Transcript PowerPoint Presentation - The Life of Arthur Miller

The Life of Arthur Miller:
American Playwright
By: Alison Griffin and Allison Ivie
Family Life
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Born in October 17, 1915 in New York City
Grew up during the Great Depression
His father’s business was ruined during the Depression
Family forced to move to Brooklyn because of lack of
income
Brooklyn home said to be model of the Brooklyn
home in Death of a Salesman
“This desire to move on, to metamorphose- or perhaps
it is a talent for being contemporary- was given me as
life’s inevitable and rightful condition.”
Childhood
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Spent most of his time
playing baseball, football
and reading adventure
stories
Graduated from high
school in 1932
Worked in an automobile
parts warehouse to earn
money for college
Education
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Entered the University of Michigan in 1934 to
study journalism
Graduated with a degree in English in 1938
Returned to New York where he joined the
Federal Theatre Project and wrote scripts for
radio programs
Known for his social awareness with deep
insights into personal weaknesses of his
characters
Personal Life
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Married in 1940 to Mary
Slattery and had two
children, ended in divorce.
Married Marilyn Monroe
in 1956, but her heavy use
of drugs led to their
divorce in 1961.
One year after his divorce
he married an Austrian
photographer named, Inge
Morah.
Awards
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All My Sons-New York Drama Critics Circle Award
1949-Pultizer Prize for Death of a Salesman and
Drama Critics Circle
1949-“Outstanding Father of the Year”
The Crucible-Antoinette Perry Award
1965-Elected president of P.E.N., international literary
organization
Future of Playwriting
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“It happens to be a very bad historical moment
for playwriting, because the theater is getting
even more difficult to find actors for, since
television pays so much and the movies even
more than that. If you’re young, you’ll probably
be writing about young people, and that’s easieryou can find young actors-but you can’t readily
find mature actors.”
Bibliography
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Ward, Selena. Greaves, Brendan. SPARKNOTES:
Death of a Salesman. New York, New York: Spark
Publishing, 2002.
“Moonstruck Drama Bookstore.” www.imagination.com. 3/1.
www.kirjastro.sci.fi/amiller. 3/1. 2003.
“Arthur Miller 1915-.” www.levity.com. 3/1. 1993.