Fences, a play by August Wilson Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fences, a play by August Wilson - Research Paper Example This huge disenchantment sets the tone of the play. Troy is a tragic figure beset with waves of bad fortune, a victim of his time but as much his own fault. Troy’s tragic life is made more poignant by the author painting him as a tragic hero. Troy’s myopic interpretation of things and his unwillingness to adapt to reality are his two biggest flaws, blinding him and leading to his ultimate undoing. Troy is presented with opportunities to make peace with the other characters and redeem himself at critical crossroads but sadly he chose to remain in his fabricated world and his tragedy. The onset of act one, scene one provides the context of the big disenchantment in Troy’s life, that of his thwarted dream, resulting in his leading a mundane existence as a garbage collector. Troy has once been a promising baseball player in his prime, but he has been stripped of his chance to make it big in the Major Leagues because of his color. Troy could not reconcile with the fac t that he is too old to play in the Leagues when it finally opened up to black players and this residual bitterness and resentment distorted most of Troy’s perspective on things and people and reinforced his belief that he is a victim of his time. Despite this, Troy has never let go of his identity as a ball player. He continues to use baseball jargons to reflect his world view as in act one, scene one where he says â€Å"Death ain’t nothing but as fastball on the outside corner.† To his credit, Troy has fought back to emerge as a literary hero at the beginning of the play, where the other characters seem to revere him as the sole provider for the family and a fighter for equality at work. Troy’s flaws, however work against him. His narrow-minded perception has evolved into a dual set of standards over time in judging himself and others. This can be seen in Troy carrying himself around with excessive importance as the breadwinner but belittles of the work and accomplishment of others as in act one, scene three, â€Å"I do the best I can do. I come in here every Friday, I carry a sack of potatoes†¦you all line up with your hands stretched out at the door†¦I give you my sweat and my blood I ain’t got no tears†. To Troy, elder son Lyons’ chosen vocation as a jazz musician is simply a stunt in playing â€Å"Chinese music† and not serious work. Troy deduces this as the reason Lyons returns home to borrow money from him. As for Cory, his break into professional football hits a raw nerve in Troy’s thwarted dream. Troy could not accept that times have changed for black sportsman and Cory could actually make a career out of it. Cory brings up the achievement of black players like Clemente and Aaron and Kouflax, but Troy deflates their contributions. When Troy is losing out his argument to Cory, he throws the punch line, â€Å"I ain’t no Sandy Kouflax† in act one, scene three.. Instea d, he wants Cory to stay at a job instead of pursuing football. Cory’s giving away his job at A&P supermarket is seen by Troy as an act of defiance against him. Troy therefore imposes his authoritative presence on Cory in act one, scene three where he sabotages Cory’s opportunity by telling Cory’s coach that he can no longer play on his team. Troy’s shortsightedness prevents him from seeing the further ramifications of his act. Troy reasons that by sabotaging Cory’s chance would teach his son to obey his wishes. Instead it has set the wheels to motion to

The Tourist Gaze by John Urry | Summary and Analysis

The Tourist Gaze by John Urry | Summary and Analysis Critically consider the argument that Urry’s concept of the ‘tourist gaze’ places too much emphasis on the visual. Urry’s ‘tourist gaze’ remains one of the most influential concepts in tourism research. The ideas developed by Urry are still widely quoted and relevant today but a major criticism of his work is that too much emphasis is placed on the visual aspects of being a tourist rather than the whole experience. This essay will investigate this claim before concluding whether or not this is the case. In order to do this, this essay will be broken into several parts. The first section will look at what the ‘tourist gaze’ actually is. It is important to have a definition of this term before proceeding with the rest of the assignment. The second part of this essay will draw on wider academic research to test whether or not Urry’s ideas do place too much emphasis on the visual. The final part of this essay will bring together all the arguments to form some sort of conclusion. In order to fully understand the ‘tourist gaze’ it would be useful to have a clear understanding of what a tourist is and what tourism as an activity is. Turner et al. (2005) define a tourist as, â€Å"someone who has travelled to another place for a brief sojourn, an experience that necessarily entails a