Please complete the closing activity on the back of today's handout.
Riccardo and Federico G., please explain how Willy and Biff represent different versions of the American Dream. Considering this, what do you think is Miller's comment on the American Dream?
Please remember that vocabulary is due on Thursday and we will be having a test on the American Dream, Death of a Salesman, and vocabulary.
Dear Linda,
ReplyDeleteToday, while I was talking to myself, I have realized mine inutility in our family and in society. I write to you this letter, because you are the only person, that has always followed me, and my ideas, and have always tried to support me in every circumstances. In this letter, I want to say thank you, for all the beautiful days that we spent together, outside, running on the lake barefooted or sleeping together on the lawn and admiring the stars! These will be the best memories, and I will conserve them in the depth of my soul. But unfortunately, my life as you know, it is not just made of these delightful memories. My life has been terrible, I spent my whole life, trying to be a different person, I tried to be a person, a do not fell to be. I have tried to gain success, money and reputation, but I failed. Now, I can imagining you, sitting on that stool, saying, “Oh dear, it is not true”, but I know that in the death of your heard you know that I have been a failure as a husband, as a salesman and also as a father. Linda, this short lines that seem so easy to write, are taking me a lot, it is soo difficoult to write about my personal failure, about my disgraces and about my useless life. I have done nothing in these years. I Have lost money in stupid future plans, that were soo unsuccessful, I have lost all my clients and my reputation, with my low ability of selling things and speak properly. But the worst thing I have could done in my life, I have been the worst husband you could have possibly have. Yes, Linda, you are probably crying right now, but I recognize my faults, I am the WORST HUSBAND. I have never helped you, I have never cared about your problems, and I have never offered you a decent life. We have always been in short of money, but you have never complained, but you found the strength to go a head. You have never complained about the money that I earned, we have been a faithful wife, and I don't think that in this situation other women will have stayed with me. I Strongly think, that the other women, with me as a husband and with our economical situation, would have preferred to escape and find fortune with another man. You have been loyal. Thanks Linda. Your're the best wife in this world and the best mother that our children could have had. Even with our children, I has a failure. A gave them a bad idea of life and of success. I gave them bad teachings, and I hope they will not follow my life's examples. It is very hard to say, that I have been a failure as a husband, but I want, that you Linda, after you read this letter, go to Biff and Happy and tell them, to do in life, the opposite of what their father did. If you lead them, they will easily find success, and I hope from the depth of my soul that they will be successful men.
Dear wife, with this letter, I have decided to leave this world and this harsh life. I know that my death will bring only advantages to you. Biff and Happy, will understand to do not follow my life examples, and they will be more motivated to do better in life. You Linda, you will be more independent, and finally have a life without caring about me. I am sure you will enjoy your life.
Linda, please try to be strong and protect our guys. I have chosen to leave this world, because I know that without me and without all the problems that I make, you will live for sure a better life.
I really hope that all your dreams will be realized and hope to see from heaven our guys becoming rich and famous.
I LOVE YOU LINDA, your are the best thing, that life could have given to me.
A huge kiss
Total Words: 706 Your Willy
Guido Cafaggi
Guido,
ReplyDeleteI first of all really like the honesty and emotion that you put in this letter. You showed knowledge of Willy as a character and an understanding of his relationship with Linda and the rest of his family.
Here are some grammatical tips:
In your first line you wrote "mine inutility." This does not work so well in English. A better way to say this would be "I have realized that I am useless."
You wrote also "in every circumstances." Remember that every is used only with singular nouns, so you should have either written "in every circumstance" or "in all circumstances."
You wrote "I can imagining you." Instead write "I can imagine you."
You wrote "But the worst thing I have could done in my life, I have been the worst husband you could have possibly have." This should be written "But the worst thing I could have done in my life, I have been the worst husband you could have possibly had."
I noticed several other small grammatical errors that I am sure if you reread you will find.
