Death of a Salesman Challenge Projects

Choose one of the following Challenge projects to complete. Make sure to research the topic that you choose and cite those sources correctly.
The proposal is due ______________________________ .
The Challenge Project is due ________________________.

1. Interview a traveling salesman. Ask him/her about the pressures and the conditions of the job, etc. Does the job have an impact on their personal lives? How? Present a report of the interview and a personal reflection of the project.
2. Write a paper about what is interesting about Miller’s handling of time and memory in the play. Discuss how this adds to your understanding of the characters.
3. You are Willy. Write 4 one-page diary entries about your life based on the events given in the play.
4. Write the next chapter to the play. What happens to the Lomans? What becomes of each character?
5. Write a commentary on the Requiem showing what it adds to the play.
6. Write an essay about the following idea: “Biff’s rejection of Willy’s ideas is the climax of his self-discovery.”
7. Watch and write a film review of the film version of Death of a Salesman directed by Wolker Schlondorff in 1985. How does the director make certain decisions with the play that may differ from your own when reading the play?
8. Write an essay about any character/relationship in the play, which you find particularly interesting.
9. Discuss what is the function of sound and music in the play. What music would you include if you were responsible for the sound and music for the play?
10. Discuss the importance of the flashback scenes in the play. Rewrite or add a flashback scene.
11. “Willy’s death shows that the American dream is a phony dream.” Discuss this idea and find other examples of the American dream. Create a project that exhibits the American dreams both failed and those achieved.
12. Research Arthur Miller’s life and write an essay reflecting your research.
13. Read another play by Arthur Miller. Compare/contrast that play and the themes used to Death of a Salesman.
14. Find literary criticism on Death of a Salesman. How was Death of a Salesman received by audiences?
15. Design a 3-D stage set on a small scale. Include the characters in costume for this play using textual evidence. Provide a rationale for the choices you make.
16. Write 4 one-page entries into Linda’s journal. React to what has been happening with your life, your husband, your sons, your finances, etc. Reflect how she is able to escape the tyranny of dreams.
17. Write a scene, complete with stage directions, examining an exchange between Charley and Bernard regarding Willy’s behavior. (To be set into the play after the exchange between Willy and Charley in the office Act II).
18. Write a two to three page paper on how Willy’s life would have been different had he gone with Ben to Alaska.
19. Create a video collage of the American Dream and how it has changed over the years. Use parts of old TV shows, commercials, old photos, interviews, etc.
20. Willy has died. Write a 2-page monologue in which either Happy or Biff is describing what his father was like to one of their children who never met their grandfather.
21. Your own great idea!