distinct period of transition and discontinuity from the everyday world† (p. 11). Urry (2002) describes the act of tourism as, â€Å"a leisure activity which presupposes its opposite, namely regulated and organised work. It is one manifestation of how work and leisure are organised as separate and regulated spheres of social practice in ‘modern’ societies† (p. 2). The environments that these tourists visit are subject to what Urry (1990) has described as the ‘tourist gaze’. Urry states that tourists are, â€Å"directed to features of the landscape that, which separate them off from everyday experience. Such aspects are viewed bec ause they are taken to be in some sense out of the ordinary†. The tourist and the viewpoints are manipulated, â€Å"so that the gaze falls upon what the gazer expects to see† (Turner et al, 2005: 11). Most of the time this gaze is from a static location but if it is mobile then it is directed from an insulated environment such as from a train window or a sign-posted route. The tourist only sees what they are supposed to see. Urry (1990) states, â€Å"the typical tourist experience is†¦to see named scenes through a frame, such as the hotel window, the car windscreen or the window of the coach† (p. 100). In a sense, real life is suspended or hidden away in these places so that the tourist can gaze upon what upon they expect to see. For example, in the Lake District in England, houses can only be built to very exacting specifications with traditional methods and materials. This helps to preserve the traditional look of the area. This expectation has been built up by promotional material such as brochures and adverts on the television. Goss (1993) argues that tourism marketing provide tourists with representational images of the places they are about to visit and this helps form an imaginary construction for the tourist. Culler (1981) argues that tourists read the landscape for anything that represents these pre-established notions. In The Tourist Gaze, Urry (1990) states that when we go away and become tourists, â€Å"we look at the environment†¦we gaze at what we encounter†¦and the gaze is socially constructed† (p. 1). Perkins and Thorns (2001) state that there is no single uniform gaze, rather it is, â€Å"varied temporally and across social groups and that the concept of the gaze encapsulates tourists’ experiences and is an interpretation of the things they seek and do when on holiday† (p. 187). Perkins and Thorns (2001) go on to argue that, â€Å"the gaze is a concept which comprises a way of looking at the world which simultaneously forms what is seen and the way of seeing† (p 187). There have been numerous criticisms leveled at Urry’s concept of the ‘tourist gaze’. Perhaps the most common one and of most interest to this essay is that the gaze doesn’t fully capture the tourist experience. Perkins and Thorns (2001) argue that there needs to be more of a focus on the concept of the tourist performance because in places like New Zealand, tourists are more about ‘doing’ rather than simply ‘seeing’ or ‘gazing’ and, â€Å"thus about putting their bodies into tourism in a way that is not reflected in much of the analysis arising from a focus upon the tourist gaze† (p. 199). This criticism highlights an important change in the tourism industry. This is the search for authentic experiences and the search for experiences that invigorates all the senses. Thrift (1999) suggests that tourists want ‘contact’ with their surroundings. This contact goes beyond the visual realms as suggested by Urry. As Franklin and Crang (2001) point out that tourists, â€Å"are seeking to be doing something in the places they visit rather than being endlessly spectatorially passive† (p. 13). Franklin and Chang go on to suggest that tourists have become bored by the gaze. MacCannell (1989) states that, â€Å"touristic consciousness is motivated by its desire for authentic experiences, and the tourist may believe that he is moving in this direction, but often it is very difficult to know for sure if the experience is in fact authentic. It is always possible that what is taken to be entry into a back region is really entry into a front region that has been totally set up in advance for touristic visitation† (p. 101). Urry fails to notice the distinction between authentic experiences and inauthentic ones. MacCannell (2001) believes there is a second gaze, one that is in a way suspicious of the totally visual elements of the tourist gaze. The second gaze is where the tourist is aware that, â€Å"something is being concealed from it†¦the second gaze knows that seeing is not believing. Some things will remain hidden from it†¦The second gaze turns back onto the gazing subject an ethical responsibility for the construction of its own existen ce† (p. 36). MacCannell (2001) finds the concept of the tourist gaze as defined by Urry too narrow a concept and argues that it is, â€Å"a blueprint for the transformation of the global system