Diary Of A Survivor: Literary Analysis :: essays research papers

Title: Diary of A Survivor: Nineteen Years in a Cuban Women’s Prison Authors: Ana Rodriguez and Glenn Garvin Published: St. Martin’s Press Type of Book: Assisted auto-biography Plot Summary Diary of a Survivor follows nineteen years of Ana Rodriguez’s life, a Cuban woman arrested by Cuba’s ‘State Security’ in her late teens. As a teenager she had been an activist against the Batista dictatorship which governed Cuba, and at first welcomed Fidel Castro’s take-over of power. Gradually, however, she realises that Castro has no intention of leading Cuba democratically and joins the fight against him. She is betrayed to the authorities by an informant, is arrested, tried and convicted, and is sentenced to thirty years in prison. Diary of a Survivor tells of Ana Rodriguez’s continuous resistance against political intimidation that eventually ‘breaks’ her captors rather than them ‘breaking’ her. This strong will and courage earns her legendary among fellow political prisoners and civilians as a ‘plantada’; one who cannot be broken. Themes/ Thematic Statements The ill-effects of communism/ dictatorships on a society is explored through the entire book as it was a constant part of Ana’s life, in fact it is what caused her imprisonment. Human rights abuses in Cuba and in communist countries in general Cuba’s corrupt government hierarchy and legal system also feature throughout the books, like the continual rapes and beatings the prisoners face. People who betray one group of people will end up betraying anyone they come into contact with. This is shown in Isis Nimo, the spy who initially gets Ana sent to prison but eventually gets fired from all her government jobs because of her untrustworthiness. Racism can work in reverse but still produce adverse effects. There are two mentions of black political prisoners (most are white). They are considered unusual because Fidel Castro’s regime was meant to favourable to black people in general. Even people who are said to have firmly set ideas can have doubts, like the ‘hard-line communist soldiers’ who do not join in when the women are being attacked and the guards that in one particular incident slip the starved prisoners food. The pros and cons of the chivalrous Cuban idea that women are considered good and passive, and therefore only the most offensive women criminals are jailed in Cuba, and the disregard of it by some officials. This is touched on whenever there is contact with the common prisoners, and in an especially disturbing scene where a group of female common prisoners are let into a cell where a young girl is held as a ‘traitor’ to the Fidel Castro regime.

