The American dream is the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. It is a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.
The Death of a Salesman and The Atlanta Exposition Address both tell a story of men striving to achieve the American dream. In The Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman strives to make it rich by being a salesman. We are never told what Mr. Loman is selling and maybe this is so all individuals will relate to him. He wants to become rich and successful; however he has one big problem standing in the way of his dream. He is not good at selling. Willy is struggling to pay …show more content…
He wants them to be liked by everyone. He tells them to “be liked and you will never want” (Arthur, 1949). He truly believes his son’s popularity will either make or break them in the business world. Willy did not take advantage of times when he could have taught his sons crucial life lessons that may have helped them to be successful. For instance, when their dad hears of Biff stealing a football from school, he laughs about it and makes excuses of why Biff needed to “borrow” the ball. When Biff admits to his father that he had been making fun of a teachers lisp, Willy only encourages his actions by asking if the kids like it. Willy still believed that personality was the way to success. Instead of making Biff accountable for his actions, which may have been a valuable lesson to him, Willy is only concerned with how well Biff is liked by other students. Biff is popular with the kids at school; however this will prove to be of little value in his later years as he grows up being somewhat of a drifter. Willy Loman was failing at being a salesman. He should have taught his children, it takes more than popularity to be successful. It takes hard work, determination, and holding oneself responsible for their
The Death of a Salesman and The Atlanta Exposition Address both tell a story of men striving to achieve the American dream. In The Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman strives to make it rich by being a salesman. We are never told what Mr. Loman is selling and maybe this is so all individuals will relate to him. He wants to become rich and successful; however he has one big problem standing in the way of his dream. He is not good at selling. Willy is struggling to pay …show more content…
He wants them to be liked by everyone. He tells them to “be liked and you will never want” (Arthur, 1949). He truly believes his son’s popularity will either make or break them in the business world. Willy did not take advantage of times when he could have taught his sons crucial life lessons that may have helped them to be successful. For instance, when their dad hears of Biff stealing a football from school, he laughs about it and makes excuses of why Biff needed to “borrow” the ball. When Biff admits to his father that he had been making fun of a teachers lisp, Willy only encourages his actions by asking if the kids like it. Willy still believed that personality was the way to success. Instead of making Biff accountable for his actions, which may have been a valuable lesson to him, Willy is only concerned with how well Biff is liked by other students. Biff is popular with the kids at school; however this will prove to be of little value in his later years as he grows up being somewhat of a drifter. Willy Loman was failing at being a salesman. He should have taught his children, it takes more than popularity to be successful. It takes hard work, determination, and holding oneself responsible for their