Effective Speakers Essay Example for Free

Effective Speakers Essay President William Jefferson Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States is a prime example of what it means to be an effective speaker. Although George H. W. Bush and Bob Dole were highly qualified opponents in the 1992 and 1996 elections, it was Clinton’s presentation skills and ability to work an audience that earned him his back-to-back terms in office. President Clinton â€Å"owned the room† from the beginning of his first presidential debate. Upon being asked his first question, Clinton walked up to the lady seeking answers, squared his shoulders toward her, looked her straight in the eye, and asked her to repeat her name. As soon as she responded with her name, Clinton repeated her name back to her and answered her question passionately and confidently. (Koegel, 2007, p. 06-07). Effective speakers can walk into a room, take the audience by surprise, and deliver a presentation that is both passionate and natural. A presenter does not have to be perfect, nor does the audience expect him or her to be so. According to Henninger (2010), making a mistake, forgetting a segment of your speech, or falling speechless for a moment is okay as long as your presentation has value. An effective speaker knows how to avoid gestures and facial expressions that point out his or her mistakes. Public speaking skills are not inherited. It is a talent and a technique that has become second hand to a speaker through a great deal of practice. Can anyone be an effective speaker? The answer to this question is yes; with sufficient knowledge, tools, and practice, anyone can stand up and â€Å"own the room. † Be Organized An exceptional presenter is one who is organized and an organized presentation is one that has a developed structure. The average human being has a very small attention span; therefore a speaker’s best speech is one that is short and to the point. At most, a good presentation only needs two or three main points. That’s really all the audience wants to hear anyway (Henninger, 2010). The audience is also more obligated to listen to a presenter who looks organized. First impressions are crucial when a presenter is trying to sell his or her ideas, services, or products. Thirty seconds of floundering before the audience can send a negative signal that suggests that the presenter is unprepared and can also create question as to whether or not the presenter is even confident in what it is he or she is trying to promote (Koegel, 2007, p. 45-46). A speaker only gets one impression, so he or she should strive to make it a positive one by looking and being organized. Speak Passionately A presenter must be passionate about his or her topic in order for the presentation to be persuasive. If a presenter is not passionate about the topic, then why should the audience even care about it? Many presenters are guilty of delivering lengthy presentations that painstakingly reinforce their topic. According to communication experts, the time on a presentation should be slimmed down and the energy should be boosted up (Layman, 2011). A presenter should be aware of his or her voice when delivering a speech. If one’s tone is droning and monotone, then the presenter can likely expect to look out into an audience that is either asleep or captivated with something other than the presentation on point. Speak up, speak from the heart, and speak with conviction. In keeping with Koegel (2007), a presenter’s voice is an outward expression of his or her passion. Engage the Audience A powerful speaker is one who can engage his or her audience. People do not particularly care to sit silently through an exhaustive presentation. Most audiences want to participate and be a part of it. One way to engage with the audience is to encourage audience participation. Meet with the audience before the presentation, learn a few of their names, and listen to comments that are being made. When delivering the presentation, the presenter can address these comments and call on audience members by name. Addressing the audience’s issues and demonstrating that time was taken to know them by name builds a relationship with the audience. It is significantly important to make eye contact with the audience as well. By looking people in the eye, a presenter enhances two-way communication as well as encourages and establishes trust and a congenial give and take relationship (Downey, 2011). Many speakers have been given the