Reflecting on My University Life with the Movie, The Big Kahuna

Through a Marxist’s eyes, Death of a Salesman represents the struggle of middle-class families in a capitalistic world. From an early age, kids are taught to do well in school, be involved with sports and activities, and to go on to college; all in hopes of achieving the American Dream. This dream of obtaining success through hard work leads many into the

Since the start of the semster I have learned many different things about myself and how I can become a better student all around. Summer classes can fly by fast and doesn’t feel like a real semester. That it is just to get credit and move on to the next semester. That was not the case for me this summer semester because I needed to think about the rest of my college career. This summer semester is my first one coming back from academic suspension and I took last semester at South Plains College and Tarrant County College. I did really well making a 3.00 GPA overall and am most likely going to make a 3.5 this semester. This will be a huge boost to my overall GPA. The point is am at the point where I am ready to graduate and will try my hardest to get the best grades I can. I really just changed my mindset towards college and the way I prepare for tests and studying.

In 1949, Arthur Miller wrote a play called “The Death Of a Salesman”. This play is known for its compelling view on the mind of the middle class working man. The characters in “The Death of a Salesman” all have various dimensions of development throughout the story. These characters can all be seen as components one collective mind using Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory; the Oedipal, Id, Ego, and Superego. These characters all strive for success by way of the American Dream and all of it’s inconsistent factors and betrayal that personify it so well.

     In Death of a Salesman, a play written by Arthur Miller, Miller reflects the theme that every man needs to be honest with him self and act in accordance with his nature by displaying success and failure in different lights. Miller embodies the theme through characters in the play by explaining how their success and failures in being true to themselves help shapes their fates. Strongest evidence of Miller’s theme is reflected in the characteristics of Biff Loman, Benard, and Willy Loman. Through out the play, these three characters never give way to other’s influence and what other’s view of being successful is.

The story ‘Death of a Salesman’ written by Miller focuses on a man doing all he can to allow him and his family to live the American dream. Throughout the story it is shown how the Loman’s struggle with finding happiness and also with becoming successful. Throughout their entire lives many problems come their way resulting in a devastating death caused by foolishness and the drive to be successful. Ever since he and his wife, Linda, met she has been living a sad and miserable life, because she has been trying support his unachievable goals. Also by him being naïve put his children’s lives in jeopardy and also made them lose sight of who they really were. Miller uses the Loman family to show how feeling the need to appear a certain way to the public and trying to live a life that is not really yours can turn into an American nightmare.

Growing up with high expectations my mind has always been set on the idea of college. However when thinking of the “right” college for my future, I never knew If I would be able to fully commit and choose which one was best for me. I wanted something that would be comfortable for me that also meets my criteria that would make the college transition a bit easier. Since I’m going into something new, my decision would end up being based on the class sizes, the costs being affordable, the majors and degrees available for Nursing, and the location and how close it is to my family. It was a hard decision however one school had it all, which is why I’ve decided to further this chapter of my life at West Texas A&M University.

When I was a senior in high school my father had his second heart attack and had to have open heart surgery. Upon Graduation from High School in May 2016, I made the decision to move in with my Father who is a sixty-eight-year-old Disabled Vietnam Veteran with many health issues. During my Freshman year at Pearl River Community College, his health had declined and the doctors discovered that he had an aneurysm in his chest and blockages in his legs. Thankfully after his surgery was completed and he was able to come back home, I was to be on break so I could stay with him and help with whatever he needed. I am one of six children and have chosen to take care of him and live there in lieu of working outside of College. The two oldest of my

The movie expresses a concern for growing consumerism and the power of media. It is a critique of today’s society and rejection of material possession and consumerism. The narrator (unnamed) is portrayed as a compulsive buyer who values money and materialist possessions. He is trying to live a life that he has seen in advertisements. He defines himself by what he owns, he would “flip through catalogs and wonder, what kind of dining set defines me as a person?”

Today I don’t live a life of shame or insecurities. I try to my live life one day at a time and live in the moment. I try to focus on what’s in front of me and not dwell on the past. Enjoying the simple things that life has to offer me and being grateful for what I have, keeps me motivated to set and reach my goals. Remorse and embarrassment is no longer how I choose to describe my existence. I have taken responsibility for all my actions and dealt with all my consequences with integrity and dignity.

Before even beginning to read ‘Death of a Salesman’, we know what the play is going to be about from the given title. However, this play is much more than just a death of a salesman, it’s about the death of the promise of the American Dream. At heart, it’s about the protagonist’s desire for success, respect, and status — and failure to achieve it.

The five movies included in this assignment, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), Network (1976), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), The Social Network (2010) and Joy (2015), are all iconic business movies of their time. They all portray business practices and values in their own unique way. The characters’ roles and actions in these films shows how business has evolved over this sixty-year timeframe. Not only the types of businesses that they work for but also the gender roles, ethics of business, and ways in which business is conducted on a moral standpoint can also been seen evolving throughout time when these movies were released. The first film, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, is a drama about a low income white collar worker named Tom

My decision to forgo my scholarships for other schools and instead come to Missouri Western State University was due to the coaches making it feel like a second home to me. The atmosphere of the college, the cost was a huge factor and when I met all of the players, it is what drew me to MWSU the most, they all welcomed me as one of their football brothers and really persuaded me to attend school here. As I walked into the indoor sports complex I instantly thought to myself that compared to the other colleges I visited it was the coaching staff and the facilities which helped me make my decision to come to Missouri Western.

After reading the New York Times review of Death of a Salesman, I agree that “With employment continuing to lag and millions of homes in foreclosure, there are surely many men and women avoiding the mirror and its accusations, believing, like Willy, that their inability to achieve the golden ideal of financial success is somehow a personal indictment.” (Isherwood 2012). This review can be related to any point in time in society. While there is a natural flow of change society always craves the “American dream.”

During my time at A&M, I was involved with The Big Event as a committee member. The Big Event at A&M is the largest one day student run service project in the U.S. where over 20,000 students come together to serve residents in College Station. I worked with the Operations committee, where I helped organize our fundraising events and managed tool distribution on the day of the event. I also led a group of staff assistants who interacted with community members and checked job sites.

The play Death of a Salesman greatly portrays a specific ideology in regards to values, dreams, goals, and success in our consumer-driven society. It helps showcase the American dream that society tends to strive for even in the early 1900’s (the play is set in the 1940’s). That dream of being a successful business person or vendor. As well as the theory that image and physical attributes are most important to gaining fruition. Willy Loman plays a man in his sixties who has strived for this American dream for over 30 years but realistically has failed miserably on his goal in life – a wealthy salesman like his idol Dave Singleman (a fellow who could make a fortune selling without even leaving his hotel room). He spends his entire life in