of attractions into an enormous set of mirrors to serve the narcissistic needs of dull egos† (p. 26). Nicholson-Lord (2002) is in partial agreement although he also takes issue with the concept of the second gaze as well. He argues that, â€Å"tourism is a powerful cultural solvent; it takes customs and beliefs that are locally rooted and distinctive, puts them into the global blending machine and turns them into liquefied gunk to which a mass market has been primed to respond† (p. 24). Although MacCannell is arguing for the need for a wider experience than Urry suggests, they have both been criticized by those who suggest that they focus too exclusively on the tourist experience and the subjectivity of the tourist. Little mention is given to the subjectivity of the host. In a world where affluent tourists are able to seek out experiences and gaze upon sights in worlds that are just becoming open to them, little mention is given to how this affects the host cultures. Bianchi (2001) states that, â€Å"in a world of hyper-mobile capital, instant communications and the mass movement of peoples, international tourism encapsulates the contradictory forces at play in today’s world. These are mobility and freedom for the wealthy few, and immobility and impoverishment for the disenfranchised many† (p. 16). This imbalance is completely ignored in the work of Urry. It would be fair to argue that this is because he places too much emphasis on the visual for the t ourist and not enough on looking at the wider impact of tourism on the hosts. As we move into an age of more ethically aware tourism, this becomes more of an important concept. Of course, Urry would argue that there is no single gaze and that this movement to more ethical tourism is just simply a different gaze for a different type of tourist but the fact that he ignores the impact of tourism on the host cultures is evidence that his preoccupations are elsewhere. The tourist gaze as a concept is a helpful one when studying tourism. It helps us to understand how tourism has evolved and changed over the past few decades. It also helps us to understand how we as tourists act as players within a larger system that has been created to match our expectations of what we want to see on when we go on holiday with the supposed reality of what is actually there. It helps us to understand all the visual sign-posts that are created to help match up these two worlds, the reality and what we expect to see. However, this concept does have some limitations. Although it tries to be all encapsulating, trying to explain all our visual experiences by saying that people from different classes seek different things and gaze on different things when they go on holiday, it is still too narrow. It fails to really encapsulate the entire essence of tourism which is the experiences that you have that can’t be explained away as simply visual. This essay has touched on the notion of performance and contact. This is what tourism is all about. It is about the experiences that you have that come from the smells and sounds and the activities you partake in in the place you are visiting. Of course the sights play a huge part in this but they are not the whole experience. Another place that Urry’s concept falls flat is his failure to look at tourism from the point of view of the host culture. In this day and age where we are becoming more ethically aware in everything that we consume, including our tourism, this is quite a big failure of the concept. It’s preoccupation on the consumers and how they are being manipulated with no mention of how these consumers impact on the cultures that they visit. Urry’s concept is still useful but it is getting less and less relevant in today’s market. Bibliography and References Chin, C.B.N. 2008, Cruising in the Global Economy: Profits, Pleasure and Work at Sea, London: Ashgate. Franklin, A. and Chang, M. 2001, The trouble with tourism and travel theory?, Tourist Studies, 1(1), 5-22. Goss, J. 1993, Placing the Market and Marketing the Place: Tourist Advertising of the Hawaiian Islands, 1972-1992, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 11, 663-688. MacCannell, D. 1992, Empty Meeting Grounds: The Tourist Papers, London: Routledge. McGuigan, J. 2004, Rethinking Cultural Policy, London: McGraw-Hill International Perkins, H.C. and Thorns, D.C. 2001, Gazing or Performing?: Reflections on Urry’s Tourist Gaze in the Context of Contemporary Experience in the Antipodes, International Sociology, 16(2), 185-204. Thrift, N. (1999) ‘Still Life in Present Time:The Object of Nature’, conference paper  presented to Sociality/Materialism – The Status of the Object in Social Science,  Brunel University, UK 9–11 September 1999. Turner et al. 2005, The Tourist Gaze: Towards Contextualised Virtual Environments, Kluwer. Urry, J. 1990, The Tourist Gaze, London: Sage. Urry, J. 1992, The Tourist Gaze â€Å"Revisited†, American Behavioral Scientist, 36, 172-186.