advice at one time or another to find an inanimate object, such as the wall in the back of the room, and focus in on it when delivering a presentation. By looking over the audience, the presenter can alleviate the anxiety that he or she may be experiencing, correct? Unfortunately, the wall in the back of the room is not going to be the one making the business decisions that day. The audience makes the decisions and if a speaker cannot talk to the audience, then the audience will more than likely seek business with someone who can. Act Natural An exceptional speaker always appears natural. If the speaker looks confidant and relaxed, then the audience will be relaxed. A presenter should stray from giving formal presentations overflowing with facts and statistics; try leaning towards a style that is more conversational, engaging, and full of illustrative stories and current events that relate to one’s topic. Telling a story or beginning a presentation with an anecdote is a good way to break the ice, ease a presenter’s anxiety, and engage the audience at the same time because telling stories is something that comes naturally to humans. However, be sure that the story or anecdote flows with the topic on point. An effective presentation should not sound scripted. Writing out the presentation is okay, but the speaker must then fight the temptation to read it word for word. The written word does not flow nor does it have the same approach as the spoken word. If a presenter feels obligated to write out his or her presentation and follow scripts, then he or she should be sure to lose the official tone and write in the manner that he or she speaks (Koegel, 2007, p. 122). Understand the Audience An effective speaker is one who can connect with his or her audience. According to Koegel (2007), understanding the business, issues, and concerns of the audience is an excellent way to achieve this goal. Before pitching a sales presentation, a presenter should research and thoroughly understand his audience. There are a number of ways one can achieve this, such as researching the company’s website to understand a firm’s morals, beliefs and objectives or another option would be to speak with employees within the organization prior to a meeting. As you present, you should look for opportunities to add value. Researching and understanding your audience is imperative and can present opportunities in which value can be added. An organization is more likely to listen and do business with a speaker who has demonstrated his or her knowledge of the company more so than a salesperson whose only preference is to acquire another sale. Once a speaker becomes familiar with the wants and needs of the audience, the presentation becomes much easier to craft (Mackay, 2011). Practice to Improve Humans are creatures of habit. The human body seeks comfort when placed in an uncomfortable situation. An example of this can be putting one’s hands in his or her pockets or looking down towards the floor. These minute gestures speak on behalf of the presenter and inform the audience that the speaker is uneasy about something. Without practice, a speaker cannot improve on these habits. There are many opportunities during the day to put into practice various speaking techniques. These skills should be practiced during one’s daily routine and not in â€Å"live† win-or-lose situations (Koegel, 2007, p. 6). If a speaker is in need of further assistance, he or she can hire a presentation coach. Effective speaking is not something one inherits at birth; it is a talent that is achieved through hard work and consistent practice. There is no reason to feel ashamed for asking for external help. Baseball great Hank Aaron batted cross handed until a batting coach corrected his style that led him to break Babe Ruth’s home run record. To Aaron and his colleagues, his hitting style before was satisfactory, yet it is often easier and beneficial to receive constructive criticism from outsiders instead of one’s own employees or colleagues (Porro, 2011). The point of this story is that even when someone is good at something already, that person is still not perfect. Practice, whether it is on one’s own time or through the assistance of a presentation coach, may not make a presenter a perfect speaker, but it opens the door for improvement and will make delivering a speech second nature to the presenter. By allowing one’s self to practice these techniques, it is then that the speaker becomes effective.

