fragile experience, subject to sudden and irreversible changes. The phrase "They give birth astride of a grave" suggests the juxtaposition of birth and death. It implies that from the moment of birth, one is inevitably moving towards death. The cyclical nature of existence—birth, life, death—creates a sense of repetition, a Sisyphean struggle. "The light gleams an instant, then it's night once more" captures the ephemeral nature of life's moments of being inside a womb, emerging to life, swiftly heading to a grave.
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Discuss the following quote: "The grass don't grow any more, you can't raise a carrot in the back yard."
Willy experiences ongoing tension between the natural and the man-made environments. In the final pages of the play, Willy's delusion leads him to plant seeds in the backyard despite the reality that they will not grow, a metaphor for the American Dream and his family.
Discuss the following quote: "To suffer fifty weeks of the year for the sake of a two-week vacation …"
Biff does not recognize the reward of the American work ethic. He continues to describe his disillusionment with the American Dream and with his father, contrasting it with the kind of life he actually enjoys.
Discuss the following quote: "I walked into the jungle, ... I walked out ... I was rich." (Important)
Uncle Ben's statement of success plagues Willy his whole adult life. At times, Willy brags about his brother's success, and at other times, it is clear that Willy is disappointed in his own inability to achieve this kind of success for himself. There is no recognition that Ben's success may have come from unethical practices, just as Biff's stealing is overlooked to focus on his success.
Discuss the following quote: "He's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him ... attention must be paid."
Linda defends her husband when she claims that all human suffering requires attention. Painfully, at the end of the play, Willy does "fall into his grave" without any fanfare or attention.
Discuss the following quote: "He died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers." (Important)
Willy describes the life and death of the salesman who inspires him, Dave Singleman. The outcome of Willy's romantic description of Singleman's life contrasts sharply with the reality of Willy's life. Willy takes his own life, alone and in debt. His funeral is attended only by his family and two friends.
Discuss the following quote: "It's not what you do ... It's who you know and the smile on your face!"
Willy speaks to Ben about his ambitions for Biff, maintaining that it is contacts and being liked that make dreams come true. In reality, the outcome of the play undercuts this claim, as it is Willy's suicide that provides the financial capital for his family's dreams even as it destroys the family.
Discuss the following quote: "After all the highways ... and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive." (Important)
Willy recognizes his life insurance makes him more valuable financially than his earnings, and Willy equates his value as a person with his financial worth. It is distressing that a person's life work is worthless and that the best way Willy sees to help his family is through suicide.
Sketch out one of the following characters: Willy, Linda, Biff, Happy, Bernard, Charley, or Howard Wagner. (Important)
Willy Loman
Willy Loman is a 60-plus-year-old traveling salesman who lives in New York City and struggles to keep a grip on the present because of his deep disillusionment with the trajectory of his life. In his youth, Willy was abandoned by his father. During a trip to find his father, Willy met a successful traveling salesman and determined to become one himself, with the hope of gaining financial success, affirmation, and reputation. Frequently away from home, Willy turned to the company of another woman, and when his son Biff, then a high school senior, discovered his father's infidelity, their relationship changed forever. Willy's delusion builds as the play progresses, and at the end he commits suicide in exchange for life insurance money to provide for his family.
Linda Loman
Linda's primary roles as Willy's wife are supporter, advocate, and defender. Secondarily, Linda is the mother of Biff and Happy. The tension of trying to keep her family functional motivates her character. In many ways, she is a typical housewife of her era, focused on her domestic responsibilities and her family.
Biff Loman
Biff is Willy and Linda Loman's older son, 34 years old at the time of the play. As a child, Biff idolized his father and worked hard to please him, especially through his high school football career. Like his father, Biff values being liked more than adhering to ethical rules and begins a practice of stealing, an act Willy does not condemn. His conflict with his father is driven by Biff's desire to finally come clean and live truthfully.
Happy Loman
Happy, the Lomans' younger son, is a 32-year-old womanizing deceiver who shares many of his father's characteristics. He seldom presents the truth about himself and is driven only by his desires to find sexual and financial satisfaction. Even after his father's death, Happy is unchanged. He commits himself to fulfilling his father's shallow dream of becoming a successful salesman, always aiming to "come out number-one man.”
Bernard
The son of the Lomans' neighbor, Charley, Bernard grew up idolizing Biff. Bernard In his adulthood, Bernard is a successful family man and lawyer, who argues a case before the Supreme Court.
Charley
Charley, a successful businessman and longtime neighbor of the Lomans, kindly Charley lends Willy money and even offers him a job, despite Willy's antagonism toward him.
