Review of ‘Dressed to Kill Consumption, Style and the...

Cultural Influences Mark Farwell Review of ‘Dressed to Kill: Consumption, Style and the Gangster (Ruth, 1996)’ By Daniel De Brett The introduction of the ‘gangster’, comprising of personality, characteristics, image, consumption patterns, behaviours and attitudes, into the American society during the 1920s had a significant impact and influence on people’s society and culture. The public enemy, defined by business organisation, violent criminality and stylish consumption, was deployed by many Americans during the development of a new consumer society. The gangster was introduced and became a fascination to Americans at the peak of development of the new consumer society. Within this new society, consumerism had increased†¦show more content†¦Social divisions seem to become blurred by both lower and higher status people and that now ‘the respectable and the disreputable were linked as consumers’, social divisions seemed to be non existent. The gangster embodied the promise of new consumerism, however also consisted of dangers, as the gangster’s perceived wealth su ggested economic mobility with the blurring of social class. As the gangster could with ease mix with leading citizens in restaurants and bars, it suggests an enfacement of conventional distinctions between the respectable and disreputable. For Americans that situated themselves in the respected middle class, the shift of consumer society’s class relations became confused of social terrain. The middle class of the late nineteenth century ranged across several categories, often linked by ethnicity, religion and public behaviour. After the turn of the century, social changes made the category more problematic, with some of the issues involving the working class, including immigrants. During the First World War, the income gap decreased as white collar earnings stagnated, while the unskilled worker experienced increased real wages. This change in life, created the problematic middle class, as many Americans across the class scale, participated in quest for pleasure and gratifica tion that marked immigrants and working class as different. The new American economy promised

The American Dream in Death Of A Salesman, by Arthur...

Success: Accomplishing Your Dream Completing the American Dream is a controversial issue. The American Dream can be defined as having a nice car, maybe two or three of them, having a beautiful, healthy family, making an impact on the world, or even just having extra spending money when the bills are paid. In the play Death Of A Salesman, by Arthur Miller, the American Dream deals with prosperity, status, and being immortalized. Willy Loman, a hard worker aged to his sixties never accomplished this goal. He always talked the talked, but never achieved to walk the walk. Willy Loman would always talk about who hes met and how he has always well known and liked, but truthfully he never was. Willy: Hes liked, but†¦show more content†¦Charley: It was a very nice funeral. Linda: But where are all the people he knew? (REQUIEM, lines 7-8). Willys funeral was tiny as well as his talk. Willys dreams were shallow and unlived even until his death. Success was part of Willy Lomans dream. Willy dreams of both he and his sons being successful. Willy: Bernard is not well liked, is he? Biff: Hes liked, but hes not well liked. Happy: Thats right, Pop. Willy: Thats just what I mean. Bernard can get the best marks in school, yunderstand, but when he gets out in the business world, yunderstand, you are going to be five times ahead of him. Thats why I thank Almighty God youre both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates a personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me for instance†¦ (ACT I, lines 270-272). Biff and Happy, the Loman brothers, are two blind followers, falling for Willys dream. They have never seen what Willy has actually done. Theyve heard the words. Louis Gordon wrote this about the play: Hap, less favored by nature and his father, perhaps as Willy was in comparison with Ben, has escaped the close ness with his father that destroys Biff in social terms. Thus worshipping his father from afar, Hap has never fully come to realize that phony part of his father and his fathers dreams. He does have longings to be outdoors and to get away from theShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller1127 Words   |  5 PagesMany people dream of the American dream. To have a big house, two kids and a picket fence. In Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman every character uses lies and deceit as a way to escape reality. With this said, it is only Biff’s character that is dynamic, realizing the error of his ways. Constantly, each character escapes their problems with deceit. Even Biff remains in this state of falsehood, until he reaches his epiphany. The main character Willy Loman, is constantly fooling himself intoRead MoreThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller1598 Words   |  7 Pagesalways been prominent in the American culture. 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Some people think this dream is something automatically granted; or in contrast, as in the story â€Å"Death of a Salesman† written by Arthur Miller, as something that has to be achieved in order to be successful in life. The play takes issues with those in America who place to much stress on material gain, instead of more admirable values. American society is exemplified with Miller’s work a nd demonstrates how a dream could turn into a nightmare. Arthur Miller’sRead MoreThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1096 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald In a majority of literature written in the 20th century, the theme of the American Dream has been a prevalent theme. This dream affects the plot and characters of many novels, and in some books, the intent of the author is to illustrate the reality of the American Dream. However, there is no one definition of the American Dream. Is it the right to pursue your hearts wish,Read MoreA Detailed Analysis of Death of a Salesman1199 Words   |  5 PagesLook at Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman has been accepted worldwide as one of the greatest American dramas to premier in theatre. The story behind the play is based on Miller’s interactions with his Uncle, a salesman whose efforts to obtain the â€Å"American Dream† and pass his success on to his two sons becomes his main focus. Miller’s life during the preparation of Death of a Salesman provides the spark and inspiration needed to pen a literary classic. Almost five decades later, Death of a Salesman’sRead MoreAnalysis Of Arthur Miller s Death Of A Salesman 1136 Words   |  5 PagesGarett Miller Mr. James Mahle THE2000 2 August 2, 2016 Arthur Miller’s Impact Arthur Miller was born in 1915, and he died in 2005. He is possibly the most well-known and influential American playwright. He grew up during the Great Depression, so many of his plays deal with the American middleclass lifestyle. His two most influential works are Death of a Salesman and The Crucible. Death of a Salesman is about the tragic white collar worker, Willy Loman, while The Crucible is about the Salem witchRead MoreWilly Loman And The American Dream Analysis1075 Words   |  5 PagesPursuit of Happiness in the American Dream In Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Lomans pursuit of the American Dream is characterized by his selfishness, demonstrating how the American Dream can subtly turn into the American Nightmare. However, Willy’s role is quite important because he often led to failure through the creation of the American Dream and the real world. To fully understand the storyline of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, one must evaluate each member of theRead MoreArthur Miller s Death Of A Salesman1144 Words   |  5 Pages Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman Life for many in America are missing the same elements that â€Å"Death of a Salesman† exposed. Those element are love and direction. Many people face these struggles at some point in their life, but don’t know what to do to progress. Arthur Miller devised a style whereby he could show how your past can continuously impact on your future. Each character highlights the powerlessness of a dream to give meaning and control to human life. I disagree with some