Claire Danes Essay Example for Free

Claire Danes Essay To what extent do you agree with this point? I think Luhrmanns film version of Romeo Juliet brings Act 1 Scene 5 to life exceptionally well. His choice of setting, type of music, designs of costumes, and other film directions and language use portray the original Shakespeare version marvellously. Firstly, the scene and setting. Baz Luhrmann has chosen a brilliant location to house the party. The royal look to the Capulet mansion really shows off what life would have been for the people back in the day, especially people as rich and alike in dignity as the Capulets. It is an enormous house, suggesting that life back then for the rich was very grand, and I believe Luhrmann brings this out brilliantly. There is also a very lively, upbeat atmosphere, stating that back in the olden days, people would like to loosen up and enjoy such divine occasions, with a lot going on. The fireworks, with an array of varying colours, being set off outside of the house also states the lively, celebratory, and happy atmosphere inside, in spite of Tybalt and Romeo being in the same house. The chirpy singing by Mercutio also vindicates my point. Secondly, Baz Luhrmanns use of music is very intricately chosen. At the very start of the party, we can clearly see Mercutio very lively and upbeat, dancing and singing along to a very apt, upbeat song, showing off the party atmosphere amongst everyone in the mansion. As we get further in into the play, we get a very slow, engaging piece of music played when Romeo and Juliet first meet (through a fish tank! ), whilst Luhrmann has decided to drain out the party atmosphere noises in the background. This slow, indulging, romantic music symbolises the first encounter of Romeo and Juliet. Luhrmann has effectively chosen this music, and this really brings out the romantic, love-at-first-sight feel to it all, and it makes us, the audience, engage into the film, and maybe even allows us to relate it to ourselves, as if we were there, within the action. The music seemed to be a bit Heavenly, where everything would be perfect between Romeo and Juliet, and it felt like love was in the air. Then, when the Nurse pulls Juliet away, the party atmosphere with people talking immediately comes back, making the audience divert the attention back onto the wider picture, but, more subtly, it makes us, as the very eager audience, want to know more about how Romeo and Juliet will pan out from there. At times, there is the slow, depressing music, when Juliet would look back at Romeo whilst being dragged away by the Nurse, and Romeo would hurry up to catch up with Juliet. On a more general note, we can all feel the anger then Tybalt finds out that Romeo is a Montague, with the more thunderous, down-to-Earth, music being played. Thirdly, another key aspect Luhrmann used to make this film so brilliant in my opinion is his choice of clothing. We can clearly get a feel of how grand the Capulets were. Lady Capulet wore a gold dress, showing how high in status she was. Capulet, likewise being so high in status, wore a plush purple robe at the formal event, showing that they were very rich and liked to flaunt what they had. Interestingly, Paris seemed to be wearing some sort of astronaut, spaceship costume. This might suggest that he was pretty smart, rich, high in status too, and quite proud of himself, as stereotypically, I see astronauts like that, as it is a very grand, albeit difficult, job to take on, and so Paris might have thought very fondly about himself. The wings on Juliets back might also suggest to us viewers that Juliet was the angelic, good-girl type of character, who would want everything to be right for herself. Romeos knight suit also caught my attention. Again stereotypically, I associate knights in shining armour as the sort of people who would always come to the rescue and save the day, and would woo people away.

