Bernard Death of a Salesman research paper topics
Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by Arthur Miller. It is often studied in drama and literature courses usually in high school and also in college. The areas of study can vary or are similar.
Like many works of every century, there are many things to look for in Death of Salesman: imagery, foreshadowing, themes, social attitudes of the play’s time frame compared to the time frame it takes place in, and more.
- The American Dream in Death of a Salesman. Where is Willy Loman in relation to his ideals of what the American Dream is? How does Arthur Miller interpret the American Dream in the course of the play?
- Death and Martyrdom. What is the role of suicide in Death of a Salesman? What was the intended outcome? What was the aftermath of the suicide in the play?
- The relationships among the main characters of the play.
- Imagery in Death of a Salesman. What significance do stocking have? What about leaves? What imagery can be picked up in the course of the play?
- The significance of names. Some names to focus on are Loman, Ben, and Happy.
- Modern innovations to American life. How have they effected Willy Loman and is his impression of them?
- Explain gender relationships in Death of a Salesman. How are women viewed by the characters? In what categories women placed?
- How is Willy Loman’s death foreshadowed in Death of a Salesman?
Now that you have a few topics to work with, you can address all of these or focus your essay on one topic.
Tackling Many Topics
Focusing on all or many topics gives you the freedom to move from one to another. The con is having pace your writing and not dwell too much one topic more than the other. You will also need to make sure the flow is not too slow and not too rushed.
Focusing On One Topic
If you focus on one specific topic, the con there is making sure you have plenty to write about in regards to that topic. Some topics simply open themselves to more discussion than others, so you would need to choose wisely. The pro here is that you don’t have to worry about moving from topic to topic and dwelling on one topic isn’t probably since there is only one. Of course the flow of your essay will still be a priority to worry about. You could also tackle related topics.