Essay 2 Prompts: Death of a Salesman | English G110
Select one prompt and write an argumentative literary analysis essay that uses the theory and three secondary sources.
1. Willy Loman has been called a modern tragic hero because, among other things, he is a common man;he is not “highly renowned and prosperous” like the tragic heroes of traditional tragedies. As acommon man, what is Willy struggling against? Write a paper in which you analyze the internal andexternal forces Willy struggles against to maintain his dignity. Use three secondary sources. One ofyour sources might be used to explain a specific concept related to tragedies; the other two sourcesshould be books or articles on the play.
2. In many ways, Death of Salesman is about the drama that plays out in Willy Loman’s head. Willy’spresent life is shaped and often hindered by his memory of the past. Sometimes the lines betweenpast, present, and future dreams and fears are blurred. Write an essay in which you psychoanalyzeWilly Loman and show how he contributes to the family dysfunction. Use three secondary sources.One of your sources might be used to explain a specific concept related to psychoanalytic criticismor psychoanalysis; the other two sources should be books or articles on the play.
3. Willy Loman’s world is very much a capitalist world. The play puts front and center many definingelements and symbols of capitalism and the American dream. In what ways is Willy Loman (and hisfamily) a product of a system beyond his control? Discuss the various ideologies that structure hisworld. Use three secondary sources. One of your sources might be used to explain a specific conceptrelated to Marxist criticism or economic theory; the other two sources should be books or articles onthe play.
Length: 1500 words minimum (not counting Works Cited page) Tutor Review Due: November 19 or 26, 2022Final Draft Due: November 20 or 27, 2022
Essay 1 Introduction and Body Structure Examples
PROMPT 1
Introduction
In this essay, your introduction should introduce the play as a tragedy, specifically as a modern tragedy. Provide context by identifying the internal and external factors Willy struggles against, and by noting Willy’s attempts to maintain his dignity. This will lead into your thesis, which will express a focused argument about Willy’s struggles as a common man. To make your thesis argumentative, you might argue that among the things Willy struggles against, one factor is the most significant for a particular reason.
So, here’s what your introduction should include:
• Lead-in/opening
• Introduce the play as a modern tragedy
• Introduce Willy’s struggles and efforts
• Thesis
These aren’t necessarily separate sentences. Remember, it’s a coherent paragraph, not a list, so you’ll need appropriate transitions from the lead-in to the context and from the context to the thesis.
Body
The body of the essay might be structured thus:
1. Willy’s status as a common man (possible use of a secondary source here)2. External factors (possible use of a secondary source here)3. Internal factors (possible use of a secondary source here)4. Key internal factor and its significance (possible use of a secondary source here)
PROMPT 2
Introduction
In this essay, your introduction should briefly summarize the play. Then, introduce Willy’s psychological condition and its consequences. As context for your thesis, you might identify the defenses Willy unconsciously uses. This will set up your thesis, which might attribute a particular core issue to Willy and argue its role in the family dysfunction and his death.
So, here’s what your introduction should include:
• Lead-in/opening
• Brief summary of play
• Introduce Willy psychoanalytically
• Identify defenses
• Thesis
These aren’t necessarily separate sentences. Remember, it’s a coherent paragraph, not a list, so you’ll need appropriate transitions from the lead-in to the context and from the context to the thesis.
Body
The body of the essay might be structured thus:
1. Defense 1 that shows Willy’s core issue and its consequences (possible use of secondary sourcehere)
2. Defense 2 that shows Willy’s core issue and its consequences (possible use of secondary sourcehere)
3. Defense 3 that shows Willy’s core issue and its consequences (possible use of secondary sourcehere)
4. Etc.
PROMPT 3
Introduction
In this essay, your introduction should briefly summarize the play. Then, introduce the capitalist society of the play and Willy and the Loman family’s financial troubles. Focus on the capitalist ideologies that influence Willy and the family. This will lead into your thesis, which might make an argument about the irony in Willy’s upholding the capitalist values and ideologies he is a victim of.
So, here’s what your introduction should include:
• Lead-in/opening
• Brief summary of play
• Introduce capitalist society and Loman family’s troubles
• Focus on ideologies
• Thesis
These aren’t necessarily separate sentences. Remember, it’s a coherent paragraph, not a list, so you’ll need appropriate transitions from the lead-in to the context and from the context to the thesis.