Clarification Theory Essay

â€Å"Aristotle’s statement about the final end of tragedy— Purgation or Catharsis—has been so endlessly misunderstood, so uncritically assumed to be true.† Discuss. ‘Katharsis’ or ‘Catharsis’ is a word of Greek origin. In the Greek language it has three meanings—†Purgation,† â€Å"Purification,† â€Å"Clarifica ¬tion.† Aristotle uses this word in the Poetics only once. While dealing with the function of tragedy, Aristotle says only this much :— ‘’..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.through pity and fear effecting the proper Katharsis or purgation of these emotions.† But he himself does not give any meaning of the term ‘Catharsis.’ These are the later critics who have interpreted this word in various ways. And this has given birth to various theories. Let us, therefore, discuss some major theories of Catharsis. 1. The Pathological or Purgation Theory According to some Renaissance critics and later on critics like Twining and Barney, Catharsis is a medical metaphor, it denotes purgation, a pathological effect on the soul similar to the effect of medicine on the body. Just as the purgatives purge the body of the dirt and dross, similarly tragedy purges the mind of the unpleasant emotions of pity and fear by first exciting them and then providing them an emotional outlet. The result is a pleasurable relief. Milton also had explained this theory of Katharsis in his preface to Samson Agonistes. In the neo-classical era, Catharsis was taken to be an alopathic treatment with the unlike curing unlike. The arousing of pity and fear was supposed to bring about the purgation or evacuation of other emotions like anger, pride, etc. The spectacle of suffering arouses our pity and fear and we are ‘purged’ of the emotions that caused the suffering. If the suffering is caused by emotions like anger, hatred, or impiety towards the gods, we are ‘purged’ of such undesirable emotions, because we realise their evil consequences. â€Å"We learn from the terrible fates of evil men to avoid the vices they manifest.† Thomas Taylor in his introduction to the Poetics (1818) holds this view. Psychological Interpretation F.L. Lucas rejects the idea that Katharsis as used by Aristotle is a medical metaphor, and says : â€Å"theatre is not a hospital.† Both Lucas and Herbert Read regard it as a kind of safety valve. Pity and fear are aroused, we give free play to these emotions as we cannot do in real life, and this safe and free outlet of these emotions is followed by emotional relief. In real life they are repressed, and in the theatre the free indulgence in these emotions, aroused by the suffering of the hero, is safe and brings relief to our pent up souls. LA. Richards also approaches this issue from a psychological angle. Fear is the impulse to withdraw and pity is the impulse to approach. Both these impulses are harmonised and blended in tragedy, and this balance brings relief and repose. Ethical Interpretation The ethical interpretation is that the tragic process is a kind of elevation of the soul, an inner illumination resulting in a more balanced attitude to life and its suffering. Tragedy makes us realise that the divine law operates in the universe, shaping everything for the best. Purification Theory Humphrey House rejects the idea of purgation in the medical sense of the term, and is the most forceful advocate of the ‘purification’ theory, which involves the idea of moral instruction and moral learning. It is a kind of ‘moral conditioning’ which the spectators undergo. So to Humphrey House purgation means ‘cleansing’. This cleansing may be a ‘quantitative evacuation’ or a ‘qualitative change’ in the body brought about by a restoration of proper equilibrium; and a state of health depends on the maintenance of this equilibrium. Tragedy by arousing pity and fear, instead of suppressing them, trains them, and brings back the soul to a balanced state. So Humphrey House regards Katharsis as an educative, and controlling process. Thus according to the purification theory, Katharsis implies that our emotions are purified of excess and defect. Butcher, too, :grees with the advocates of the ‘purification theory1, when he writes, â€Å"the tragic Katharsis involves not only the idea of emotional relief, but the further idea of purifying the emotions so relieved.† Inadequacy of above Theories : Clarification However neither the purgation theory nor purification theory explains the whole thing. The basic defect of these theories is that they are too much occupied with the psychology of the audience, with speculation regarding the effect of tragedy on those who come to the theatre. It is forgotten that Aristotle was writing a treatise, not on psychology, but on the art of poetry. He is more â€Å"concerned with the technique, the way in which an ideal tragedy can be written, and its nature, than’ with its psychological effects. For this reason, eminent modern critics like Leon Golden, O.B. Hardison and G.E. Else advocate the ‘clarification theory.’ According to O.B. Hardison, Aristotle meant pleasure by Katharsis. In his opinion, tragic events are pitiable and fearful. They produce pleasure in the spectator. Hence Catharsis refers to the tragic variety of pleasure. In order to create a tragic pleasure, a tragic poet may begin by select ¬ing a series of incidents that are intrinsically pitiable and fearful. From history or legend, he may borrow material or invent events. â€Å"He then presents them in such a way as to bring out the probable or necessary principles that unite them in a single action and determine their relation to this action ‘Thus catharsis means clarification of the essential and universal significance of the incidents depicted, leading to an enhanced understanding of the universal law which governs human life and des ¬tiny. ‘Catharsis’ is a process of learning, and therefore, pleasurable.’ The Clarification theory has, in this way, various good points in it. (1) It interprets the Catharsis clause as a reference to the technique of the tragedy, and not to the psychology of the audience, and thus recognises the true nature of the Poetics as a technique treatise. (2) It truly interprets Aristotle’s view, contained in his Poetics. (3) It relates catharsis both to the theory of imitation and to the discussion of probability. (4) It is in perfect accordance with current aesthetic theories. Conclusion Purgation and Purification theories are merely incidental. They do not remain authentic and authoritative for long, because the basic tragic emotions are pity and fear. If tragedy is to give pleasure—pleasure that comes from learning—the pity and fear, or atleast the painful element, in them, must be removed. Though there may be purgation in the feelings of pity and fear, but â€Å"it is merely incidental, and secondary.† (O.B. Hardison). Thus Aristotle’s view of Catharsis is mainly intellectual. It is neither didactic nor theological. It is not a moral doctrine requiring the tragic poet to show that bad men come to bed ends, nor is it a kind of theological relief arising from the discovery that God’s laws operate invisibly to make all things work out for the best. POINTS TO REMEMBER 1. â€Å"Catharsis† means purgation, purification, or clarification. 2. Though Aristotle uses the term catharsis only once yet it has given currency to a number of theories. 3. The main theories of Catharsis are—the purgation, the psychological, the ethical, the purification and the clarification. 4. The purgation or pathological theory treats catharsis as something having a pathological effect—on the soul similar to the effect of medicine on the body. Tragedy purges the mind of the unpleasant emotions of pity and fear. 5. The psychological interpretation offered by Lucas, Read and Richards says that tragedy by arousing pity and fear provides emotional outlet to the audience. 6. The ethical interpretation says that the tragic process is a kind of elevation to soul. 7. The Purification Theory presented by Humphrey House says that catharsis means cleansing or purification of emotions of excess and defect. 8. All the above theories are inadequate. Hence the necessit y of Clarification Theory by Golden, Hardison and Else. Aristotle was writing about art and poetry. Hence by Catharsis he meant aesthetic pleasure.