Saint Anthony Of Padua Theology

Saint Anthony Of Padua Theology Saint Anthony is a beloved saint. He devoted his life to the poor and less fortunate, even though he came from a wealthy family. Saint Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal on August 15, 1195, to his parents Martin and Theresa de Boullion. This is also the date of our Blessed Mothers Assumption. At his baptism his mother dedicated him to the Blessed Virgin, and he had a lifelong devotion to our Blessed Mother Mary (Lovasik 3). He was given the name Fernando at baptism (About St. Anthony). Saint Anthony is the patron saint of miracles and of the poor (Craughwell 379; Little, Brown and Company 205). Saint Anthony started his prayer life early. His parents sent him to a cathedral school for his education. When he turned fifteen, he went to study at the Augustine house of studies, St. Vincents Outside the Walls, by Lisbon. St. Anthony joined the community, Canons Regular. He wanted to become a priest, so he stayed there for ten years. He spent two years at St. Vincents and he spent eight years at the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Coimbra. He wanted to become a martyr so he became a Franciscan. He took the name Anthony (Lovasik 8). Anthony was often tempted by the devil, but prayed for strength to defeat him. When he was younger, he used to serve the Eucharist at his uncles mass at the cathedral. He believed that the Eucharist gave him strength (Lovasik 5, 7, and 9). St. Anthony had a good relationship with St. Francis of Assisi. He met him in Morocco, when his ship got blown off course (Lovasik 11). St Anthony was united with St. Francis spirit and Gods wisdom and guidance (Lovas ik 16). St. Francis also asked Anthony to do things for him like teach Theology to the St. Francis fellow friars. Anthony followed his orders and did so (Lovasik 18). St. Anthony loved to preach. He preached to the poor and less fortunate. He set his life to preach. Even though he came from a wealthy family, he gave up everything and practiced poverty, so he could preach truly about it (About St. Anthony). When he joined the Franciscan Friars, they soon realized that he preached wonders, so they sent him along to preach his miracles (Craughwell and Haeger 377). He was a gifted preacher. He forgave everyone. St. Anthony drew many crowds filled with less fortunate people, careless people, and even criminals. His sermons usually brought the criminals to confession (Little, Brown and Company 205). St. Anthony had a hard life because people wanted to hurt him, and he did get hurt along the way. He traveled tirelessly to preach his gift, though he became sick many times. He became very sick with edema and decided go back to Padua, Italy (Catholic Online). On his way there he died. He died on June 13, 1231. He was thirty-six years old. He died from his labors (Craughwell and Haeger 379). It is said that right before he died he cried out, I see my Lord (Lovasik 26). In the years after his death he has earned the title The Wonder-Worker (Little, Brown and Company 205). St. Anthony has also been called The Ark of the Testament and the Repository of Holy Scripture. Forty-six miracles were confirmed for his canonization. One reason for St. Anthony becoming the patron saint of lost things is when he lost a book of psalms that had all of his teachings in it. Anthony prayed and prayed for his book to be returned and it was returned by a novice who had stolen it. The book is being kept in the Franciscan friary in Bologna (About St. Anthony). Only two miracles were accomplished during his lifetime (Lovasik 26). St. Anthonys feast day is June 13, the day he died. Only one year after his death, Pope Gregory IX canonized him as a saint (Craughwell and Haeger 179). In 1946, Pope Pius XII declared him a doctor of the church on January 16 (Catholic Online). That same year that he died, people in Padua built a basilica in honor of St. Anthony. The basilica was finished in the year 1263, thirty-six years after his death. It is reported that about thirty-two years after his death, people found his body totally corrupted. However, his tongue was perfect, moist and filled with color as it was when he was living (Lovasik 28-29). St. Anthony is usually depicted holding an infant. The infant is said to be baby Jesus. St. Anthony was visited by the infant Jesus while he was praying in his cell. The infant smiled at him and held out his arms to St. Anthony. In remembrance of this ev ent St. Anthony is seen with the infant, a lily for innocence, and the Bible representing his teachings (Lovasik 23). People love St. Anthony so much! Many people find St. Anthony an understanding friend. Many pilgrims travel to Padua to St. Anthonys tomb and pray every year. St. Anthony has also been called the Saint of the World (Lovasik 31). I first heard about St. Anthony in kindergarten when Mrs. Arcuri would call him to find lost things. St. Anthony further piqued my interest when I saw a movie called The Christmas Tree. In the movie a little orphaned girl named Anna is dropped off at a convent where she is raised. Her only possession is her precious satchel. As a teenager, she lost her satchel and is distraught. The sisters tell her to pray to St. Anthony and he would find her satchel. The sisters prayed and prayed to St. Anthony and indeed Anna found her satchel. As a young adult she decided to become a nun and took the name Sister Anthony in gratitude. I admire that he gave up everything to help people that dont have much or anything at all. He devoted his life to the poor. He tried to live what he preached. St. Anthony is a beloved saint!

The Pandas Thumb -- Stephen Jay Gould Essay -- essays research papers

The Panda’s Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History With a touch of humor, geology, evolutionary theory, biology, cartoon characters and even some references to baseball, The Panda’s Thumb definitely makes excellent reading for people with all types of interests. The old clichà ©, â€Å"Don’t judge a book by its cover,† or in this case, title, holds true for The Panda’s Thumb. Theories concerning adaptations of the panda are only a fraction of the many exciting facts held within the pages of this publication. Gould is able to put what he writes about in words that are easy to understand without compromising the quality of the information. Many questions are raised in this book. Some questions that science just can’t answer at the moment. Time is a major theme in some of the essays in The Panda’s Thumb. I found these essays of utmost interest. Stephen Jay Gould writes as if you were sitting in a chair across from him having an insightful conversation. His essays are written in ways that are down-to-earth, entertaining, and easy to understand. Bits of humor are scattered throughout the book. One passage read, â€Å"The history of any one part of the earth, like the life of a soldier, consists of long periods of boredom and short periods of terror.† These little scraps of humor are placed in the just the right locations. After reading one of his essays concerning bipedalism (walking on two feet) I chuckled at the following statement, â€Å"It is now two in the morning and I’m finished...

