Just Like Aesop Satire
Centuries ago, a writer by the name of Aesop began to tell fables to those around him to make his own commentary on issues such as the ways he believed individuals should live in order to be “good” people. He covered everything from jealousy, to cautiousness, to being true to oneself. Just like Aesop, Arthur Miller uses his play Death of a Salesman to make his own social commentary about society in his time, and the points he made can still be applied to today’s society.
One of Aesop’s fables, “The Master and His Two Sweethearts”, readers are given the story of a man dating two women at once and losing all of his hair due to them each taking more and more of his hair (black or gray depending on the woman) every time he would visit with them. In Aesop’s own words, the moral of this tale is that “Those who seek to please everybody please nobody.” Miller also expresses this idea through the trials and tribulations that his main character, Willy Loman, faces. Throughout the …show more content…
For example, Willy allows his son Biff to get away with stealing a football instead of yelling and making him return it. While most parents would reprimand their children so that they developed good character and knew not to steal, Willy allows the theft. Although this could just be chalked up to poor parenting skills, it is far more likely that Willy was attempting to be liked by his son, so doing the right thing took a back burner in his mind. However, Charley (who is there watching this exchange), tells Willy that his son is going to end up arrested or in trouble if allowed to continue acting like this. Just like Aesop’s moral says, this is a prime example of Willy attempting to be liked by all those around him, and in turn losing both respect and
One of Aesop’s fables, “The Master and His Two Sweethearts”, readers are given the story of a man dating two women at once and losing all of his hair due to them each taking more and more of his hair (black or gray depending on the woman) every time he would visit with them. In Aesop’s own words, the moral of this tale is that “Those who seek to please everybody please nobody.” Miller also expresses this idea through the trials and tribulations that his main character, Willy Loman, faces. Throughout the …show more content…
For example, Willy allows his son Biff to get away with stealing a football instead of yelling and making him return it. While most parents would reprimand their children so that they developed good character and knew not to steal, Willy allows the theft. Although this could just be chalked up to poor parenting skills, it is far more likely that Willy was attempting to be liked by his son, so doing the right thing took a back burner in his mind. However, Charley (who is there watching this exchange), tells Willy that his son is going to end up arrested or in trouble if allowed to continue acting like this. Just like Aesop’s moral says, this is a prime example of Willy attempting to be liked by all those around him, and in turn losing both respect and