International Organization Based on the Assumption of Liberalism and Realism

Different theories explain why international organizations are createdWhich are basically a response to problems of incomplete information, transaction costs, and other barriers to efficiency and welfare improvement for their members. But different questions like; do international organizations really do what their creators intend them to do?Do they really support member states in achieving their basic interests mutually? These critical questions and others of their likes can be analyzed to some extent by several theories proposed by different scholars in the field of international relations.Such theories are liberal, realism and constructivism but the concern of this work is on realism and liberal theory. International organization is a union or association of States, or of enterprises or of other national entities set up across national boundaries.Examples are Of States, are the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) of enterprises: Transnational Corporations (TNCs); inclu de The Coca-Cola Company, Sony, McDonalds, Toyota, etc. Of other national entities; are like Amnesty International; International Olympic Committee, World Organization of the Scout Movement, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.Around 30000 such organizations are active in about 300 countries and territory over the world. International organizations progressed after the Second World War, the gulf between the international politics and formal organizational arrangement which began to open in ways that were not easy to reconcile. This organization seemed to strengthen in dealing with rising problems such as the extension of property right, environment protection and formal supernatural authority. The international organization was the answer on solving collective problems.Public interestRefers to the net benefits derived for, and procedural rigor employed on behalf of, all society in relation to any action, decision or policy. Public may include the widest possible scope o f society, example of individuals and groups sharing a market place for goods and services (included those provided by government), as those seeking sustainable living standard and environment quality for themselves and future generations. Interests are all things valued by individual and society such as economic freedom, political power access to government property right.Those things we seek to acquire and control are interest like ideas we aspire to and protections that are harmful. Realism theory views that world politics is driven by competitive self-interest; they believe that decisive dynamic among countries is a struggle for power in an effort by each to preserve or, preferably, improve its military security and economic welfare in competition with other countries.As an approach to international politics, realism can be traced to such ancient practitioners and thinkers as Sun Tzu (544-496 B. C) the Chinese general and the author of The Art of War; Thucydides (460-399 B.C), a Greek historian and author of The History of the Peloponnesian War, and more recently statesmen such as Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) the Iron Chancellor who engineered the unification of Germany under Prussian control. (Rourke 2012b; p20)Liberal theoryStates are not simply ‘black boxes’ seeking to survive and prosper in an anarchic system. They are configurations of individual and group interests who then project interests into the international system through a particular kind of government. Survival may very well remain a key goal. But commercial interests or ideological beliefs may also be important.The conventional wisdom is that states create and delegate to IOs because they provide essential functions. They provide public goods, collect information, establish credible commitments, monitor agreements, and generally help states overcome problems associated with collective action and enhance individual and collective welfare.Notable philosopher advocating liberalis m including Thomas Hill Green, John Rawls, John Lock, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill. Emanuel Kant, Jean Jacque Rousseau and the former USA presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt.It is true saying that international organizations based on the assumption that ‘’government aims at public interest’’, this is because international organizations sees that the government at a large extent is the best solution for solving public problems and a representation of public interest at the same time. This connotation can be analyzed through the use of liberal and realism theories as follows. Realism theory as the first theory of international organization is used to prove right the above quotation as they assume that, survival is the principal goal of every State. Realists hold states to be the main actors.It means that state control each and everything. Even if domestic interests, strategic culture, or commitment to a set of national ideals would dictate more benevolent or co-operative international goals, the anarchy of the international system requires that States constantly ensure that all states posses some military capacity, and they have sufficient power to defend themselves and advance their material interests necessary for survival. Survival of the state is important for every individual for example United States normally employs military power for the survival and to defend her national interests (Gulf war and Iraq war).  (Wolfrum,2011)Realists believe in the anarchic structure of the international system as the most important determinant of state behavior. Realists believe that the international system exists in a state of anarchy a term that implies not chaos or absence of structure and rules, but rather the lack of a central government that can enforce rules. Therefore order for the state to maintain public interest, a state makes use of the economic prosperity and military might to make decisions that are of much importanc e to the public.States will also act as best as they can in order to maximize their likelihood of the public and continuing to exist. (Ibid) Realists hold states to be rational actors. This means that given the goal of survival, States will act as best they can in order to maximize their likelihood of continuing to exist. Thus States may create international law and international institutions, and may enforce the rules they codify. However, it is not the rules themselves that determine why a State acts a particular way, but instead the underlying material interests and power relations.A country’s foreign policy may reflect broad national objectives and the strategies governments use to guide their actions in the international arena. Also a government extends the domestic interests to the international environment through the use of foreign policy that will guide the interaction of the state with other international actors like the international organizations. For example the foreign policy of Tanzania is aimed at developing the country through economic diplomacy, regional cooperation and multilateral relations.