Dying the death of a salesman

Until reading the assignment, I had never made a connection between The Great Gatsby and The Death of a Salesman. However, after reading the thoughts that were expressed in the post, I can see how the two works do have some similarities that can help us answer whatever questions we are left with.
How do we define our dreams of success?
This question is an interesting one, because not everybody has the same dream in life. Everybody wants to be successful, but there are different definitions of success and different ways to attain it. Some people want to be rich. For those people, Charlie is right, we are only worth what we can sell. But does the same hold true for people who want to teach? For these people, wouldn't it be more wise to judge their worth on what they say, and how many people hear? What does the idea of teaching have to do with sales? There are those who use their teaching for gain, but there are others who would be content to teach, and only teach. I don't think the definition of our dream of success are the same, and I don't believe Charlie is necessarily right when he says people are only worth what they can sell.
In this view, our hopes, dreams, and visions can only be limited by our imagination and motivation. I think that is where Willy went wrong. He pigeonholed himself into the notion that Dave Singleman was the essence of perfection, and the only way to reach success was to follow his footsteps. Willy never once asked himself what good Dave Singleman was doing for anybody but himself, and how many true friends Mr. Singleman truly had. Was Mr. Singleman actually happy with his life? I found the author's choice of a name for this character very interesting- single man. To me, this may be alluding to the fact that the man Willy saw as perfection was alone in the world, and Willy was already ahead of the game by having a family. Unfortunately, Willy threw that advantage away by cheating on his wife, a choice that helped his life to crash down around him. Its important to note that Willy cheated when he was at the top of his career. Did he think he earned the luxury of another woman because he was well known? I think its plausible to believe he thought he earned the right to do what he did, because he was on the road to being a successful man. If that was his belief, then it is ironic that such an idea led to his downfall, as his family fell apart and his son Biff, whom he had raised to be a famous ball-player who would one day sign that big contract, disowned him.
I think meeting Mr. Singleman, whom Willy revered as an idol, was the worst thing that ever happened to Willy. He began to think that he deserved the life Singleman enjoyed, regardless of the changing times. He treated himself to pleasure he shouldn't have, and gave himself a false sense of pride. I see this is the reason he couldn't accept the job offered to him on multiple occasions, and possibly the reason he took the easy way out. Maybe dying "the death of a salesman" means to die with as much pride intact as possible.

I would like responses to focus mainly on the last ideas presented in the 2 paragraphs.

The Blogging Experience

I have to admit, at first I was a bit skeptical of the whole blogging idea. However, after the first few assignments, this method of homework won me over.
For the most part, I already did my English homework on the computer anyway. Blogging as a class just made my life easier, as I can just submit the homework when I finish, not having to worry about losing it or making sure the paper doesn't get crumpled or wet in my book bag. I enjoy the fact that I can submit my work whenever i feel, giving me a chance to go back and edit my post if I find it necessary. If I'm not done my report, I can just save the draft and come back to it at a later time, and whatever websites I was on can just be bookmarked for later. I usually hand my work in at the deadline, giving myself as much time as I need to finish whats been assigned. Being able to post my work online just gives me a little more time, allowing me to hand in work thats been more thought over and attended to.
I look forward to continuing to do my homework in a blog-type setting. It is completely new to me, but it opens up new ways to do and finish my homework, and I've found it to be very useful. So far the experience has been great, and I honestly can't think of a way to make it better. The way the whole blogging experience has been going is great for us as students, and if it isn't broke, why fix it?
I feel its a good thing we can comment on the work of whoever we want, giving us the opportunity to discover or classmates talents if we want. I usually comment on someone I know usually does a good job, as well as look at another student's work that I haven't looked at before. I think this process works well, and I've discovered some of my classmates are better writers than I previously believed.
All in all, this whole blogging experience has been new and refreshing, and I look forward to continuing it.