Year 10:

FIRST DRAFT DUE MONDAY 9th

Task -Compare the ways John Steinbeck and Arthur Miller present the idea of the American Dream in 'Of Mice and Men' and 'Death of a Salesman'.

This is worth 40% of your overall Literature GCSE grade.

Sentence starters for Coursework

 

Introduction

‘Death of a Salesman’ is a play by Arthur Miler which..

John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ also...

 

Paragraph 1 – Social, Historical and Cultural contexts

The books share social, historical and cultural contexts. Firstly both are set during a time in American history when...

The social settings are similar in that everyone in society is attempting to

Both are realist texts as Steinbeck said “...

The geographical setting of Miller and Steinbeck’s texts are different as...

Despite the different geographical settings both present the idea of...

When the books were published, the reaction was...

Joseph McCarthy’s...

 

Paragraphs 2: Willy Loman

In ‘Death of a Salesman’ we follow the last few days of Willy Loman. Willy is...

Miller further hints at Willy’s low status by his choice of surname for his character:“Willy Loman”. This suggests

Wily eventually comes to the realisation that he will never...

 

Paragraph 3: Lennie Small

In ‘Of Mice and Men’ we meet Lennie Small as he...

Lennie is attempting to achieve the American Dream as he believes...

Interestingly‘Of Mice and Men’s main character’s surname has similar connotations to that of Willy Loman as he is called: “Lennie Small”. This suggests

Although the vulnerable Lennie does not realise, the reader does quickly realise that he will never achieve...

 

Paragraph 4 –The dark side of the American Dream (themes: failure/ isolation)

Both Miller and Steinbeck’s texts show the dark side of...

The books do not show success, but instead show...

The ideas contained within both texts are failure and isolation. We see this when...

 

Paragraph 5 – The endings of both texts and what they say about the future (hope)

Despite the furore surrounding the publication of both books...

Despite the accusations that both authors faced from aspects of American society at the time, they are not a completely damning portrayal of the American Dream. In ‘Of Mice and Men’ George is left to...

Also there are glimmers of hope at the end of ‘Death of a Salesman’ as Biff...

The reader realises that, despite the harsh conditions the characters lived in, they were partly to blame for not...

Biff and George represent the possibility that...

 

Conclusion – Critiques of the American Dream. Downfalls of complex characters.

In conclusion Miller’s ‘Death of a Saleman’ and Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ present the idea of the American Dream as...

We follow the sad endings of the characters...

Through the stories of Lennie and Willy we see that the pursuit of the American Dream can be...

The reader feels...

 

 

Phrase bank

depicts	presents the idea of the American Dream as	deluded	leaves the reader disillusioned with
portrays	low status in society	A harsh climate	Abandoned by society who cares only for status and wealth
Desperation	Furthermore	Not only this but	Firstly
Secondly	This suggests	This shows	Both texts