Essay Sample on Literary Forms: Art that Shapes Society's Perception and Self-Evaluation

Introduction

Literary forms are significant pieces of art that influence society's perception of diverse phenomena. Literary genre such as narratives, poetry, novels, fiction to drama actively contributes to the chronological development of the society (Kardiansyah 64). They not only allow their creators to express their views, opinion, or criticism about the dominating trends but also exposes audiences to unique ideas that instigate the mind into critical self-evaluation and assessment. For instance, whether poetry, drama, satires, prosody, or narratives, many composers use different literary genres to appreciate positive advancements, condemn negative socio-cultural oppression, prejudice, marginalization, and discrimination (Kardiansyah 64). They aid in exposing social degradation that dominates society at different times of history, which drives people into instigating personal, social, cultural, economic, and political change. Through the "Death of a Salesman," Arthur Miller explores the multimodal cycle of denial that fill the contemporary domestic life encompassing deceit, and fruitless struggle to control and change reality (Lucas 249). Moreover, in "Beauty" Jane Martin also portrays the adamant assumption that people have smooth life than other while not understanding the different struggles and battles that engulfs people's life, which ignorantly creates jealousy and desperation against people (Gale 68). Whether realistic, containing elements to universal truth and daily human problems or non-realistic encompassing supernatural and fantasy in drama, Arthur Miller and Jane Martin respectively denote the human limitations and prevalent assumption in the society. Therefore, a reflection of the two drama, Miller's "Death of a Salesman" and Martin's "Beauty," provides a detailed comprehension of the elements of realistic and non-realistic drama which emanate differently in each play.

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Reflection on Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman"

"Death of a Salesman" is a stage play composed by Arthur Miller in 1949, which won the 1949 Pulitzer Price for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play (Nahvi 28). The play denotes the loss of identity that the protagonist character Willy Loman suffers as he continually refuses to accept the progressive change happening within him and society. Miller consistently utilizes the montage of dreams, illusions, memories, and domestic arguments that dominates Willy's family relationship at his last moments of life before he regretfully commits suicide. A realistic drama exposes secrets and misunderstanding in various scenes, known to the audience but unknown to the characters (Kardiansyah 64). Miller successfully utilizes artificial entrances and exits, which increases suspense throughout the drama. It portrays the common events that happen in many contemporary families and a behavioral pattern of most manipulative and lying individuals (Lucas 247). The forth and back movement as Willy gets lost in memories enables Miller to successfully show an authentic representation of real-life struggles that people face in relationships.

Moreover, the realism illuminates the humankind's concerns and struggles in a straightforward manner in a known socio-cultural environment indicating how a single event can determine and define an individual (Loughlin 148). Whether bad or good, a person's reputation is often tarnished and ruined by a simple act which consequently disregards his social ethics among people that trusted, believed, and held him or her in high regard (Loughlin 148). For instance, although Willy thrives in constructing an elusive social image as a successful salesman, which also involves living in perpetuating the cycle of denial, his one-time affair 15 years ago ruins his image and makes his eldest son hate him, always calling him a "Fake" (Nahvi 30). Biff, Willy Loman's eldest son, believed and adored his father, and continuously struggled to follow his footsteps, and please him despite multimodal sacrifices it involved (Lucas 247). Before learning about his affair with a mistress in his Boston hotel, Biff considered his father, Willy, a superhero and a mentor, but after discovering the antisocial and anti-domestic relationship, he disputes all the preconceived ideas and philosophies that his father impacted in him (Lucas 256). The realization that his father is unfaithful called for re-assessment of Willy's perception and worldview. Irrespective of the social status, wealth, or influence, one detrimental mistake or encounter adamantly changes how people view an individual (Kardiansyah 66). The drama connotates a realistic concept that dominates contemporary society as most parents lose the trust of their children or spouse engaging in endless fights, due to disloyalty or unfaithfulness (Cathey 49).

Consequently, a realistic drama presents believable dialogues that are common in daily settings staging life's tough decisions that people have to make (Loughlin 150). Miller uses the play to expose the false image that people create for themselves, family, and society through lies, dishonesty, manipulation, and disorder. Willy is not only an unfaithful and unloving husband but also an unsuccessful self-centered salesman. However, he uses lies and manipulation to create an invincible father image, loyal husband, and fascinatingly successful individual, a lifestyle that has resulted in mental and emotional breakdown driving him into reminiscing and regretting the lost opportunities for notoriety, fame and wealth (Lucas 258). He continues to lead a miserable life characterized by insignificant achievement, but he creatively covers his shame with dishonesty that he transmits the behavior to other family members who also turns a blind eye on his unusual and unproductive behaviors (Nahvi 30). For instance, despite knowing about Willy's habit of reconstructing reality and living in denial, rather than confronting her husband and helping him out of the negative cocoon, Linda Loman protects her husband's illusions. Although she ascertains that her action aims at preventing more suicidal attempts from Willy, she actively embraces the life of denial. She criticizes her sons for not helping their father. The relationship of the Loman family deteriorates as the father fight with sons while the mother chooses to abide in lies instead of truth.