Howard Wagner
Howard Wagner, Willy Loman's current Howard boss, is the son of Willy's first boss;
Wagner despite the long connection, Howard fires Willy for his poor job performance.
One of the themes in Miller’s Death of a Salesman is American Dream & Disillusionment. Discuss.
A key component to the American Dream is the idea that financial prosperity is available to anyone who works for it. Willy learns the lie behind this proposition even as he watches other characters succeed financially: his brother Ben, his neighbor Charley, and Charley's son Bernard.
Throughout the play, Willy Loman's desire to be well liked and well respected drive him as much as his desire for financial success. He believes that the American Dream is a two-part idea: financial success and the recognition of that success by society. Willy mistakenly measures his value through the social respect or recognition of others, and he bestows this belief on his sons.
One of the themes in Miller’s Death of a Salesman is Illusion vs Reality. Discuss.
For Willy Loman, issues of illusion and reality are complicated, and the structure of the play makes these issues complicated for the audience as well, as Miller weaves flashbacks into the present reality of the play. Much of Willy's life of illusion is fueled by his need to manipulate the truth to his own advantage. For example, he spins the facts about his sales earnings, withholding information about his impoverished financial state from his family for the purpose of appearing successful.
One of the most significant illusions, which haunts Willy and ultimately his whole family, is Willy's fidelity to Linda. Instead of acknowledging the truth and accepting responsibility for his betrayal, Willy makes up a story to tell his son, which does not fool Biff. Willy's conflict with Biff comes to a climax when Biff finally names Willy for what he is—a phony.
In fact, the entire Loman family lives under a cloud of illusion and self-deception. They keep information from each other and never speak openly about the family's dysfunction, continuing to behave as if they are a happy family on the cusp of success. While Linda Loman knows the truth about her husband, his deteriorating mental state and suicide attempts, she continues to live a life devoted to Willy. Her self-deception requires that she turn a blind eye to the full effects of Willy's choices.
In contrast, Charley and his son Bernard, who are both financially successful and appear to be happy people, do not seem to suffer from the same kind of self-deception as the Lomans.
One of the themes in Miller’s Death of a Salesman is Betrayal. Discuss.
As young men, Willy and his brother, Ben, were abandoned by their father when he left the family, presumably for Alaska. This first betrayal in Willy's life is a betrayal of family values as it is a father's responsibility to stay with his family and help raise his sons. Subsequently, Ben, a surrogate father figure, betrayed Willy when Ben left Willy behind to travel to Africa, where Ben made his fortune and then died. Willy also feels betrayed by Ben in that Willy believes that Ben held some secret to success and wealth that he did not share with Willy. In both cases, Willy's father and his brother choose lives of adventure and wealth in place of building family connections.
These early betrayals lead to Willy's betrayal of his own family in various forms. As a traveling salesman, Willy frequently abandons his sons for road trips, leaving them fatherless for long periods of time. He betrays Linda in his affair with The Woman. In the end, Willy acts out the ultimate betrayal of his family when he abandons them through suicide.
One of the important things in Miller’s Death of a Salesman is stage direactions. Discuss.
Miller provides stage directions to help a production team enact the play. In addition, the stage directions convey important information regarding the creation of theme and meaning within the play. Stage directions regarding music, physical setting, lighting, and characters work together to create the dreamlike quality of the play, particularly the bleeding between the memory portions and the present reality portions. Repeatedly, the playwright uses music and sound to provide signals for the audience, indicating emotional shifts in mood and tone and movement through time.
Miller employed Music/Sounds to convey the theme and meaning of Death of a Salesman. Discuss.
The play begins and ends with music, and the playwright indicates different qualities of music to represent different characters and moods. For example, the play begins with music played on a flute. The directions explain that the music is "small and fine, telling of grass and trees and the horizon." Within these directions, the playwright sets the mood. Although the setting is a crowded city, the first impression the audience gets is suggestive of the natural environment, a theme that returns again and again throughout the play. The flute signals a sense of longing for something unreachable.
At the beginning of Act 2, the music has a different quality, "gay and bright," suggesting an optimistic mood: with a new day, things might work out. The music provides a sense of hope regarding a resolution to the family's ongoing sadness and conflict.
Whenever Uncle Ben appears on stage, he has a specific accompanying melody, and the laughter of Willy's lover precedes her presence throughout the play, giving the audience constant sound clues regarding movement in time. Even Willy's death is presented to the audience through sound, making Willy's death a sensory experience. The "music crashes down in a frenzy of sound," which then becomes the sound of only "a single cello string."
Miller employed Physical Setting to convey the theme and meaning of Death of a Salesman. Discuss.
