All My Sons – Persuasive Paragraphs

Option #1:

At the conclusion of All My Sons, it is clear that Joe Keller did, in fact, tell Steve Deever to patch the cracks in the cylinder heads that eventually led to the deaths of 21 pilots. In court, he denies this exchange leading to his exoneration while Steve remains in prison. Despite Joe’s involvement, he is far from the only person who deserves blame for the play’s disturbing outcome. Consider how each of the following characters carries some of the responsibility; then, in two separate and clearly focused and persuasive paragraphs, identify twoof the following characters who share the largest portion of the blame with Joe. Note: Joe is clearly the character most to blame; your paragraphs should not argue this fact. Your paragraphs should acknowledge that fact and move on to building an argument that actually needs to be made.

  • Kate
  • Chris
  • Larry
  • Steve
  • Ann
  • George
  • Jim and Sue

Option #2:

There is no doubt that Joe Keller’s decision to ship cracked cylinder heads led to the deaths of 21 pilots; however, he raises some realistic points as to why he felt justified in the decision that had to be made. In a clearly focused and persuasive paragraph, defend Joe Keller’s decision to save his business by telling Steve to patch and ship the faulty cylinder heads.

Paragraph #1 – Due at the end of class on Friday, October 23

Paragraph #2 – Due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, October 27

Each paragraph will be graded according to the following rubric:

  • Focus_____/5 points

ΟBegin with a clear, specific thesis statement that is written in the authoritative third person. Eliminate usage of the first person pronoun “I.”

ΟMaintain a singular controlling point throughout extended paragraph

ΟConclude argument with a strong statement reinforcing your thesis.

  • Content and Quotation Integration_____/15 points

ΟAnalysis: Supports thesis with at least six complete sentences that demonstrate logic, insight, and a strong familiarity with Chris and George’s discussion as well as other parts of the text.

ΟQuotation Selection: Uses a quotation of clear significance, honing portion to approximately 2-3 lines of text maximum. Demonstrates an awareness of quote to analysis balance.

ΟQuotation Integration: Smoothly integrates a quotation, using proper punctuation and citation techniques.

ΟUses the following formula to integrate one quote directly from the text to support your argument

  • When ______says, “______,” it shows ______(Author’s Last Name 54). This is significant because ______.
  • Conventions
  • Demonstrates an awareness of grammar, usage, punctuation, etc. _____/5 points

Total _____/25 points

Sample Quotation Integration:

When Mother says, “She’s faithful as a rock[…]I think of her waiting and I know again that I’m right,”it shows how important it is for her to believe that Ann has not moved on from Larry(Miller 19). This is significant because Mother has created a scenario that does not reflect the reality of the situation; in fact, Ann has moved on, accepting Larry’s death and looking to get married to someone else. Her surprise that the clothing in the closet belongs to Larry and not Chris reinforces her understanding that “Nobody comes back after three years. It’s insane”(Miller 13).