All My Sons lesson 1 - 3

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

What if...
...your closest friend swears you to secrecy, then admits that, in a moment of madness, he was the person who stole the data projector from your classroom. Because the teachers don’t feel that they are able to trust the students anymore, everyone is locked out of the classrooms at breaks and lunchtimes and everyone is suffering. But if your friend is found out, he will be expelled. He has a hard time at home, and you know that this would be the last straw – his parents would be likely to throw him out. What should you do?

Snitch

Stay loyal to your friend

Other

What if...
you and a friend have been involved in a scam, defrauding the authorities by claiming benefits you are not entitled to. It was your idea: you thought it was foolproof and you persuaded your friend to do it too. Now she has been caught out and is facing a possible prison sentence. If she goes to jail, her children will have to go into care. If you own up, she might just get a caution or a fine. But you also have a family, all of whom are depending on you. What should you do?

Own up

Blame her

Other

What if...
...there has been a major terrorist attack. Water supplies have been affected and within hours the shops have been stripped bare of all the bottled water, as people rush to get supplies. You and your family happen to have a large quantity of bottled water left over from a party, enough to last you for up to three weeks. The crisis may well last as long as that. You discover that several families on your road have hardly any water at all. What should you do?

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What is the main point made in the video according to you?

All My Sons

Play written by Arthur Miller

Premiered in New York in January 1947

Takes place in August 1946 US

It was conceived in wartime and begun in wartime; the spectacle of human sacrifice in contrast with aggrandizement is a sharp and heartbreaking one. At a time when all public voices were announcing the arrival of that great day when industry and labor were one, my personal experience was daily demonstrating that beneath the slogans very little had changed. In this sense the play was a response to what I felt ‘in the air’. It was an unveiling of what I believed everybody knew and nobody publicly said. At the same time, however, I believed I was bringing news, and it was news which I half expected would be denied as truth. When, in effect, it was accepted, I was gratified, but a little surprised.

What do you think Arthur Miller is talking about here?

Which themes do you think his drama might explore?

Create a list of possible moral dilemmas facing individuals in times of war.

Explain what you think All My Sons could mean.

All My Sons

Have the play in front of you and read along while watching. Take notes on:

• Setting, where are we?
• Characters, who is involved, what are they like?
• Interactions, how do the characters interact?
• Plot, what is happening?

Setting: Where are we?

Characters: Who is involved, what are they like?

Interactions: How do the characters interact?

Plot: What is happening?

Characters: Who is involved, what are they like?

Interactions: how do the characters interact?

Plot: What is happening?

Final question: You are currently watching a film adaptation of the play, not a play. What could be differences between a film and a play?