NEWS: Playwright Arthur Miller Dies at 89

Arthur Miller, world reknowned American playwright, whose career spanned more than 60 years has died of heart failure at his home in Connecticut. Miller, the author of Pulitzer prize and Tony award winning, "Death of a Salesman", was married to Marilyn Munroe for 5 years. She starred in a screen adaptation of Miller's play, "The Misfits," together with Clark Gable in 1961. Miller and Munroe divorced in 1961, a year prior to her committing suicide in 1962.




Ah yes, I remember well reading Miller's "Death of a Salesman," with characters Willy, Linda, Biff and Happy Loman when I was in grade 9 or 10. It was a pretty pathetic story as a recall...Well written though, as evidenced by the prizes it won.

He had a distinguished career, may he rest in peace.


[edit on 11/2/05 by AlwaysLearning]

Well written AlwaysLearning. Look forward to reading more of your work.


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Yes I too remember 'Death of a Salesman". But I think it was the research paper I had to write on "The Crucible" that really drew me into liking his works.

Phae

Originally posted by soficrow

Well written AlwaysLearning. Look forward to reading more of your work.


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Thanks - I enjoy submitting things when I have the time.

It was a pretty pathetic story as a recall...Well written though, as evidenced by the prizes it won.

Pathetic? Pathetic?

Saying Death of a Salesmen is pathetic is like calling Einstein's work on relativity not relevant.

It was one of the masterpieces of the era, which is why he won the Pulitzer prize. In my opinion Pulitzer prize is what that got the honor.

May he rest in peace.

Surf

You misunderstood what I meant. What I meant to say is that it was a sad story...not that the writing was pathetic at all. He was an extremely talented man and I acknowledged that.

Oops!

In case anyone's interested, CBC new is profiling Arthur Miller's life and career tonight. Go to The National to watch it on streaming video (under CBC Newsworld). It's usually available after 10 p.m. eastern for the following 24 hours.





[edit on 11/2/05 by AlwaysLearning]

[edit on 11/2/05 by AlwaysLearning]

Originally posted by AlwaysLearning
You misunderstood what I meant. What I meant to say is that it was a sad story...not that the writing was pathetic at all. He was an extremely talented man and I acknowledged that.

Really?

Originally posted by AlwaysLearning
It was a pretty pathetic story as a recall

I misunderstood? "Pathetic" is not a substitute word for sad, not is it a synonym.

Surf

Originally posted by surfup

I misunderstood?

Yes. Give it a rest, sport. We all make typos and screw up a bit on our posts.


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www.writing.upenn.edu...

The above link is for anyone interested in the man. It's a relatively short bio, with highlights including the accusations that he was a communist. The title of the piece is "Are you now or were you ever?"

I think some on this board might find it of interest.

Originally posted by surfup
Really?

I misunderstood? "Pathetic" is not a substitute word for sad, not is it a synonym.

Surf-I figure you got up on the wrong side of the bed that day so I won't tell you to bite me. You really need to get a life if you need to pick on my use of one word. But fyi:

from dictionary.com

Pathetic
Arousing or capable of arousing sympathetic sadness and compassion: “The old, rather shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic” (John Galsworthy).
Arousing or capable of arousing scornful pity.


pa·theti·cal·ly adv.
Synonyms: pathetic, pitiful, pitiable, piteous, lamentable
These adjectives describe what inspires or deserves pity. Something pathetic elicits sympathetic sadness and compassion: “a most earnest... entreaty, addressed to you in the most pathetic tones of the voice so dear to you” (Charles Dickens). Both pitiful and pitiable apply to what is touchingly sad: “She told a most pitiful story” (Samuel Butler). “The emperor had been in a state of pitiable vacillation” (William Hickling Prescott). Sometimes these three terms connote contemptuous pity, as for what is hopelessly inept or inadequate: a school with pathetic academic standards. “To be guided by second-hand conjecture is pitiful” (Jane Austen). “That cold accretion called the world, which, so terrible in the mass, is so unformidable, even pitiable, in its units” (Thomas Hardy). Piteous applies to what cries out for pity: “They... made piteous lamentation to us to save them” (Daniel Defoe). Lamentable suggests the evocation of pity mixed with sorrow: “Tell thou the lamentable tale of me,/And send the hearers weeping to their beds” (Shakespeare).

You go girl.

Down with hyper-critics.


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