This is slightly reworked from a backup copy of one of my blog post a few years back, during the pandemic. The original blog site is now defunct.
"...I thank Almighty God you're both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want." -- Willy to his sons Biff and Happy in Death of a Salesman
Why must everybody like you? ….Now listen, Willy, I know you don't like me, and nobody can say I'm in love with you…" --Charlie in Death of a Salesman
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman stirs my thinking about education and long-term flourishing in fresh ways. The play has been a close companion from my first reading in college and through much of my teaching career. I enjoy the challenges of teaching English Composition at the introductory college level these days, but I do miss discussing Death of a Salesman with students. Although it's a tragedy, it makes us keep thinking about the problems that can get in the way of pursuing the grace of everyday experiences and relationships. So, here are three takeaways from several rounds of reading the play with high school students.