Comparing Cora Tucker and Willy Loman

Cora Tucker is strikingly different from Willy Loman. First off, Cora does not believe in Willy’s philosophy that success depends on who you know and being “well-liked.” In fact, many whites hate her for they have spit on her, slashed her tires, or soaked her bed with gasoline. This has not hurt her confidence nor stopped her from pursuing her dream. Cora’s philosophy is to work hard, learn as much as possible, and improve conditions for the blacks and the poor. Her actions and dedication have made her successful. She is respected both by whites and blacks as she has made a difference.

Next, it seems that Willy depends, not on himself, but on others for his success and for that of his sons. For example, he blames not being a better salesman on the fact that his first boss died. He believes Bill Oliver will help make Biff successful by giving him ten thousand dollars. In contrast, Cora does not depend on anyone to be successful and is self-motivated. She takes the initiative to get ahead by getting a job at a manufacturing company. Through her hard work at this job, she saves up enough money to buy her own land and build a house. In addition, Cora does not depend on others in the community of Halifax to change the poor treatment of blacks. She goes out and does it herself by getting involved. She lives by the saying, “the time doesn’t get right; you make it right” (359). Cora improves the conditions for the blacks and the poor (“the underdogs”) by fighting against racial discrimination, getting people to take an interest in voting, and lobbying for better healthcare. For example, she motivated the black people to write to their representatives in Washington about their voting rights. As a result of her efforts, five hundred letters were sent supporting the voting law. She even founded her own organization called Citizens for a Better America (CBA) which helps fight inequality.

Lastly, Cora Tucker had the courage to keep fighting and pursuing what she believed despite racial prejudices and lack of support from many family members. Willy, on the other hand, had given up. He realized he had failed as a salesman and his only last hope was to see if Biff truly liked him or not. The only thing left was for him to commit suicide so that Biff would get twenty thousand dollars from the insurance policy. Willy’s life did not amount to much, but maybe with this money Biff could get ahead. In contrast, Cora has much to show and to tell about her life. She has accomplished much and has improved the conditions for many in Halifax. Halifax is now hiring minorities, trying to solve discrimination in schools, and placing more blacks into school systems. Cora has persevered, and has “raised a little hell” to make a big difference.

Willy's Belief About Opportunity and Success

Willy believes being well-liked and personally attractive is the key to individual opportunity and success. He thinks one must not just be liked, but be well-liked or liked by many people, to be successful. Willy does not believe education gives one an opportunity, but “the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want” (33). He formed this philosophy about life from watching Singleman, a salesman he used to know. Willy believed this salesman was successful because of his attractive personality, not because he was selling a good product. The only thing the salesman had to do was pick up a phone and his clients would eagerly buy his products since they liked him. Willy was impressed and believed Singleton must have been successful as so many people came to his funeral. Willy tries to model himself after Singleman, but because of his wrong perspective, he is not able to achieve his wish. He dies with this false dream and no one comes to his funeral.

In the end, Willy realizes how wrong his dream is. He is not well-liked as he has been fired. Willy admits his life is “ringing up a zero” (126). His sons, whom he has taught to think that being well-liked will make you succeed, are failures. Happy, who has been in Biff’s shadow all his life, has not amounted to much as he is the assistant to the assistant at his job. He ultimately rejects his father. Biff does not have a steady job and he hops from one job to the next. He tells his dad, “I stole myself out of every good job since high school!” (131) Biff realizes he, like Willy, are “a dime a dozen.” Now, Willy’s last hope in life is gone as he realizes that Biff, his favorite son, does not believe he, Biff, will be successful. Willy commits suicide so the insurance policy will give Biff twenty thousand dollars.

Reaction of a Presentation #2

We finished up all the presentations in our block period of English today. We had a total of seventeen people present. One of the many presenters was Brittney Williams. I think for her being so nervous to get up and speak in front of the classroom, she did a really good job. I thought her speech was very powerful and she connected to the audience. She spoke with power and emotion, which drew in the attention of the class. Also, she could connect with her organization because she, herself, is a minority. This made it more personal.

Her organization was the NSHMBA, which was founded in 1988. The purpose of it is to help the poor Hispanic and their community. It helps the poor with leadership and financial management, helps them get accepted to college, and teaches them skills so they can be successful. She used good statistics and facts to open her speech.

Reaction of a Presentation

One of the five presentations today was made by Alex Meregaglia. He volunteered to present first. The non-profit organization he chose was Goodwill Industries. He explained to the class how Goodwill has helped the poor by getting them employed and by helping them stay employed.

Alex used many statistics and facts to help back up his argument. I found the fact that every 56 seconds, Goodwill helps someone get a job interesting. One of his rebuttals was that citizens do not have that much money to donate to Goodwill. He refuted this point well because he told how instead of giving money you could help by donating old clothes, furniture, cars, and other items. Alex also told a success story due to the help of Goodwill.