Intertextual Exchange in Carmilla, Dracula and the Historian Essay exam

â€Å"Writers seldom duplicate their influential precursor(s); rather, they often work within a certain framework established by other writers or generic conventions, but vary aspects of it in significant ways.† (Clayton, 155). Sheridan Le Fanu’s, Carmilla, Bram Stoker’s, Dracula and Elizabeth Kostova’s, The Historian, clearly engage in this intertextual exchange, as evidenced by their use of narrative structure, striking character parallels and authors choice of language. Published in 1872, Le Fanu relates the story of Carmilla from a first person point of view, through four distinct perspectives. The first narrator, an unnamed assistant to Doctor Hesselius, prefaces the story as correspondence of scholarly interest between the Doctor and an â€Å"intelligent lady.† Introducing the story in this manner lays the initial framework for believability. The doctor’s academic interest signifies scientific validity; whereby, the woman’s intelligence implies rationality. Subsequently, Le Fanu presents the second narrator, the aforementioned young woman, Laura, who provides the bulk of the account to follow. Born in Styria, Laura is described as being of English descent, but having â€Å"never saw England† (87). Residing with her father and two governesses, she is socially isolated and motherless, with negligible paternal involvement. Laura epitomizes vampire literature’s prototypical victim. Moreover, foreshadowing her successors, Laura begins her strange tale with the words, â€Å"I am now going to tell you something so strange that it will require all your faith in my veracity to believe my story. It is not only true, nevertheless, but truth of which I have been an eye-witness† (91). Laura’s appeal to believability, based upon personal testimony, augmen... ...es her unconventional treatment. Second, Van Helsing is reminiscent of the occult expert, Doctor Hesselius. Both men engage in study of the supernatural as a hobby outside their medical profession. Finally, Van Helsing is a resonance of Baron Vordenburg. Like the Baron, Van Helsing places great value in his books and papers for knowledge of the supernatural; moreover, he is responsible for confirming Lucy’s undead state and educating the other men in how to stake her; and, it is Baron’s governing principles of the vampire which foreshadow Van Helsing’s characteristics of the enemy, Dracula (344). Works Cited Clayton, Jay, and Eric Rothstein, eds. Influence and Intertextuality in Literary History. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1991. Print. Williams, Ann, ed. Three Vampire Tales: Complete Texts with Introduction. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2003. Print.

Black Swan Essay -- Film Analysis, Nina Sayers

The main character in the film Black Swan, twenty-eight year old female Nina Sayers, displays signs of numerous disorders through her abnormal behavior. Nina’s life is consumed by her occupation: professional ballerina/dancer. Nina resides with her mother and rarely socializes with others. She has difficulty concentrating, is restless, irritable, suffers from muscle tension, and sleep disturbances from nightmares. Nina also feels very uncomfortable in social and intimate situations. She appears to be unable to successfully interact with those around her. The interaction that Nina has with her fellow dancers appears to be strained and superficial. Nina exhibits behavior that indicates she views all other dancers as competition instead of potential comrades’ or friends. Being very introverted and unable to share any part of herself with those around her, even her mother, who appears to be the only person that has been remotely close to Nina, causes her to seek companio nship with parts of herself instead of healthy relationships with others. Nina exhibits signs of generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and paranoid personality disorder through these abnormal behaviors. Nina has also blacked out on several occasions and shows signs of mutilation to her body without her knowledge: bruises, cuts, and scratches. According to her mother, Nina used to self-mutilate when she was a child, but it has recently started happening again. Nina sees images of herself, but a different and â€Å"evil† version of herself. This could be the awakening of an alter personality or sub-personality. Nina’s stress level with the new performance in her ballet comapny may have played a part in this change. Dissociative identity disorder is said... ...ed with extensive amounts of individual psychotherapy. Free association must be applied in these therapy sessions; free association is when the therapist has the patient describe any thought, feeling, or image that comes to mind (Comer, 2011). Nina will hopefully relive past repressed feelings from her childhood, this is called catharsis, and it is extremely important for the progression of treatment. Catharsis is paramount for Nina to settle her internal conflicts and overcome her problems. Hypnotherapy should be applied during regular therapy sessions to combat Nina’s dissociative identity disorder. Her sub-personality must be integrated and merged into a single personality, before other sub-personalities appear. If these therapies and medications are continued consistently and Nina cooperates in treatment, the likelihood of a successful recovery is high.