Reflection on Jane Martin's "Beauty"

Jane Martin utilizes the one-act drama "Beauty" to denote the discontent, envy, and jealousy that dominate contemporary society because of the preconceived perception of external prowess (Gale 59). Martin portrays beauty as the real deal, which causes internal conflicts between the two main characters in the drama, like Bethany, a smart, pretty, and successful accountant, and publisher feels the urge to be like her an exceptionally beautiful friend, Carla, while Carla knowing the disadvantages of beauty, despite the preconceived idea that it attracts extensive attention wish for unlimited knowledge (Gale 59). Martin correctly uses unrealistic dramatical elements to show the society's obsession with beauty as most women engage in queer activities to attain gorgeousness. However, Carla's exquisiteness precedes human understanding encompassing magical enchantment that makes everyone attracted to her while others, even her only friend, Bethany to envy her despite having everything from a peaceful life, promising career, and high income (Martin 134). Unrealistic proceedings dominate the drama, which is often contrary to the real social life (Cathey 49). For instance, although Carla is an epitome of beauty and a great model at Ralph Lauren, she is still portrayed as unsuccessful and extremely stupid that she is unable to fill an application form and writes "Sagittarius" in "sign here" column. The level of stupidity that the author represents Carla's internal struggles is ironic and absurd; a significant aspect of non-realistic drama (Martin 139). Therefore, despite successfully depicting the social-cultural obsession over external strengths such as beauty, which may result in conflicts, it contradicts the very nature of social institutions such as friendship characterized by loyalty, support, and unconditional love irrespective of personal differences.

It denotes the futility that dominates human life without the existence of supernatural beings (Kardiansyah 65). Despite the social struggles, failures, success, challenges, opportunities, and achievements, human lives are actively meaningless without unrealistic external powers. Martin utilizes the concept of non-realistic drama to portrays the power of the genie to reconstruct reality, an impossible and impractical phenomenon by enabling the protagonist characters to attain their deepest desires (Gale 37). Dissatisfied with her life, Bethany, the genie she found to make an elusive wish of attaining Carla's exceptional beauty despite being pretty, smart, and successful as an accountant and publisher (Martin 139). Unrealistically, the genie appears from nowhere but only to Bethany, overwhelmed by the desire to possess the external beauty. Like characters in a non-realistic drama, Bethany trades and lists her soul to an incomprehensible world characterized by the abandonment of sense, reason, and logic. Despite being the only friend of Carla, understanding the difficulty in her life, she depicts a self-centered attitude and unprecedented jealousy against her friend, who also struggles with her different battles (Martin 142). Characterized by meaningless internal or external conflicts, many non-realistic characters find discontentment in their lives despite having everything from a healthy lifestyle, promising careers, and success, resulting in useless mayhem (Xiao 6). Although Martins strives to show human's blindness to their internal strengths as they struggle and develop envy for others due to the portrayed external characteristics such as beauty, her utilization of the supernatural and unsensual genie denote the non-realistic aspects of her one-act drama.

Consequently, non-realism actively disputes the existence importance of reason, logic, and rationality (Loughlin 154). Martin portrays multimodal themes characterized by emptiness supernatural events and mystery as the two girls, Carla, an epitome of beauty with no brains and Bethany, a cumulation of brains and success, uses unscrupulous means to achieve impossible goals of switching lives. Despite humans' discontent with their lives, they often do not have the power to change or shift (Xiao 6). Life forces people to attain happiness with their limitations, whether lack of beauty or brain, but not Bethany; she magically finds a solution impossible and above human conception (Gale 68). Further, although Bethany being the only female friend Carla has, Martin captures the vague and obscure dialogue between the two characters portraying the contradicting principles of friendship. Rather than supporting each other, Bethany, controlled by an overwhelming and burning desire, wishes for Carla's life despite Carla warning her of the steep challenges (Martin 150). She disputes her advice and eventually has her wish with more unexpected problems.

Conclusion

Conclusively, a literary genre like drama adopts different forms such as realistic theatre and non-realistic theatre. Although both realistic and non-realistic plays communicate with the audience on the social-cultural concepts such as the contemporary degradation, social injustice, prejudice, marginalization, domestic violence, unfaithfulness, and jealously, they connotate different dimensions to relate with the audience. Arthur Miller successfully utilizes realistic dramatical elements in "Death of a Salesman" to depict the daily challenges of domestic family life as people use lies and manipulation to cover...