(ibid)Realism assume that all state posses military capacity and no any other state knows about neighbor intend precisely, thus the world is uncertain and dangerous, the only purpose of state is to defend the interest of the state, enable state to survive while promoting public interest against foreign invasion and occupation. Through government organs like judiciary, legislature and executive enforce laws to ensure achievement of public interest, where people have surrender their authority to the government to protect their liberty, life and property.People may ensure their safety through government from internal and external invasion or threats. (ibid) Liberal theory on the other hand is another theory of international relation which tries to explain the truth of international organization on the assumption that government aims at public interes t. This theory analyzes how government aims at providing public interest in several ways using its key assumptions as follows. Liberalism believes on democratic stability theory which rests on the observation that no two democratic states have ever gone to war with one another, and that democratic states rarely strike first.Liberals argue that democracies identify with one another because of their shared norms and values like the United States doesn’t want to take Canada partly because each country believes that citizens have the right to choose their own government and consequently believe that conquering another country and enslaving its citizen is wrong. Moreover democracies are not dominated by the military and lie in the hands of an individual or a small group; leaders are accountable to their people, who are often reluctant to see their children go to war.A variety of issues can dominate the international agenda. Unlike realist, liberals believe that national security d oes not always have to be of paramount importance economic, environmental issues, and human rights can all become the most important goal of a nation. Also in liberalism the ideas was international and they depend each other to solve certain problems for example the problems of hunger is not to Africa only but it is global while they provide deferent aids to African.Also the problem of economic crises is the western countries problems but shacked till African due to lose aids and loans. The state acts in the liberal of law, and not acts outside the law. Liberals contend that people and the countries that represent them are capable of finding mutual interests and cooperation to achieve them at least in part by working through International organizations and according to International law. On the other hand liberals do not dismiss power as a factor, but they add morality, ideology, emotions (such as the friendship and mutual identity) and habit of cooperation.Jean Jacques Rousseau (17 12-1718), he argued that in social contract (1762), that human had to join together in civil societies because they found it easier to improve their existence through cooperation than competitive self reliance. So in contemporary liberals in where each government aims at public interests they apply this notion to global society and argue that people and their countries can better their existence by joining together to build a cooperation and peaceful global society.In policy prescriptions liberals urges on creating norms of justice and peace, promoting and strengthening International Organizations in achieving people’s interests. Both classical and neo Liberals like Jean Jacques Rousseau and Wilson Woodrow on nature of politics, principles and cooperation as standards of international standards argue that people are not inherently political predators and are capable of achieving less conflictive relations either through current government structures or new models of governmen t.And on principle emphasis is on states to formulate their foreign policy according to cooperative and ethical standards to improve social, economic and political needs of each member country; they are not forced into organizations but according to their willingness and global challenges they face in providing public’s social, political and economic needs, thus different states join organizations like UN, AU and EU which enables member states in achieving such interests.  (Rourke 2005a, pp 17-22)Liberal international relation theory believes that government represents some segments of domestic society, whose interest are reflected in state policy. Consistent with the view that society, understood as an aggregate of autonomous individual and voluntary groups, is prior to the state. Liberal theories of politics accord a central place to the domestic institution that link state and society. Liberals analyze such institutions primarily as mechanisms for the representation of s ocial interests.The state is assumed to be representative to some set of social groups, although not all governments represents the entire population. For liberals, the principal agent relationship between the population and the state is thus a central issue. (Moravcsik,2010)In recommending the quotation that international organization based on the assumption that government aims at public interests; in realism point of view states act as main actor on the insurance of public interest within international system, still on its loneliness seem to fail on defending public interest fulfillment a hundred  percent due to series of challenges, threats or obstacles that fade upon state survive on maintaining public interest.Example hunger, issue of security, outbreak of diseases, as well as economic recession problem that is common to third world countries. Therefore state regardless of its potentiality role on public interest it must cooperate with non state actor be it international org anization like UN or be it regional organization like NGOs, civil society for maximum public interest achievement.Under liberal perspective state seems to be with great role in public interest since it cooperate with another actors on making the availability of conducive environment for public interest attainment within their respective boundary. Although most of this cooperation is not two way traffic in such a way that only one which is powerful side benefit from this cooperation either bilateral or multilateral.Example north-south, Therefore cooperation is inevitable for proper prosperity of public but should be win-win or two way traffic cooperation. Therefore principal actors of the world politics remains nation-states, though they are not the only actors. The international system consists of nation-states, international organizations, and private actors, thousands of international organizations were established during the post-World War II era.The increasing number of internat ional organizations is parallel to the increasing levels of economic, political, social and cultural transactions between individuals, societies and states in today’s world which are significant in their respective fields reflecting preferences of states albeit non-state actors challenges and even weakens weaker states favor preferences of stronger states.

