You are researching and writing an essay on Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman (1949). Choose a theme or idea that you see in the play and then make an assertion about how and/or why that theme is being used. Theme chosen: American Dream/Nightmare.
Make sure you have a strong thesis statement. This should not be a question or something "obvious" and undebatable like a synopsis of what happens in the play. Instead, it should be your own fresh idea that takes a firm stance on your chosen aspect of the play.
Set forth to prove your assertion about the text. To do so, you need to:
Analyze your primary source (Death of a Salesman) and find quotations that support your assertion.
Find secondary sources (scholarly articles) to back up your assertion. (Include these sources in your working bibliography.) This is your scholarly research. By finding scholars to support your ideas or even counter them, you are backing up your own thoughts using evidence from experts in the field.