Per Joshua's request, during the first half of the session, we reviewed the few multiple choice questions Joshua did not answer correctly on the practice SAT. We worked on vocabulary in context and the use of commas to set off appositive phrases. During the remainder of the session we continued to discuss the play. We contrasted the pragmatic Charley with the delusional Willy Loman. I worked with Joshua to demonstrate how to locate textual support for these characterizations. We further contrasted how. the differing "dreams" or aspirations of Linda, Willy, and their two sons create family conflicts that are at the heart of the play.

We discussed the similar themes and imagery of "Death of A Salesman " and "Of Mice and Men." After noting the overlapping allusions to America as a discovered but corrupted Eden, we explored the difference between the causes of the disillusionment in each work. We discussed how Steinbeck as a Naturalist critiques the American class and economic system while Miller focuses on cultural values such as loyalty , love , and camaraderie that have evaporated as values in the American way of life. In this regard , we noted how Linda still values these principles and respects and loves Willy Loman for his clinging to an ideal that now longer exists. Willy Loman has simply become obsolete -out of style. Last, we reviewed Joshua's study guide answers on these topics and added textual support and comments based on class discussion.

We explored how a dramatist compacts his theme and dialogue through metaphor and symbolism. In this context, we further identified how Willy's values differ from Linda's. We analyzed the dialogue to discern how Linda's love and respect for her husband derives from his humanity, and therefore as Linda insists," Attention must be paid." By contrast,Joshua discussed how Willy is obsessed with the material aspects of the American dream- his car, and refrigerator-both of which have become worn out and disposable ,just as Willy has. In this regard, Joshua further commented on Willy's famous line that you"can't eat the orange and throw the peel away" as an observation on American life and culture. Last, we examined the significance of Willy's and Biff's reignited belief in their illusions becoming real as Willy notes," A star like that can never really fade away," again an ironic comment on the availability of the American Dream.

We explored the play's dramatization of the betrayal of the American Dream by studying the symbolism or metaphorical significance of the imagined appearance of Willy's successful brother ,Ben. Joshua did well in recognizing Ben's travels to the " jungle" represent an America where the law of the jungle prevails, every man for himself. Based on the scene where Ben wrestles Biff, we discussed how Ben "wins" by proudly cheating. We then explored how ,contrary to Willy's idealistic view of American success, success in the modern business world is only achieved by eschewing fair play. Last, we studied how despite Willy's protestations that he only plays"fair" , Willy too cheats and is quite a hypocrite. He cheats on his wife,Linda, and encourages his children to audaciously steal .

We explored the similarities between Steinbeck's depiction of the American Dream and Miller's perspective of this aspiration in the play. I noted how Willy Loman is not a victim of societal forces but a victim of his own delusions about the achievability of the American Dream. After Joshua took noters off the whiteboard on this topic , we discussed and studied the symbolism of : the car, stockings, and the rubber hose(suggesting Willy Loman's latent suicidal desires).

Joshua worked on completing an ACT practice test during today's session .

I returned Joshua's comparative essay on the novels,"A Farewell to Arms" and "The Things They Carried and reviewed my comments on style, substance, and thesis. I provided instruction to clarify some of Joshua's misunderstanding about both novels and then provided a model for a broad themed first sentence .From there, I explained how to contextualize the essay introduction from this first "model" sentence to a final topic sentence that directly answers the essay prompt. I further discussed how to organize the remainder of the essay and pointed out passages in both books and from the draft that could be used to support statements about style, and tone.

We contrasted how Willy ,Biff, and Happy perceive the achievability of the American Dream. In this regard, we further noted the Edenic motif that overlaps discussion of the American Dream as Willy continually reminisces about the trees,flowers ,and gardens that used to surround his home before it was surrounded by apartment buildings. Additionally, we explored how each character deals with his feeling of emptiness engendered by broken dreams-Willy by living in his memories, Happy by philandering, and Biff by stealing.

We discussed the relationship between theme and stage setting as well as the symbolism inherent in Willy Loman's car and house. After studying Miller's stage directions and Willy's dialogue ,Joshua did well recognizing the imagery of a trap or an enclosure. We discussed how Willy is trapped by his idealistic even quixotic belief in the dream of American opportunity for all. I noted the perhaps now forgotten symbolism of owning a car and outright owning a home as emblems of success . In this regard, we examined how the opening lines of the play reference Willy's "crashing" the car reflecting the thematic erosion of the American dream . I further provided instruction on the play's bending of time explaining how the playwright through staging conveys the ongoing time warps in the play. Joshua discussed how the past's intruding upon the present suggests Willy Loman's infatuation with an idealized past . We examined how Willy's inability to adjust to the new American reality is the impetus of the play's tragedy .

For our introductory session on Miller's "Death of A Salesman", I first provided biographical information about Arthur Miller including some of the other renown plays he has written. I then outlined and discussed dramatic techniques such as the use of stage directions, lights, and sound, and the division of the play into acts and scenes. Last, we discussed the concept of the American Dream which we studied when reading Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." I discussed the play as a modern tragedy of those who chase the elusive Dream but are destroyed in pursuit of an ideal.