Why Fear National ID Cards?

Featured in 2001 in the New York Times Alan Dershowitz’s article â€Å"Why Fear National ID Cards? † presents the idea of a National ID Card system being put to use in the United States. The reasoning behind such an idea is this, with the sacrifice of some of the individual’s privacy a greater level of security, equality, and productivity can be achieved while discarding some of the insensitive and inefficient methods of identification we use today.A National ID Card consisting of a name, address, photo and fingerprint print would be the first national uniform ID that would replace the high number variations of identification that are issued state by state. This would drastically decrease the chances of forgery by the use of a unified system and strict means of distribution. A more comprehensive ID will allow for accelerated wait times at high security locations such as airports, and for those who decline to show such an ID would be subjected to further security measures.The criteria in which people are required obtain or present identification would remain the same this allows for remnants of the old policy to remain in effect and further safe guards the citizens from a potential over stepping government. A more radical policy or criteria change could lead to an abuse of power or jumpstart similar non-popular policies to be acted on. It would also enable the rate of deportation of illegal immigrants to increase along with providing a better means to legal immigrants to display their status to authorities.â€Å"Rights are a function of experience, and our recent experiences teach that it is far too easy to be anonymous — even to create a false identity — in this large and decentralized country† (Barnet and Bedau). This point taken directly from the article puts into perspective the very real threat of the terrorism. Terrorist hide amidst the general public, this is a concerning reality. No system can prevent all acts of terror but a National ID card with an embedded corresponding fingerprint can reduce the likely hood of the creation of false identities and catch those who are using the weaknesses of the current system to slip by unnoticed.Alan Dershowitz’s stresses the importance of the elimination of the current trend of racial and ethnic stereotyping that acts as a countermeasure for possible threats to security. Improving civil liberties for these targeted groups is achieved by eliminating the need to target these groups in general. By utilizing security measures such as criminal-history retrieval systems and a corresponding fingerprint on the card itself we can remove the reason for profiling individuals due to their appearance alone.

