Death of a Salesman

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. In what ways is the past related to the present in human lives? Is there a direct cause-and-effect relationship? What is the role of memory? What things do people tend to remember, and how are they remembered—as they were, or in romanticized ways? What role does memory play in the present?

Teaching Suggestion: Focus students’ attention on episodic long-term memory—that is, a person’s particular recollection of experiences and events. The linked resource or another resource on this topic might be helpful in establishing a common definition for discussion. Encourage students to integrate information from the reading into their discussion.

• “How Memory Functions” is a textbook article that provides a psychological introduction to memory.

2. What family and societal values might have been in place in America in 1949? What social and economic factors have changed in the decades since that time?

Teaching Suggestion: As an introduction to the time setting of the play, students might discuss as a group the ways that many components of society have changed greatly since 1949—economics, technology, gender norms and identity, family structure, etc.