SND 4

Stella is remarkably sad at the end of the play because of what happens to Blanch. Was she right in doing what she has done?

At the end of the play Stella and Stanley send Blanche off to a mental institution. Throughout the play she has drove both of them crazy and they thought that it would do her some good. In the play we realized she is a pedophile, alcoholic, and is somewhat psycho. She lied to men to seduce them, and caused tension between Stanley and Stella. She also hid her problems, which eventually built up all the stress she had. I think what she did was right because something had to be done about her problems.

SND 3

What is revealed about Blanche in these chapters? Do these revelations come as a shock?

We learn the truth behind Blanche in this act. WE learn that she was involved with some business at The Hotel Flamingo. She was also kicked out of there for sleeping with multiple men! We also learn that she was getting with a 17-year-old boy at her school. This is the reason why she is here with Stella and Stanley because her superintendent asked her to leave for a while. She seems to me like a prostitute/pedophile.

SND 2

Why does Blanche disapprove of Stanley?

Blanche seems to disapprove of him for numerous reasons. First off he is a Polack and doesn’t come from a wealthy family. Blanche on the contrary has had a wealthy background. When they meet there seems to be some tension/affections between the two. Another reason is the he is abusive, when he playing poker with his friends he hits her. Blanche seems somewhat threatened by him, and also tells Stella that she deserves better.

SND

Explain something a character does in Scene 2-3 that teaches us something new about them, something we didn’t know in Scene 1?

Scenes 2 and 3 show a different side of Stanley. He is seen as a macho Polack, that gets around with all the women. We see this when he comes home from bowling and takes off his shirt, he seems to flirt with Blanche, Stellas sister. Stanley also seems to have a problem with his anger. He is mad when Blanches crate of nice clothes comes in, he sees that they are worth a lot and wonders if they are from the money from the house lost in Belle Reeve. In scene 3 he plays poker with his friends and throws a fit because Stella turns on the radio. He gets up and slaps her and also throws the radio. Later on that night he also yells back for Stella, which shows that he can be caring and forgiving.

Essay Ideas

For my essay I am going to talk about the contrasting lives of both Norma Desmond and Willy Loman. I’m going to explain their individual stories and what they became to be. Both characters had the motivation and help from people around from them but eventually lost control in the end. In the middle I'm going to compare Langston’s poem to the individuals. The poem can relate to them because in the end the load and stress is so heavy that they explode. Towards the end I'm going to talk about their dreams and how they could of taken a different approach of how to pursue something they wanted without a bad ending.

Willy Vs Norma

Compare the characters of Willy Loman and Norma Desmond.

I think that both of these characters are mostly similar. They both are full of themselves and believe that everybody likes them. Norma believes that its all me me me, and nobody else. Willy believes that he is very successful and is at the level of social status with people around him. Both of these characters have also failed at their current occupations. Norma was very famous when movies didn’t have words, but when they changed to the newer style she wasn’t wanted because her acting skills weren’t substantial. Willy was also somewhat more successful that what he was, and when he started to get old he lost his natural talents. The differences between Norma and Willy are also that Norma has money, and Willy didn’t.

DOSM 7

Were Willy’s final actions noble, or were they a sign of weakness?
I think that committing suicide is really ignorant because it hurts all the people around you. Willy decided that killing himself would help his family’s economic situation and could help Biff become somewhat successful (maybe). Willy presumed that the money Biff would receive would help Biff respect him a little bit more. Giving up on his family in my perspective made Willy seem weak, he might of “freed” them but he caused them grief. I believe that this made Willy very very weak because he gave up on his family.

DOSM 6

What happens to Biff and Willy’s relationship after Biff goes to the hotel?

Willy was about to go to talk to Biffs math teacher because he flunked the class and now has to go to summer school. When Biff was going up to the hotel room to talk about what was going on he walked in on them when she was in the shower. He tried to hide it say that she is just staying there temporarily, which Biff doesn’t believe at all. Willy also gives his wifes stockings to her, which Biff is upset about. This is one of the main reasons that Biff and Willy don’t have a strong bond with eachother because he has lost fate in his dad. This also catalyzes the fact that Biff is set up for failure because he doesn’t see any point in pursuing something in his future.

DOSM 5

Do you think Willy made the right decision to refuse Charlie’s help?

Charlie offers Willy a newer job but he doesn’t accept the offer. This job could of helped them to be stable financially instead of Willy having to borrow money every week from Bill to even sustain his families needs. Willy also wants to keep his pride and doesn’t want to look low in society. If he did accept Charlies job he would probably be ticked that he owns his own company and he has to work for him. Willy has done this before by refusing Bens proposal to go to Alaska for another job offer there.

DOSM 4

Was Ben a positive or negative influence on Willy? What does Linda think?

I think Ben was both positive and negative, he was positive because he still helps him with his financial difficulties, but he is negative because he wants to take him from the life he lives in now. Willy looks up to Ben because he is wealthy, and has a good job. Ben offers Willy to go to Alaska so he can make some good money. Linda doesn’t like this because she wants him to stay in town so he can stay with them and the boys. Linda cares about Willy staying with them, but Willy is more focused on staying financially stable.

DOSM 3

Do you think Biff and Happy’s plan will work?

Biff and Happy are trying to think of ways that they can earn a good income, and do something they both enjoy. Biff has a passion for sports and Happy has a desire to take up a manager position. They want to be successful and make a lot of money, so then they can relax and enjoy life. The only problem is that Happy and Biff wouldn’t like this type of job, Biff likes to be outdoors, and Happy doesn’t like working so hard. I believe that they wont have the motive to start such a company like this because of the lifestyles that they both have.

TDOFSM 2

In the middle of act I when Will is at his house and is talking to the boys Charlie his neighbor comes over to see what all the noise was about. Will and Charlie sit down and play cards. Charlie is not as rich as Willy, and is the father of Bernard. Bernard is a nerdy kid who doesn’t seem like he is very wanted. Since Charlie doesn’t have money Will doesn’t treat him as he would with other people. The only person that we see treated better is Ben who is wealthier than all of them.