Arthur Miller's description of the physical setting serves a larger purpose than mere instructions for the builders of a stage set. From the first page of the play, Miller uses his descriptions to paint a picture of the literal and figurative "fragile-seeming home" where the "air of the dream clings to the place, a dream rising out of reality." Miller presents the brokenness of the family, their futile dreams, and the reality that rises around and crowds the family.
To further convey the dreamlike quality of the play—and to reveal how Willy is losing his grip on reality—Miller states in the stage directions that the setting is "wholly or, in some places, partially transparent." Neither Willy nor the audience ever knows for sure what is concrete and what is illusion.
Miller employed Lighting/Effects to convey the theme and meaning of Death of a Salesman. Discuss.
Lighting effects and various colors provide the audience with signals regarding theme and mood. The Lomans' "fragile- seeming home" is cast in the "blue light of the sky," while the large apartment buildings that crowd and smother the Lomans' home are shown in "an angry glow of orange." The playwright uses these contrasting colors to suggest that the Lomans are somehow separate and distant from the rest of their environment. Thus, he creates an early sympathy for his characters. How can a family surviving in such a small and fragile home compete against the larger forces of the modern urban landscape around them?
Miller also uses lighting effects such as leaves to cast impressions over the stage. The leaves come and go and support both the dreamlike quality and theme of nature versus man-made environment. In one section, the stage directions state that "the light of green leaves stains the house, which holds the air of night and a dream," drawing a clear connection between light and image and mood and theme.
One of the symbols in Miller’s Death of a Salesman is Seeds. Discuss.
The seeds symbolize Willy Loman's longing for nature, something he cannot get in his city dwelling. His desire to plant seeds reveals a healthy need to nurture growth, but it is not well planned or executed. He fails at raising his sons, and he is trapped in a world in which he is unfruitful. When he exclaims that he needs to get seeds, his wife reminds him that there is not enough light to plant a garden. Yet near the end of the play, Willy, in a delusional state, is out in the backyard planting seeds, a last effort to create something fruitful with his life.
One of the symbols in Miller’s Death of a Salesman is Stockings. Discuss.
Silk stockings become a symbol of Willy Loman's betrayal and deception. Both Willy's wife and his lover discuss stockings. To be economical, Linda Loman spends time repairing her damaged stockings, a fact that annoys her husband because it emphasizes his failure to provide his family with luxuries. Willy Loman gives new stockings to the woman with whom he is having an affair in Boston. When Biff Loman discovers his father's affair, he shouts, "You—you gave her Mama's stockings!"—a further sign of Willy's betrayal of his family.
Miller's choice of stockings is significant in that during World War II, the materials used to make stockings—silk, nylon, and rayon—were rationed for the war effort. This essential component of a woman's wardrobe was hard to get. This historical context emphasizes Willy's efforts to give The Woman, but not his wife, something rare and valuable and hard to come by. In this way, Willy's gift and The Woman's praise of Willy are more helpful to Willy in maintaining his delusions of success than the vision of his wife mending her torn stockings.
One of the symbols in Miller’s Death of a Salesman is Flute. Discuss.
The play begins and ends with the melody of a flute, and music reappears many times throughout the story. Willy's father, who deserted Willy as a child, was a flute maker and salesman. The instrument, which is "small and fine, telling of grass and trees and the horizon" symbolizes the past for Willy—a connection to nature as well as his sense of abandonment and longing for a deep connection with family. The flute also serves as a signal to the audience that Willy's memories are near and that the past is about to overtake the present.
Some critics consider Miller’s Death of a Salesman a critique of the American Dream. Discuss.
The well-known phrase "the American Dream" was first used by historian James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book The Epic of America. In part Adams describes the dream as a place where "life should be better and richer and fuller ... with opportunity for each according to ability." However, he cautions that the dream is not focused on "motor cars and high wages" but rather on a "social order" in which people are empowered to reach their highest capabilities and "be recognized by others for what they are," an idea Willy Loman returns to again and again as he wrestles with the importance of being well liked.
However, the goal of making the American Dream something concrete rather than philosophical has often eluded Americans such as Willy Loman, as they have struggled to define it within the reality of American living. Some have translated the dream into materialism, while others emphasize simple living. Some view America as the land of opportunity, where everyone has an equal chance of reward as the result of a productive work ethic. Still others argue that aspects of culture such as poverty, classism, racism, and sexism keep the dream elusive for millions of Americans. Writer Thomas Byrne Edsall cautions that America's "growing gulf between the affluent and middle classes [is] anathema to the American Dream." However, for Eleanor Roosevelt, the American Dream remained an "essential task" for Americans, who must be constantly reminded of its "brightness ... splendor and beauty." These contrasting statements testify to the continuing challenges for Americans of both defining and achieving the American Dream.
