Tuesday, August 26, 2014


Hello scholars and welcome to Week 2 of ENG 206 (American Lit. After 1945). I really enjoyed reading everyone's introductions last week, and I think we are going to have a fun semester! I just wanted to check in and see how everyone is getting along with the class and remind you of the assignments for this week. Don't worry if you have some reservations about the technology still; it takes a little getting used to, but I am always here to help. We will figure it out together! 


This week we are going to read/watch Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. This is more reading than I typically like to give in a week (especially so early in the semester), but I like to start the semester off with this play because it brings up so many of the themes and issues that the writers we are going to be reading this semester wrestle with and that we are still talking about today (not to mention it is a really powerful play!). Unfortunately, your textbook doesn't include this play. :( However, I found us a free copy online (get it in Coursework on Blackboard). I know reading on the computer (or printing this many pages) isn't ideal, but I didn't want to require you to purchase ANOTHER book, so we'll have to make due. Besides, I want you to watch the play anyhow, which is why I have included a link to watch it free online on Hulu. One thing to note- this is a movie adaptation of the play not the stage production Miller intended (that wasn't available free online unfortunately), so make sure you read through the stage directions Miller gives in the play and consider how the changes the film makes affects the meaning and effect of the play. Also, don't forget to view the presentation over Death of a Salesman (linked in Coursework) as it contains my notes and short lectures for Miller (if you have any trouble getting these working, please let me know). There are also some discussion questions/prompts in this presentation that can help if you get stuck and don't know what to write about for your blog posts.


Lastly, don't forget to +1 posts you like or think do an exceptional job of analyzing the reading.

This week's assignments (please note you may have to log in to Blackboard to get the links to work):
Read: Death of a Salesman
Watch: Death of a Salesman
***Please note: I'm of the opinion it is important to see plays performed not just read them flat on the page, so I have provided you a link to watch Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman along with the text of the play (since it isn't in our textbook). Rather than spending a big chunk of time reading the play then another 2 hours watching it, I would suggest instead watching it while taking notes and referring back to the text for memorable passages and quotes or following along in the text while watching the play.
View: Week 2 Presentation (Printer-friendly version for taking notes while watching the presentation here)
Due by 8/31: 2 blog posts + comments

1 comment:

  1. I hope you get this if not I'll stop by your office hours tomorrow, I've been keeping very close track of my comments and noticed that one of them has disappeared. I had a pretty high count and haven't figured out which one disappeared but it's one comment and rather disappointing because I try and put great detail and thought out ideas into each post I make and it stinks for one to be missing since I work fairly hard on them and I'm just trying to maintain a fairly high comment number so seeing one disappear worries me a little.

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