THE LESSON :: Essays Papers

THE LESSON 1 "Ah! If only I could be young again!" Most people often say this statement. People wishing they could go back to their youth and make a change. [Frag - 1] If one could become young again, would he/she really change? Or is youth a state of mind? In "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment", [,"] Nathaniel Hawthorne gives us an example of what can happen when one does become young again. The theme of this story is that morals established in one's youth remain unchanged throughout one's life. 2 The narrator does not identify himself as a character, nor if his character is present during Dr. Heidegger's experiment. [SS The narrator does not identify himself as a character or participant in the experiment.] Within the story, the narrator does mention that this [What is "this"?] might seem unbelievable and false. He alludes [Diction] that the story may be a lesson in morality. The effect of such a narrator allows the audience to decide if the story is true or a mere lesson. [A lesson cannot be true?] 3 Throughout the story, symbols of youth and age are present everywhere. The rose, which Dr. Heidegger has kept for 50 years, symbolizes his love and commitment for Sylvia Ward. It also symbolizes youth. When Dr. Heidegger places the rose in the liquid of youth, it blooms just as the characters do when they drink the elixir of life. However, the rose has a double meaning. It also means death. As the rose withers, so do the characters. [What else is the rose associated with?] 4 The experiment starts on a summer afternoon. Symbolically, a summer afternoon means youth. The characters become young during this time. When the sun sets, they age. The sunset symbolizes aging. 5 Throughout the story, we hear about this Fountain of Youth. Also referred to as the elixir of life or the liquid of youth. [Frag -1] This Fountain of Youth is really a state of mind. Like the saying goes, "you are as young as you think you are." That is what this elixir of life is really about.

How important are staff/management relations? Essay

A good relationship between staff and management is one in which each party respects and trusts one another, communicates with and understands one another and understands clearly what is expected of each other. Each party must make a fair contribution towards satisfying the interests of the other party. Demands placed on each other must be reasonable. Compromise and co-operation both play important roles in safeguarding the interests of the business while also satisfying the conflicting interests of it’s workforce. It is imperative to build and maintain healthy staff/management relations for the following reasons. Good relations help to prevent disputes and if conflict does arise it can be better resolved between staff and management who have already developed a good working relationship which helps to ensure as little disruption to normal operations as possible. Good staff/management relations lead to high morale amongst a workforce. A happy workforce is a more productive one. The employer will also find it easier to retain its employees. Poor relations can lead to an unhappy workforce and dissatisfied management which is likely to result in reduced productivity and the overall failure of the business. The interests of a company and the interests of it’s workforce are often in conflict with each other. A number of practices must be in place in order to simultaneously satisfy the needs of both the business and of it’s people. When an employee first joins a company, they must be given a contract which clearly states what is expected of them in their role and what remuneration he/she will receive. The contract, terms and conditions must make it clear what the employee can expect from it’s employment. The employee must also be made aware of all relevant company polices and procedures particularly regarding conduct, sickness, disciplinary procedures and grievances possibly via a company handbook, intranet website or induction. Without having been given the necessary information in the first place, it is unreasonable for any employer to expect compliance with rules. There must be a clear organizational structure in place so that staff members know who they report to and this helps to instill a respect for authoritative positions. However in order to earn respect from it’s staff, management must undergo regular training to ensure they possess the necessary skills to manage the workforce well. Sufficient training must be given to staff members to equip them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out their role. Performance appraisals should take place to assess performance, identify problem areas and to reward excellence. This is beneficial to both the company and the staff member as poor performance can be corrected and well performing staff members benefit from recognition. Reviews of conditions and pay should take place in order to keep up with change and competition. Competitors may not only ‘steal’ customers but could ‘steal’ a workforce if they can offer them more. Retaining a workforce will keep recruitment and training costs to a minimum. Monetary rewards are not always enough to motivate staff. It may be necessary in some situations to motivate staff using other incentives such as awards, promotional prospects, shares and staff discounts. It is necessary that management and staff have effective methods of communicating with each other such as email, newsletters or meetings. Staff must have means of expressing themselves and providing feedback upwards which can be done through surveys or even informal discussions. With effective communications, problems can be identified early and resolved quickly. Using the above mentioned practices a better working relationship can be established between management and staff ensuring the success of the company and the well being of its workforce.

