Writing a critical essay on “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller

Reading the question Higher Critical essay questions are much more complex than those at National 5 level and require careful reading. Here is an example of a drama question: Choose from a play a scene in which an important truth is revealed. By referring to details of the scene briefly explain how the dramatist presents this truth, and discuss how this contributes to your appreciation of the play as a whole.. Notice how the task is in two parts. The first part outlines the “choice” you have to make. The second part outlines what you are required to do in your essay.

Taking a closer look at the question Choose from a play a scene in which an important truth is revealed. First question you have to ask yourself? Does this task suit “All my Sons” ? The answer is yes! Second question you have to ask yourself? Which scene? The scene in which Kate accidentally reveals Joe’s guilt? The scene in which Chris reads Larry’s letter?

The main part of the task. Briefly explain how the dramatist presents the truth and discuss how this contributes to your appreciation of the play as whole. Notice that this is also in two parts. Briefly explain how the dramatist presents the truth and discuss how this contributes to your appreciation of the play as whole. Which part should form the main body of your essay? Obviously the second part.

A different question Choose from a play a key scene in which a troubled relationship reaches a crisis point. By referring to details of the scene, explain how the dramatist presents this crisis point within the relationship and discuss how it adds to your understanding of the play as a whole. Break the task down into its component parts. Choose from a play a key scene in which a troubled relationship reaches a crisis point. Which scene? Which relationship? Show how the scene reveals a crisis point within the relationship and discuss how it adds to your understanding of the play as a whole.

What do I have to include to show my understanding of “the play as a whole”? Answers to questions on Drama should refer to the text and to such relevant features as characterisation, key scene(s), structure, climax, theme, plot, conflict, setting … This is taken directly from the Higher Critical Essay paper.

Beginning the essay Lets go back to the first example. Choose from a play a scene in which an important truth is revealed. By referring to details of the scene briefly explain how the dramatist presents this truth, and discuss how this contributes to your appreciation of the play as a whole. Opening paragraph: For any essay follow this rule. T- Title A- Author R-Refer to T-Task

Some examples “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller is a play in which there is a scene where an important truth is revealed. The scene which will be discussed is the scene in Act Two when Kate reveals that Joe was guilty of the crime he has persistently denied having any part of. By analysing the scene and such techniques as plot structure, characterisation and climax, I will show how this scene is crucial to our understanding of the character of Joe. In Act Three of “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller, in the climactic scene of the play, an important truth is revealed, which is that Larry committed suicide. This leads directly to the resolution of the play and is crucial to our understanding of one of the main themes of the play- the conflict between self interest and social responsibility. By analysing the scene and discussing such aspects of the play as plot structure, characterisation and conflict I will show how this is achieved by Miller. Now write your own opening paragraph. ( You will have to make a choice of scene first.)

Now what? The task asks you to BRIEFLY explain, by referring to details of the scene, how the dramatist presents the “truth” This should take no more than 1-2 paragraphs. Choose either the scene in which the truth is revealed about Joe OR the scene in which the truth is revealed about Larry and write about the scene explaining how the truth is revealed: who is there, who reveals the truth, what are the reactions to it, is it done in a dramatic way…?

Exemplar paragraphs- scene in Act Two. In this scene, which comes just before the climactic scene of Act Two between Joe and Chris, the truth that is revealed is that Joe is guilty of causing the deaths of twenty one pilots.Joe was acquitted because he claimed that responsibility for sending out the parts lay solely with Steve. He claimed that he was unable to be at the factory that day because he had ‘flu and was at home. In this scene- hardly giving George a chance to answer or object before he gives another example-Joe very cleverly bulldozes George into believing that his father was not to be trusted, that he could never accept responsibility or blame, ironically as it turns out, claiming that “ There are certain men in the world who rather see everybody hung before they’ll take the blame” and George seems to believe his version of events. The atmosphere lightens, they talk about going out to dinner, getting George a date.

Scene from Act Two However, just as it seems to the audience that Joe has escaped the truth again, Kate, in response to George saying that Joe is “amazingly the same” and Joe claiming that he hasn’t got time to get sick, makes the careless remark that Joe has not been ill in fifteen years. Joe is horrified and tries to remind her, but George immediately jumps on the remark and understands what it means. Kate says she forgot and tries to backtrack, but he replies “I’d remember pneumonia. Especially if I got it just the day my partner was going to patch up cylinder heads” This proves to the audience that Joe has been lying all along and is obviously guilty. The comment he made about Steve, applies exactly to himself.