I liked how Alex moved from the podium, to the front of the room, and back to the podium. I thought he sounded somewhat like an actual Goodwill rep. His conclusion was catching when he said, “Goodwill. Good cause”. Overall, I think Alex did a nice job presenting Goodwill and I could tell he prepared for his speech.

Self-Reliance

Emerson believes in order to be successful, one must think for oneself and to trust one’s thoughts. One must be original and not imitate or worry about what others think. One must not compromise oneself by changing how one acts or thinks so they will be accepted by others or society. He thinks conforming is cowardly. The key is to have the courage to be an individual with original thoughts even though it may cause society to scorn you. After all, Emerson states that Socrates, Jesus, Galileo, and Newton were all misunderstood and considered outcasts, yet, they were geniuses. Thus to be successful, one must be an individual who does not conform to society so he can be creative, and one must have reliance on one’s thoughts and abilities.

I believe it is important to trust your thoughts and to strive to be original. However, I do not agree with Emerson’s idea that one should not conform to society because it takes away our individuality. People need to accept society’s expectations, laws, and customs so there is stability and mutual understanding. Without conformity, there would be chaos as I think many people are selfish and care only about themselves. In view of this, I do see how conformity can limit creativeness and individuality. There is a need for a very small percentage of individuals to go out on the limb and take a chance at being “outcasts.” This would allow people like inventors, scientists, artists, musicians, or writers to be themselves and express their opinions that are perhaps “way out there.” In time, these ideas may prove to be true and change the way society lives much like Newton and Einstein did. However, the majority of people need to fit into society and conform. If one is trying to get an average job or management position, then they have to be “normal” so they can get the job and be accepted by others. If they are known to react on their own thoughts and go against company policies, then the company will not want them as an employee as they might disrupt their business.

It is not easy to be an individual with completely original thoughts because it can sometimes cause you to be alienated from society. If you have different views some people do not accept you. This may wrongly cause you to hold back your thoughts or change them so others will not think you are weird. Even so, we should try to trust our thoughts and have the courage to express them openly. After all, America guarantees freedom of speech and stresses individuality.

"World Vision"

The non-profit organization that I am choosing to do my class presentation on is “World Vision”. This group helps more than one billion of the children in the world who live in extreme poverty. It also assists the children’s families and the communities in which they live. This non-profit organization was founded in 1950.

I chose to research and to talk about “World Vision” because of how it helps the children who are in need. The people who want to get involved can do a variety of things to help. They can either donate a dollar a day to their sponsor child, write a letter to one of the sponsor children, or they can just volunteer their time. In my opinion, it seems like it is a great cause and I think I will be able to argue why this organization should get “donor bucks”.

I have read or seen several programs like this advertised on either television or in magazines. When I see what horrible conditions these children have to live in, it makes me want to take action and donate money to help them. In conclusion, I hope my persuasive speech about “World Vision” will convince my classmates that it is the right non-profit organization for them to donate their “donor bucks” to.

Horatio Alger- Extending the Critical Context #9

The Alger myth of rags-to- riches should be “interred” according to Dalton. To support Dalton’s claim and bury the Alger myth, one must present an argument and show evidence that not everyone has an equal chance to succeed, hard work doesn’t guarantee getting ahead, and America is not the land of endless opportunity.

To start with, not everyone has the same chance of success. In today’s society, having a college degree is a huge advantage, if not a requirement, for success. If one does not have the means to go to college one is automatically excluded from many jobs and many of these pay more money. An interesting fact to challenge the Horatio myth would be to investigate what percent of people earning over, say 50,000 dollars a year have college degrees and what percent of the total population this includes. Closely linked to this is the fact that social class does make a difference. If one comes from the middleclass or upper class, one will have more money and contacts to pay for education and to be exposed to job opportunities.

Another point to refute the Alger myth is that working hard does not mean you will get ahead. Take for instance Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed. Through her personal experiences she shows that even by working two jobs and trying her best there is no opportunity to get ahead. Her only hope is to make enough money for food and to pay the bills. She, like Dalton, points out that each person is not judged solely on their own merits. An employee’s manager has great control over a person’s advancement. This manager can be biased. He may hold the employee back because he is afraid the person might take his job, he may be prejudiced against the employee’s race or social background, or he may simply not like him. In short, hard work does not guarantee success.

Lastly, America is not a land of endless opportunity as Alger portrays. The job market is competitive and unemployment is a problem. Jobs and pensions are no longer secure as companies are bought, they go out of business, or they cut costs.

Thus, arguing Dalton’s point shows that a cultural myth can be challenged or revised if evidence or situations change. Today, America is different than during Alger’s time and the American Dream has been robbed of some of its mythical power.