Research design and methodlogy Essay

This chapter presents and discusses the method of research used and the procedures utilized by the researcher in this study. It likewise includes the sources of data and the treatment of data. Methodology of the study This investigation adopted the compare and contrast qualitative research method as this is the most appropriate way in determining the effect the type of business to the success of the business. In addition, the quantitative approach was included to complement the qualitative part of this research. The Archival Research is defined by Bordens, Kenneth S. , and Abbott, Bruce B. , (1999) as a non-experimental strategy that involves studying existing records. These records can be historical account of events, census data, court records, police crime reports, or any other archived information. This qualitative study is divided by two parts. They are: 1. Compare Motherhood and Feminism in Beloved 2. Contrast Motherhood and Feminism in Beloved. And, the quantitative study focused on interviewing twenty persons who have read the Beloved novel. The researcher took pains in reading, searching and analysis of the different parts of this study. The researcher examined the comparison and contrast of Motherhood and Feminism in Beloved. The historical background is one of the main focus of this study including their success. The final phase was the analysis, presentation and the drawing of the conclusions and the recommendation. RESEARCH INSTRUMENT The primary research instrument and technique was used in the gathering of data for this study. In addition, the researcher used secondary sources taken from books and journals. These secondary sources had guided the researcher to broaden the point of understanding specifically the effect of Motherhood on Feminism in Beloved. The analysis of variance was used to compare the different topics found in Beloved and the respondents answers grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. The formula for Analysis of Variance includes Y i = e i where e i is N(0, ? 2 ) [2. 1] RESEARCH PROCEDURE The researcher seeks the primary as well as secondary materials as the best way to examine the effect of Slavery on Motherhood and Feminism in the Beloved Novel. After a through studying, reading and scrutinizing the different data, it is best to use the secondary sources as a basis for company business analysis and then coming up with the output – Results of the Effect of Slavery on Motherhood and Feminism in the Beloved Novel. Chapter IV PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA This chapter puts forward the presentation, analysis and interpretation of the data collected. The questions identified in the problem are used as the bases for the presentation. The sequence of the structure includes table, analysis and interpretation of the data of the current study. PRESENTATION OF THE STUDY PART I 1. Compare Slavery to Feminism in the Beloved novel. There are similarities between slavery and feminism in the Beloved novel. 1. 1 Both slaves and women have responsibilities in the Beloved Novel. The slaves must clean the homes and even be the unwilling sex toys of their owners. The women have the responsibility to take care of the children in the Beloved Novel. Here, the Nation Journal states about Morrisons intentions in writing Beloved, â€Å"What is this absolute obsession with violence? I mean, violence is two things. First of all, it takes a certain amount of courage, physical courage, but it also requires a certain laziness of intellect. So it’s both easy and hard. It’s such a child’s view, as is the puny language that accompanies it. I guess I shouldn’t dump that on children, but it certainly is not adult. † The language of literature that is bellicose, that is warlike, is the prized language 1. 2 Both slaves and women have feelings. For, both the slaves and the women can feel both sad and happy. Sethe was sad to feel that her child, Beloved would grow up a slave like her. Sethe felt sad when she knew she would never see her husband again. Here, Toni Morrison has conjured a way to bring back the past to the readers of this novel where slaves too have feelings . 2. Contrast Slavery to Feminism in the Beloved novel. There are differences between Slavery and Feminism in the Beloved novel. 