Proctor and Elizabeth Relationship Free Essays

‘The Crucible’ is a novel which was written by Arthur Miller in 1953. It takes place during the times of the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts. This was a time of much hypocrisy in the people of the town of Salem. We will write a custom essay sample on Proctor and Elizabeth Relationship or any similar topic only for you Order Now Many people believed anything they heard or saw. Although The Crucible is fictitious, the story depicts the historical information of the Salem witch trials, and blends them with fictitious characters to create a very realistic plot and conflict in the story. Miller wrote this play as a response to the political environment in which he lived. The story relates to the McCarthy trials. During the 1950’s Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many American leaders of being communists. This lead to many accusations that people were communists. Some people believed him because they had fear of communism. McCarthy was, in effect, conducting â€Å"witch hunts†. The Red Scare was a witch hunt where the US government was searching for â€Å"dangerous communists. † Accusations came from left and right, much the same as the characters did for â€Å"real witches† in The Crucible. This meant that people were forced to either confess to the crime of witchery or shove the blame towards a different person. As an effect of this bias, the accused were never discharged, but were given the opportunity to confess to the crime of witchcraft to lessen their sentence. With the red scare, the accused were given a chance to give up names of other suspected communists to lessen their sentence as well. In both situations, there were people who confessed even though they had no relation to the crime at all. The majority, however, valued their morals and refused to give into political pressure by lying. This is shown as abuse of power. The puritans were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th century. The entire plot of the novel is moulded by the repressive Puritan society. Like many puritan women, Elizabeth Proctor is dutiful and loves her husband dearly. Yet, Elizabeth is hurt by the fact that her husband was having an affair with their â€Å"strikingly beautiful† young servant (Abigail). She finds it hard to show emotion and this affects her relationship with John Proctor vastly. In Act One we can see that there is ‘heat’ and ‘passion’ between John and Elizabeth. When Abigail says, ‘I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near! ’ She’s saying that John still lusts after her, breaking into a sweat when he sees her. She’s holding the affair over his head and reminding him how he has sinned would like to sin again. We can see that Abigail has real feelings for John and they have a sexual attraction between them. With Abigail being a 17 year old puritan girl and John being a married man, this is clearly outrageous and shows that he was prepared to break his rules. Proctor convinced himself he was a sinful man that had done wrong, and to have respect for himself once again, he must break off all ties with Abigail. When Abigail mentioned to Proctor the relationship she and he once had, he said to her, â€Å"No, no, Abby. That’s done with,† and, â€Å"Abby, you’ll put it out of mind. I’ll not be comin’ for you more. Even when Abigail tried to persuade Proctor to admit his love for her, he still denied it and claimed he had no love for her any longer. In all of Abigail’s persuasion to try to get him to admit his love for her, Proctor replied, â€Å"Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby. † Proctor saying to Abigail that they never touched was his way of trying to get through to her that the relationship between the both of them had to end here. In Proctor’s mind, saying that to Abigail was a finalization of their affair and gave him the closure that he needed to truly forget what he and Abigail had between them. The affair between Proctor and Abigail also had made his love for Elizabeth grow stronger. The guilt of the affair made him realize how Elizabeth was a good woman and deserved more than a cheating husband, and he refused to allow Abigail to speak wickedly about her. Abigail said bitterly to Proctor, â€Å"Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be -,† in which he interrupted angrily with, â€Å"You’ll speak nothin’ of Elizabeth! Abigail, realising the respect he now had for Elizabeth as to not let her speak of Elizabeth in such a manner, then tried to convince Proctor otherwise, saying, â€Å"She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, snivelling woman†¦ † Elizabeth is shown as a ‘cold’ woman whereas Abigail and Proctor have ‘heat’ – ‘no wintry man’. The anger he felt at this time was not only towards Abigail, but also towards himself. He felt he had sinned greatly and did not provide Elizabeth, a mother of three children, with the respect and loyalty that one would expect out of a husband. How to cite Proctor and Elizabeth Relationship, Essay examples