Body
The body of the essay might be structured thus:
1. Capitalist society of the play and Willy and Loman family’s condition (possible use of secondarysource here)
2. Capitalist ideology 1 that hinders the family (possible use of secondary source here)3. Capitalist ideology 2 that hinders the family (possible use of secondary source here)4. The irony in Willy’s blindness to this (possible use of secondary source here)5. Consequences (possible use of secondary source here)
What Is Expected in Your Paper
In addition to have a tutor review your paper, review it yourself a few times. Pay particular attention to the following elements; these are what I focus on when I am grading your paper:
Structure and Organization
• In your introduction, you need a relevant and intriguing opening (lead-in), relevant context foryour topic and argument, and a focused thesis that expresses the central argument of the paper.
• Make sure the body paragraphs are logically organized (a sequence that makes sense accordingto your thesis). There should be a logical reason why your first paragraph is first, secondparagraph second, etc. Use appropriate transitions that show how the body paragraphs arerelated to each other in idea. Avoid saying simply “First,” “Second,” and the like.
• Make sure each body paragraph has a topic sentence that expresses the paragraph’s mainidea (the point you are making in that paragraph). Each body paragraph should focus on only onemain idea, and all sentences in the paragraph should relate to that main idea.
• Use the “Essay Outline Template” (posted in the Handouts folder) to check that your essay hasstructure, an appropriate introduction and thesis, topic sentences that express your main ideas,and an interesting conclusion.
• Review the “Literature Essays” powerpoint.
Argument
• Make sure you have a clear and focused argument in response to the prompt. Ask yourself,What is my thesis arguing? Is it an arguable claim? Does it indicate what the focus of my analysisthroughout the essay will be?
• Avoid several different claims in your intro. You should have one central claim in your intro thatis expressed in a focused thesis statement.
• In the body of your essay, make sure you have clear main ideas that develop the argument in thethesis.
Support
• Support your ideas with passages from the text (provide citations). Interpret and analyzepassages, and explain your points.
• Avoid excessive plot summaries (what happens). Tell readers what happens in the story onlywhen needed as context for a point you are making. The focus and emphasis should be on yourpoint, not on what happens in the story.
• Review the handouts and analysis and using quotations.
• Review the handouts on using, integrating, and citing secondary sources.• Use secondary sources effectively. A source must be used for its argument/claim,
information, or concept. Briefly allude to a source, paraphrase it, or quote it directly.• Make sure you use three scholarly sources. Every source in your Works Cited page must be
used in your essay itself. Follow MLA guidelines to cite sources in the essay and in the WorksCited page. MLA documentation and formatting guidelines can be found at the MLA Styleresource at Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab).
Grammar and Language
• Proofread to check the grammar and language is suitable for an academic essay. Read it aloud toyourself a couple of times.
• Avoid weak sentences. Each sentence should make a relevant and worthwhile point. Askyourself, What point am I making in this sentence?
• Avoid awkward sentences (cumbersome to read).• Vary sentence structures.• Use transitions within the paragraphs for coherence. The paragraph should flow smoothly from
sentence to sentence, and sentences should clearly be related to each other.
Length & Quotation Percentage
• A complete essay is at least 1500 words (not counting the Works Cited page)• A complete essay must use three scholarly secondary sources.• More than 20% quotation is too much. Turnitin’s Originality Report (in red) tells you how much
quotation you have. Remember, you can overwrite a submission as long as the due date hasn’tpassed.
• Please note: A paper that does not meet the word count or does not use three scholarly sourceswill not receive a passing grade.
Scholarly Sources
You need to use the library catalog (for books) and the library databases (for articles) for scholarly sources. In most cases, you will not be able to find them using Google or another website. Google Scholar and certain other websites work well for searching for scholarly sources, but most of the results generated there provide only the title and a summary of the article, not the article itself.
Scholarly articles are published in scholarly/academic journals. The library databases via our library website give you access to these journals.
Look for the following features to determine that an article is scholarly:
• the title of a scholarly article is usually straightforward and reflects the content of the article• the author’s name and affiliation (a university, for example) is included
• articles in the databases: an abstract (author’s summary) is included before the article• scholarly articles are longer than popular magazine articles• they contain no images; may contain charts and graphs• they always include research and provide sources/references.
If the article doesn’t meet these criteria, it’s probably not a scholarly article.
What Is Expected in Your Paper
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