2. 1 Slaves are the property of the owners but Women are not the property of their husbands. For the slave owners feel that they have the right to rape the women slaves because they feel that slaves as their property. The wives cannot be forced to have sex with their husbands or anyone else against their will . 2. 2 Slaves can not own their children but free women can own their children. Sethe killed Beloved because she did not want her to grow up and suffer as a slave like her. She is too possessive of her children. Women who are free, includes freed African Americans, can own their children. Beloved flirts with Paul D. because she wants to have a child of her own. She plans to take care of the child until it grows old. She wants to give her child the love and caring that her mother, Sethe, was too selfish to give her . 2. 3 Slaves have no freedom to do what they want whereas free women are free to do what they want anytime provided it does not violate the rights of others. The slaves are classified as animals in Beloved and have to right or privilege. However, free women a right to fall in love and to roam anywhere they want. This is the reason why Sethe ran away from her owners. This is also the main reason why Sethe’s husband, Paul D. and Stamp paid ran away from their owners. Sethe’s mother in law, Baby Suggs feels that she is now happy for being free to stay at her home to do whatever she wants . Being an African American herself, Toni Morrison â€Å"Historically, women in Africa have dominated the use (and instruction) of literary forms that include proverbs and folk- tales. In consequence, it is important to determine the scope of the narrative traditions in black women’s literature and to specify the nature of this relationship–to discuss olktales, for example, in conjunction with the voices of/in the tales. The tellers, the mode of telling, the complications and sometimes obfuscations of telling become critical not only to the folkloric traditions, but to the larger narrative traditions as well† PART II This quantitative essay was done in order to know how people feel about the Beloved story by African American Toni Morrison which was published recently in 1987. For the society changes and humans evolve both in mind and in spirit. The environment where one lives is called reality. And literature evolves or alters its role, its action, its form of practice just like the environment of which it is a part. The people reading the book will cherish their past where their grandparents were once slaves or owners of slaves. 4. 0Frequency 4. 1 Age Table 1 AGE of Respondents Age Range Frequency Percent Rank. 15- 24 11 55 1 25- 34 5 25 2 34- 44 3 15 3 45- above 1 5 4 Total 20 100 The above table shows that there are eleven respondents belong to the 15 -24 age level. This group represents fifty five percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 1 in the above table based on their percentage. Also, there are five respondents belonging to the 25 -34 age level. This group represents twenty five percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 2 in the above table based on their percentage. There are three respondents belonging to the 35- 45 age level. This group represents fifteen percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 3 in the above table based on their percentage. Lastly, there is only one respondent belonging to the 45 and above age level. This group represents five percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 4 in the above table based on their percentage. There are more respondents belonging to the 15- 25 age level. 4. 2 Gender Table 2 GENDER of Respondents Gender Frequency Percent Rank F 14 70 1 M 6 30 2 Total 20 100 The above table shows that there are fourteen respondents belong to the Female Gender. This group represents seventy percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 1 in the above table based on their percentage. Also, there are six respondents belonging to the Males Gender. This group represents Thirty percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 2 in the above table based on their percentage. There are more respondents belonging to the Female Gender. 4. 3 Education.

