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Arthur MillerA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Willy admires Dave Singleman because he dies the noble death of a salesman. Is Willy’s death noble or ignoble? Why?
The word noble stems from the Latin nobilis, meaning “well-known.” Today, the term is used to mean “famous, exalted, or grand.” In contrast, ignoble may mean “not well-known.” Today, it also means “characterized by what is common or low.”
Teaching Suggestion: Consider designating one place in the room for students who consider Willy’s death noble, another place for those who consider the character’s death ignoble, and a place in the middle for those who attach both qualities to the death. Encourage students to use their choices as a jumping-off place for discussion.
Differentiation Suggestion: Ask visual students to create word collages, cutting images from magazines to illustrate the words noble and ignoble.
By Arthur Miller