Nightingale and the Rose free essay sample

â€Å"The Nightingale and the Rose† by Oscar Wilde Situational Irony is very evident in â€Å"The Nightingale and the Rose†. The outcome of the story is far from what readers expect. First, the readers would assume that there is actually true love between the student and the Professor’s daughter and that the in the end of a story lies a happy ending for the two. From the introduction to almost the end of the story (except the last 6 paragraphs from 57-62), the author tries to establish that the story is about true love- understanding it, finding it, and sacrificing to get it. From paragraph 3, the student gives us the impression that he has a deeper understanding or meaning for true happiness, he thinks that happiness must not depend on such a little thing like a single red rose. Furthermore in paragraphs 5, 7 and 37, we see how the student’s life seems to revolve around the Professor’s daughter. More than anything, he wants to find this red rose that will allow him to share a dance with this girl and be able to profess his â€Å"true love† for her because not being able to do so will break his heart [#57: â€Å"But there is no red rose in my garden, so I shall sit lonely and she will pass me by. She will have no heed of me, and my heart will break† and he flung himself down on the grass and buried his face in his hands, and wept]. However, there is a great irony waiting in the end of the story. As we are given hope that the impossible might be possible when the student is able to get a red rose, unexpectedly, as he gives it to the girl, they still do not share a romantic moment together. Rather, the girl seems indifferent [paragraphs 57-60], saying that she wouldn’t go the ball because she doesn’t like her dress and not even showing the smallest appreciation for the red rose she requested. In these same paragraphs, we also see how she really has a materialistic view on â€Å"love†. She liked the red rose because it was a flower that was sure to cost a lot yet she loses interest in it when she gets real jewels that cost more than the flower. In paragraphs 59-62, we also see a great change in the student who was supposedly had deep feelings for the girl and who was expected to fight for his love. However in the end, after he hears what the girl had said, he just snaps, throws the red rose he had given so much time inding, easily gets over the girl he â€Å"loved† and moped about and suddenly gives a different view on love- [#6162: â€Å"what a silly thing love is. It is not half as useful as logic. † So he returns to his room, pulled out a great dusty book and began to read]. â€Å"The Nightingale and the Rose† leads the readers to think that it is about true love and there is actually such a thing as true love however, as we read further, we realize that as we were expecting a story of true love and happiness, ironically, we actually get a story of unrequited love and materialistic happiness. As explained, the supposed â€Å"love† between the student and the girl proves to be just infatuation, a shallow love based on materialistic happiness. Secondly, the story’s irony lies on the relationship between the nightingale and the student. Throughout the story, we see how the nightingale thinks that she is finally being able to witness true love and does all she can to help the student and his dream girl have their happy ending. She is one with the sorrow that the student feels tries to find the red rose that will be the supposed key to the happiness of the two people [paragraph 6, 13-29]. This nightingale also agrees to sacrifice his life for what she sees is â€Å"true love† between the student and the professor’s daughter [#31: â€Å"Death is a great price to pay for a red rose and life is dear to all†¦Yet love is better than life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man? †]. One irony here is that it seems to us that the only character that gives pure and unconditional love in the story is the nightingale. She was ready to give up her life for the student’s rose. It is quite intriguing to see that the one character that really shows true love is not repaid even the slightest bit. The bird gives up his life and yet the student doesn’t even notice its dead body lying in the long grass nor does he know how much the bird had to suffer for that single rose which he will only in the end throw. Another irony is that the nightingale sacrifices his life for love and happiness, which turns up to be useless and shallow [#34: â€Å"be happy; you shall have your red rose. I will build it out of music by moonlight and stain it with my own heart’s-blood. All I ask of you in return is that you will be a true lover, for love is wiser than Philosophy and mightier than power]. We also see the irony in that exact line, the nightingale expects that the student will appreciate, understand and prioritize love above anything else yet in the end of the story, the exact opposite happens. What the nightingale did not wish to happen, happened. Power and Philosophy triumphed over love. [#60: â€Å"who are you? Only a student. Why I don’t believe you even got silver buckles on your shoes like the Chamberlains’ nephew has] [#61: â€Å"What a silly thing love is†¦ In fact, it is quite unpractical, and as in this age to be practical is everything. I shall go back to studying Philosophy and study metaphysics. †]. Oscar Wilde definitely gives a new view of love. What may seem as true love may turn out to be nothing but selfish desire that blinds people from what is real. This was seen in â€Å"The nightingale and the rose†, the story gives the readers the idealistic feel that a true love will develop but in the end of the story, we see that realistically, this isn’t how life and love always turns up. Not everyone ends up in a fairy tale like that of beauty and the beast..