Exemplar two- scene from Act Three In this very dramatic scene, which forms the denouement of the play, Chris reads aloud to Joe, a letter which had been sent from Larry to Anne. This comes just after the conflict between Chris and Joe has risen to its climax., with Joe claiming that he should not be going to jail- that it was business that made him do it. Kate tries to stop him because she has read the letter and knows that it reveals the truth: that Larry deliberately crashed his plane because he was so ashamed of what his father had done- sending out faulty parts for aircraft engines, thereby causing the deaths of twenty one pilots. He says he “can’t bear to live any more” and asks “How could he have done that? Every day three or four men never come back, and he sits there doing business.”

Scene from Act 3 For Chris, this presents the opportunity to make his father understand the enormity of what he did. “Now blame the world. Do you understand that letter?” This revelation causes Joe to understand a truth that he had been denying until now- that he should feel responsibility for the deaths of these young men; it also reveals to him the truth that Larry would not have understood his actions ( a claim Joe made earlier in the play was that Larry would have understood). This leads Joe to say the words which give the play its title: “I guess to him they were all my sons.”

Main body of the essay You must now focus on the second ( main ) part of the task. “ discuss how this contributes to your understanding of the play as a whole.” You have to choose which aspects of the play to discuss, and think about how they link to this scene. Let’s look again at the aspects of drama that you should discuss, according to the SQA. “Answers to questions on Drama should refer to the text and to such relevant features as characterisation, key scene(s), structure, climax, theme, plot, conflict, setting…..” Each section of your essay should deal with one or more of these, IN A WAY THAT IS RELEVANT TO THE TASK.

A helpful hint Think of a critical essay like presenting an argument. You have to prove that this scene helps you to understand other aspects of the play, so everything you say now has to back up that point. You need a clear line of thought.

Plan ( if the scene from Act Two is chosen.) How the scene helps us to understand characterisation; what we already knew about Joe and how it changes our idea of him. Give evidence from earlier in the play and analyse it. How it leads to the key scene of the climax of Act two- the huge argument between Joe and Chris, when we really understand the conflict in their relationship. How it helps us to understand the key theme of the play- self interest v social responsibility and how that is resolved in the climax of the play.

How to use topic sentences which help the essay to have a clear line of thought This scene aids our understanding of the characterisation of Joe Keller. Initially, In Act One, we felt that he was an admirable character…. Although Joe’s son, Chris is not present when the truth is revealed, he soon finds out and this leads to a key scene which forms the climax of Act Two which gives us a greater understanding of both Joe and Chris and what they represent in the play. One of the key themes of this play is self interest v social responsibility and we can see in this scene that Joe’s self interest has led him to deny his responsibility for the deaths of the pilots. This lack of understanding continues with Joe claiming in the climax of the play in Act Three….

Plan ( if the scene from Act Three is chosen.) How the scene helps us to understand characterisation; what we already knew about Joe and how it changes our idea of him. Give evidence from earlier in the play and analyse it. How it links back to the key scene of the climax of Act two- the huge argument between Joe and Chris, when we really understand the conflict in their relationship. How that conflict is now resolved. How it helps us to understand the key theme of the play- self interest v social responsibility and how that is resolved the resolution of the play which it leads to-Joe’s death. How that was foreshadowed.

Topic sentences to create a clear line of thought. This scene brings about a dramatic change in the character of Joe Keller and helps us to have a greater understanding of the characterisation of Joe. In Act One we felt……. The dramatic conflict displayed in the scene at the end of Act Two between Joe and Chris has now, in this scene finally been resolved. In that scene Chris…. A key theme in evidence throughout the play has been self interest v social responsibility with Joe the practical, self interested businessman representing the first, and his son Chris representing the second. This scene adds to our understanding of that theme. Previously Joe argued…..

And finally…the conclusion A conclusion should not repeat all the points you have already made- that is just a waste of precious time. Try to give a summing up but with a demonstration that you also understand the central concerns of the play- what it was about society and human nature that Miller wanted the audience to understand

For example e.g. The key scene discussed, and the truth revealed in it was therefore an aid to our understanding of characterisation, plot structure and theme. Through skilful plot development It also led inevitably to the tragic resolution of the play- Joe’s suicide, preceded by Chris’s words to his mother when she asked “What can we do?” “You can be better…… ( give full quotation.) This is a clear statement of what Miller wanted the audience to learn-that we all have responsibility to society, not just to ourselves, and that the capitalist society represented by Joe is not the right kind of society for the good of all. Joe was a tragic hero, killed by his own inability to see outside of his own little world and his inability to cope with the guilt when he did.