The American Dream of the 1940s is reflected in Willy Loman's desires to achieve social recognition and material success, but his sense of optimism has long been frustrated, and the technology that promises to make life better and more fulfilling perpetually frustrates Loman. In the end, the promises of the future ring hollow as Loman's sense of identity is unfulfilled, his relationship with his older son is fractured, and he is unable to adapt to the changing world around him.
Academic Writing (Juniors)
Various Questions:
- Usages of punctuation marks.
- Principles of Academic Writing.
- What is meant by Expository Essays?
- What is meant by Descriptive Essays?
- What is meant by Argumentative Essays?
- Differences between the Toulmin Model & Rogerian Model in writing argumentative Essays.
- What is meant by Narrative Essays?
- What are the six strategies to begin a narrative essay?
- What is meant by IELTS Task I Essay?
- What is meant by IELTS Task II Essay?
Expository Essays:
- Explain why some teens skip school.
- Benefits of learning foreign languages.
- Explain why parents are sometimes strict.
- Explain why you especially enjoy a particular teacher.
- Compare and contrast life before and after social media.
- Explain science and its effect on the world.
- Explain what life is like for an illegal immigrant.
- Explain racism.
- Explain climate change.
- Explain democracy and its effect on laws.
Descriptive Essays:
- Which short story do you want to describe and what thoughts and feelings it provokes in you? Hint: it doesn’t necessarily have to be your favorite one.
- Describe your college life as an evening student.
- Describe the feeling of losing someone.
- Describe the feeling of love.
- Describe the feeling of having an exam.
- Describe your house.
- Describe yourself.
- Describe your favorite movie.
- Describe your country.
- Describe your family.
Argumentative Essays:
- Is democracy the best form of government?
- Should the voting age be lowered or raised?
- Is nationalism a positive or negative force in the world?
- Should schools abolish homework?
- Should universities abolish exams?
- Which is better, Apple or Samsung?
- Should drug dealers face capital punishment?
- Children should have limited access to the internet.
- Marriage should be allowed at the age of 30. Argue.
- A person with no bounds is a person with no principles. Argue.
Narrative Essays:
- How you met your closest friend.
- An experience that changed your viewpoint on life.
- The loss or gain of faith in something.
- A teacher who inspired you.
- Uncovering a Lie.
- Your worst fear.
- Flash fiction.
- Share a random act of kindness.
- A historical event.
- Embarrassing moment.
IELTS TASK I Essays:
- Table, diagram, pie chart, bar chart, line graph, map, etc.
IELTS TASK II Essays:
- Families who send their children to private schools should not be required to pay taxes that support the state education system. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
- We cannot help everyone in the world that needs help, so we should only be concerned with our own communities and countries. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
- Some people regard video games as harmless fun, or even as a useful educational tool. Others, however, believe that videos games are having an adverse effect on the people who play them. In your opinion, do the drawbacks of video games outweigh the benefits?
- Foreign visitors should pay more than local visitors for cultural and historical attractions. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
- Explain some of the ways in which humans are damaging the environment. What can governments do to address these problems? What can people do?
- Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- Some people think that museums should be enjoyable places to entertain people, while others believe that the purpose of museums is to educate. Discuss both views and give you own opinion.
- Some people believe that studying at university or college is the best route to a successful career, while others believe that it is better to get a job straight after school. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
- Several languages are in danger of extinction because they are spoken by very small numbers of people. Some people say that governments should spend public money on saving these languages, while others believe that would be a waste of money. Discuss these both views and give your opinion.
- Nowadays the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology. In what ways has technology affected the types of relationships that people make? Has this been a positive or negative development?
- Nowadays celebrities are more famous for their glamour and wealth than for their achievements, and this sets a bad example to young people. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
- When choosing a job, the salary is the most important consideration. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- Some people think that in the modern world we are more dependent on each other, while others think that people have become more independent. Discuss both views and give your own opinion
- Happiness is considered very important in life. Why is it difficult to define? What factors are important in achieving happiness?
- The older generations tend to have very traditional ideas about how people should live, think and behave. However, some people believe that these ideas are not helpful in preparing younger generations for modern life. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view?
- Some people think that all university students should study whatever they like. Others believe that they should only be allowed to study subjects that will be useful in the future, such as those related to science and technology. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
- Some people who have been in prison become good citizens later, and it is often argued that these are the best people to talk to teenagers about the dangers of committing a crime. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- Some people think that instead of preventing climate change, we need to find a way to live with it. To what extent do you agree or disagree
- Some universities now offer their courses on the Internet so that people can study online. Is this a positive or negative development
- Most people have forgotten the meaning behind traditional or religious festivals; during festival periods, people nowadays only want to enjoy themselves. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
