English Name: ____________________

Tying Up the Threads

From medieval times, imagery was the word used for the design of a tapestry. A
tapestry is created by passing coloured threads
among fixed warp threads. This is what Arthur
Miller does with his imagery; by constantly
repeating certain images, he reinforces the basic
themes of the play. He presents a tapestry which
tells a story.

Find three quotations for each of the threads which run

throughout Death of a Salesman. Enter your completed
response to the “Tying Up The Threads” dropbox in D2L.

Threads of Competition: “I’m gonna run that department before the year is up.” (p. )

1)

2)

3)

Threads of Identity: “He never knew who he was.” (p. )

1)

2)

3)

Threads of “The American Dream”: “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds.” (p. )

1)

2)

3)

Threads of The Tragic Hero: “You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who
landed in the ash can like all the rest of them.” (p. )

1)

2)

3)
English Name: ____________________

Threads of Betrayal of Ideas: “You fake! You phoney little fake! (p.
)

1)

2)

3)

Threads of Lies: “I did five hundred gross in Providence and seven

hundred gross is Boston.” (p. )

1)

2)

3)

Threads of Unrealistic Expectations: “Like a young god, Hercules

— something like that.” (p. )

1)

2)

3)

Threads of Unrealistic Mortality: “After all the highways, and the

trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more
dead than alive.” (p. )

1)

2)

3)

After finding all the quotations, what essential questions does this play
raise? Essential questions are the big life questions. These are
questions that cause us to reflect on the meaning of life and other
philosophical issues.


English Name: ____________________