Bio. Lab. Report Membrane Transport Essays

Bio. Lab. Report Membrane Transport Essays Bio. Lab. Report Membrane Transport Paper Bio. Lab. Report Membrane Transport Paper The glass slide is slowly lowered down on the epidermal layer using the needle; . The onion cells are examined through the microscope; 4. The structure of the onion cells is drawn as observed under the microscope. Results Observations: In the hypotonic solution the water will move from the solution to the onion cells which will become bigger. PART 2 1. The distilled water is removed using the filter paper; 2. A drop of 5% of sucrose solution is placed at a side of the cover slip and the solution across the epidermal layer is drawn by placing filter paper on the other side of the cover slip; 3. The onion cells are examined once again through microscope. The structure of the onion cells is drawn as observed under the microscope. In the isotonic solution, there is no difference in the similarity, no change in the cells sizes. PART 3 1. Repeat step (1 -3 of PART 2) using 30% of sucrose solution.

Death Of A Salesman Essays (5222 words) - English-language Films

Death Of A Salesman Essays (5222 words) - English-language Films Death Of A Salesman Arthur Miller is one of the most renowned and important American playwrights to ever live. His works include, among others, The Crucible and A View from the Bridge. The plays he has written have been criticized for many things, but have been praised for much more, including his magical development of the characters and how his plays provide good theater. In his plays, Miller rarely says anything about his home life, but there are at least some autobiographical hints in his plays. Arthur Miller is most noted for his continuing efforts to devise suitable new ways to express new and different themes. His play Death of a Salesman, a modern tragedy, follows along these lines. The themes in this play are described and unfurled mostly through Willy Lomans, the main character in the play, thoughts and experiences. The story takes place mainly in Brooklyn, New York, and it also has some flashback scenes occurring in a hotel room in Boston. Willy lives with his wife Linda and their two sons, B iff and Happy in a small house, crowded and boxed in by large apartment buildings. The three most important parts of Death of a Salesman are the characters and how they develop throughout the play; the conflicts, with the most important ones revolving around Willy; and the masterful use of symbolism and other literary techniques which lead into the themes that Miller is trying to reveal. Arthur Miller was born in Manhattan on October 17, 1915 to Isidore and Augusta Barnett Miller. His father was a ladies coat manufacturer. Arthur Miller went to grammar school in Harlem but then moved to Brooklyn because of his fathers losses in the depression. In Brooklyn he went to James Madison and Abraham Lincoln High Schools and was an average student there, but did not get accepted to college. After high school, he worked for 2 years at an auto supply warehouse where he saved $13 of his $15 a week paycheck. He began to read such classics as Dostoevski and his growing knowledge led him to the University of Michigan. While at the University of Michigan, Miller worked many jobs such as a mouse tender at the University laboratory and as a night editor at the newspaper Michigan Daily. He began to write plays at college and won 2 of the $500 Hopwood Playwriting Awards. One of the two awarded plays No Villain (1936) won the Theaters Guild Award for 1938 and the prize of $1250 encouraged him to become engaged with Mary Grace Slattery, whom he married in 1940. Miller briefly worked with the Federal Theater Project and in 1944 he traveled to Army Camps across Europe to gather material for a play he was doing. His first Broadway play, The Man Who Had All the Luck, opened in 1944. Since then he has written 13 award winning plays and more than 23 different noted books. He had two children with Mary Grace Slattery, Jane and Robert, but divorced her and in 1956 married Marilyn Monroe. He then divorced her later that decade, and, in 1962, married Ingeborg Morath and had one child with her, named Rebecca. He no w lives on 400 acres of land in Connecticut and spends his time gardening, mowing, planting evergreens, and working as a carpenter. He still writes each day for four to six hours. His father always told him to read. He once said, Until the age of seventeen, I can safely say that I never read a book weightier than Tom Swift and the Rover Boys, but my father brought me into literature with Dickens(Nelson, Pg. 59). His fathers good-natured joking was used to invent the character of Joe Kellers genial side. After the Fall (1947) is a play written by Miller where he sneaks in some small autobiographical notes. The character traits exhibited by the main woman in the play indicate his mothers early encouragement to his literary promise. The Depression still troubles him today, especially for the hard times that he went through as a child. In an interview, he once said, It seems easy to tell how it was to live in those years, but I have made several attempts to tell