Reading this letter makes me wonder something.. One of Willy's tragic faults was his inability to recognize his failures in life. That was one of the fundamental differences between him and Biff. Biff attempts to face his failures but Willy refuses to. While your letter does resemble what a suicide letter would look like (its emotion and honesty), I wonder if Willy, even in his suicide letter, would still refuse to recognize his failures. Might he talk about how his suicide would finally bring the family financial security because of the insurance policy? What do you think?
Dear Linda, you know that I love you and I will always love you but unfortunately I have to say goodbye. Since the first time I have seen you I learnt that you were the right one. You have loved me as no other have ever done and for this I am grateful. It has made life much easier than what I would have expected. Unfortunately my life is not simply of great moments although I would prefer remember only those. I was a complete failure. In the field of work I’ve been not able to do absolutely nothing. I was unable to make me respect to duty, to earn money for that our house outside town that we wanted so much, and I am ashamed and I am suffering very much for this. In addition to these enormous failures and disappointment that I have done to you, even if you would say that is not true, the thing that makes me more evil is not being a good father to our Biff and Happy. In my life I wasn’t able neither to take care of you and nor to take care of my self, that’s why I should probably leave you. My death, Linda, will not be easy for you and for the boys this I can understand it but try to be strong and to remain the splendid person you’ve always been. Also my life insurance will cover some of your future expenditure; perhaps in the end with this gesture I can say that I was not a complete failure since everything I wanted to give was something important to my family, the money to buy a place isolated where we could’ve age, for example. Now I leave you, remember Linda to be strong, I love you.
ReplyDeleteYour Forever,
Willy.
Dimitrije Miskovic
ReplyDeleteEnglish B HL
Ms. Gelso
11. November. 2010
Dear Linda,
I am writing you this letter in order to thank you for all the things that you’ve done for our family. I know that I was a terrible husband. I was a husband that no woman would like to have. I tried to give you everything. I tried to make you happy and to make you feel loved. But in life, there are people who succeed and people who don’t succeed. I failed all my life’s exams. I was never a husband that you wanted to have. I wasn’t able to afford you all the things that you wanted to have. I tried to earn money and respect. I tried to make our family’s life easier and more interesting. I tried to make the future of our children easier and clearer. But I failed on every single thing. I spent money on stupid things, and I spent time looking for stupid things. The best moments in my life were all those walks with you in the park and sleeping on the grass next to the lake. That was something that doesn’t have price, something that you cannot buy. It was something that you need to feel. With you I felt like the happiest person on the world. You had such a spark in your personality. You were one who made me feel loved, only one who cared about me and only one who always believed in the things that I was doing. Unfortunately, I was never able to give you back these things and I am really sorry for that. I am sorry because I was the worst husband that you could have, and honestly I didn’t deserve you. You deserved high quality life and a husband who would love you and care about you every single day.
I hope that our children will understand why I decided to commit suicide. My life is useless and I constantly keep on giving them a wrong example of life habits. I hope that they realized that in life you have to struggle and fight for everything. Nothing comes for granted. You have to earn everything. I hope that they understood that their father was a failure. If they want to succeed in life they should be based in their family. That was something that I never did, and I regret so much. With one word they should always do the opposite of me. My life style was the perfect example of a lifestyle that you shouldn’t have. I am quite sure that if you help our children in making important decisions, they will succeed. If I listened to you, I would never be in this situation. In this situation I have neither strength nor wish to go ahead. Sitting here and writing this letter is the last thing on Earth that I want to do, but in order to help you and to save our family this is the only solution. Reading this letter you may cry, you may feel bad, but we both know that this is the best solution. You deserve something better and our children deserve better future with a better leader. Linda, my love I hope that you will find strength to go ahead and to fight in life for our children. I am sure that my death will bring only advantages and positive things to you. Remember, even if I am not physically with you, I will always spiritually be with you, and I will always take care about you from the heaven. Whenever you need strength just remember my face and you will find that strength. I will always be with you, like you always were there for me. Remember that people don’t die, as long as they life in the soul of people they loved. I love you so much.
Your,
Willy.
word count: 649