New UK GAAP Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

New UK GAAP - Assignment Example The need for a global reporting standard has gained more importance for small and medium sized organizations where the accountability of managers towards the investors are generally less transparent compared to large multi-national companies. Over the years such transparency might lead to mistrust between the owners and the managers leading to an Agency problem. Even though the advantage of general sets of international reporting standards are acknowledged, there are a certain implementation challenges at the international and domestic level if the objective of a harmonised and enhanced reporting structure is to be achieved. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Global Reporting Standards 4 Importance of Accounting Standards Bodies 6 Harmonization of Reporting Standards in Recent Times 7 Conclusion 8 References 10 Bibliography 11 Introduction A considerable amount of countries and entities around the globe have adopted IFRS (Internationa l Financial Reporting Standards) as the base for financial reporting with the means and objective to enhance the value of information on corporate performance. In the year 2010, a potential new framework proposed by the Accounting Standards Board (ASB) to replace current Irish and UK GAAP has revised the original proposal and released 3 new drafts Application of Financial Reporting Requirements FRS 100, 101, 102, etc. ... ts to FRS 102 (FRED 48) which was issued on October 2012 restricted the proposed scope and amendments relating to accounting of service concession arrangements and multi-employer pensions. In addition, FRED 48 also contains proposed comprehensive accounting standards based on IFRS for Small and Medium-sized Entities. Even though the advantage of general sets of international reporting standards are acknowledged, there are a certain operational challenges at the international and domestic level if the objective of a harmonised and enhanced reporting structure is to be achieved (FRC, 2013, pp.3-12). Advantages and Disadvantages of Global Reporting Standards The need for a global reporting standard has gained more importance for small and medium sized organizations where the accountability of managers towards the investors are generally less transparent compared to large multi-national companies. Over times such transparency might lead to mistrust between the owners and the managers lea ding to an Agency problem. The implication of non-transparent reporting can be better understood when one analyzes the global financial crisis of 2008. A vigilant scrutiny of the financial crisis reveals an underestimation of the risk associated with financial instruments (such as Mortgage based securities), that led to inflated expectations ultimately triggering global financial crisis. This underestimation of risk perception of the investors was primarily motivated from the improper financial reporting of entities. Hence, an establishment of suitable reporting standards for accounting along with suitable disclosures in the financial statements has become a challenging task (Kurz, 2004, pp.1-5). The industries have experienced some tremendous changes in terms of financial reporting and

Why does ADHD impact academic performance and what can be done to Annotated Bibliography

Why does ADHD impact academic performance and what can be done to support ADHD children in the classroom - Annotated Bibliography Example The authors are highly qualified being medical practitioners and the information are still applicable due to recency of publication. The article could therefore be cited and useful in the current study. The authors conducted a study that aimed to predict the impact of methylphenidate, a common stimulant medication used in the treatment of ADHD, in the academic performance of those diagnosed with the illness. Corkum, et. al. (2010) sought the participation of a group composed of 85 children with ADHD and measured the effect of other variables (current and amount of medication used, academic support, age, sex and IQ levels) on academic performance. Over a 12-month period, the results revealed that â€Å" neither medication nor academic supports significantly predict academic achievement over and above the covariates of baseline performance and IQ† (Corkum, McGonnell, & Schachar, 2010, p. 1). The contents of the article are relevant for the current study in identifying crucial factors that influence academic performance of children with ADHD. With the article being most recently published, the results are viable and credible to support contentions for the current study. The author proffered pertinent issues relative to various medical and psychological interventions that assist children with ADHD in improving academic performance. Implications for educational practice include reconceptualization of ADHD and the need to change education practices. Despite the concise information provided, the article contained significant information in terms of academic support and improving executive function. With the exemplary competence and qualifications of the author and the applicability of data being published fairly recently in 2007, this article could be cited as useful in the current study. The site presented information reporting the recent findings of a study conducted by Lee Thompson, the Chair of Case Western Reserve Universitys

Truth and Illusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Truth and Illusion - Essay Example As the paper outlines Willy Loman, the protagonist of the play, a man in his sixties, has spent his life pursuing the dream of making a good life for himself through his hard work, but now in the sunset of his life realizes, that the dream was nothing but an illusion which he had been breathlessly pursuing. However, life dealt a cruel blow when he was just like that, dismissed him from the job and soon realizes that dreams have no place in the reality of daily life. From this study it is clear that Willy’s chosen profession that of the salesman, was itself associated with trickery and illusion. The job called on a person to be a glib tongued, smooth talker and Willy carried this role even into his own home, where he instilled the same poor values in his sons Biff and Happy. Biff, the elder son, lived a life of uselessness, drifting from one job to another, and even going to prison a couple of times. His life was a sham and even his parents were unaware of the truth. Happy, the younger son, on the other hand had made money his ultimate goal and even at his father’s grave promised to pursue the goal of making money. The play has a constantly shifting scenario—moving from past to present, illusion to reality, falsehood to truth, and finally a rude awakening from a dreamy state to one of harsh reality. This oscillation between the past and present fills the play with a lot of ambiguity. The reader’s emotions also swing ba ck and forth from a touch of sympathy for the Loman family to a complete indifference towards their pathetic condition, which is a result of their materialistic ambitions.