All My Sons Bridging Text and Context Questions

Your answer should: • Connect between the play (‘text’) and the given information (‘context’) • Make this connection clear and explicit ( )מפורש (Underline words from the information and use it in the text!) • Include examples from the text • Contain 80 -100 words o Your answer should not include information irrelevant to the question/quote!

Example 1 (from the book page 117) …Arthur Miller’s family lost everything in the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and Miller’s life changed dramatically. He went from living a wealthy lifestyle to delivering bread every morning after school to help the family make ends meet (“ )“לגמור את החודש. How is this information reflected in the play?

Answer: As a young person, Arthur Miller had to work hard to support his family. This is reflected in Joe Keller’s character in the play. Keller tells his son Chris and wife Ann how, as a young man, he had little money and had to work very hard to build his business. Because of that, Keller claims that he appreciates the value of money, unlike his son Chris, who has always had a comfortable life. According to Keller, this is why Chris is angry at him for selling the damaged parts during the war and does not appreciate the importance of this act to the business.

Example 2 (from the book page 117) …Arthur Miller’s plays address social and political issues and are often concerned with the individual’s response to the pressures exerted ( )מופעלים by family and society… How does this information add to your understanding of the play?

Answer: It helps me understand Chris’s position in the play. Chris is under a lot of pressure. On the one had his father demands forgiveness because his faulty act during the war was done for the family and especially for Chris. On the other hand, Chris is a moral man and feels that his father’s act, which resulted in the death of 21 pilots, is socially and morally wrong and has no justification. This pressure causes Chris to spend half the night outside considering his next move, and eventually he decides to run away from the conflict by leaving everything behind and moving away.

Example 3 (from the book page 117, 2 nd quote) The United States is built on the value of the American Dream: that through hard work and dedication ( )התמדה everybody has the opportunity to live a better and more successful life. One of themes of the play is the American Dream gone wrong… How is this information reflected in the play?

Answer: In the play, the Kellers seem to have fulfilled the American Dream: they have a successful business and a nice suburban house. But by the end of the play they are ruined because of that dream. For the Kellers, fulfilling the American Dream came at the price of cheating, lying and causing the death of 21 soldiers, as Joe Keller does in order to keep the business going. Ultimately, as Keller learns at the end, it also comes at the price of losing a son and the possibility of losing his second son. This is a good example of how trying to achieve the American Dream can go too far