Quotes from All My Sons by Arthur Miller Essay

CHARACTORS Joe Keller â€Å"I saw your factory on the way from the stations. It looks like general motors†p150 Allusion-Savy businessman â€Å"Well that’s only your business, Chris†p100 Inability to stand up to Kate â€Å"in hopeless fury, looks at her, turns around, goes up the porch, and into the house slamming screen door violently behind him† p126 Shows he can be neurotic â€Å"Chris†¦ Chris, I did it for you†¦For you! A business for you.†p158 Keller deals with guilt by blaming others and unfortunately taints his love for his son â€Å"A man can’t be a Jesus in this world†p169 Allusion He is realistic but slightly jaded you can try to fulfil your moral and social responsibility â€Å"I’m his father and he’s my son and if there’s something bigger than that I’ll put a bullet in my head!†p163 Dramatic irony and prolepsis- family is the most important thing for him commendable but leads to his downfall as he convinces himself that he shipped the cylinder heads for his family rather than himself â€Å"(Chris with admiration) Joe McGuts†p116 He is very brave â€Å"But I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were† p170 Recognition that he has social responsibility can’t live with the realisation â€Å"I can’t sleep here; I’ll feel better if I go†p170 He shows determination there is a metaphorical recognition that he needs to die he is admirable even in death â€Å"The†¦man who knows how many minutes a day his workers spend in the toilet† p59 He has worked hard to be successful he has tried to follow the American dream â€Å"I’m surprised you remember his birthday, Frank. That’s nice.†p91 Exudes self-confidence and likeability â€Å"I want a clean start for you, Chris† p124 Does love his son â€Å"Joe wants to bring you into the business when you get out†p135 Emphaises his benign nature by referring to himself in the third person-When he gets scared he tries to buy people off Kate Keller â€Å"If I tell this to Mother and she has a fit about it† p100 Shows Kate is mentally unstable, has not accepted that Larry is dead and is protected by Joe and Chris. Adds to the tension of the play as we realise she might not be able to hold it together â€Å"Your brother’s alive, darling, because if he’s dead, your father killed him†¦God does not let a son be killed by his father† p156 Dramatic irony Kate reveals her supposition and her desperation to keep Larry alive in her mind as her argument is not a good one â€Å"(Mother smashes him across the face)†p155 Onomatopoeia-Shows she is capable of violence â€Å"It takes a certain talent-for lying. You have it and I do. But not him† p160 Shows that Kate has known about Keller’s deceit all along. Highlights the theme of deceit â€Å"(She finds herself reaching out for the glass of water and aspirin)† p109 From a Freudian view point her emotional turmoil is manifesting itself as physical illness â€Å"Be smart now, Joe. The boy is coming. Be smart† p126 Repetion-Shows that she wants to manipulate George â€Å"(frightened at the thought you can’t say that to her)† p99 Shows she is a difficult character to understand and is neurotic as even her husband and son don’t know how she’s going to react â€Å"He hasn’t been laid up in fifteen years† p152 Colloquial-Shows her careless side and shows she is a little bit stupid â€Å"The minute there’s trouble you have no strength†p162 Uses illness to manipulate characters to act benignly towards her â€Å"Forget now. Live†p171 Clearly loves Chris â€Å"I ‘m smarter than any of you†p148 Shows she knows she can manipulate them â€Å"I’ll find you a girl and put a smile on your face.. You remember Mr Macy’s daughter† p149 Clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d-Shows her manipulation can be a benign force Chris Keller â€Å"Because sometimes I think you’re†¦ ashamed of the money†p124 Hesitation dosen’t want to talk about crime Reveals Keller’s suspicion that Chris is aware of his crime. It shows that Chris is an idealist â€Å"Oh, Chris, you’re a liar to yourself†p143 Shows Chris is self-deceiving â€Å"Everytime I reach out for something I have to pull back because other people will suffer†p100 Shows he is selfless â€Å"Oh Annie, I’m going to make a fortune for you!†p122 Hypocritical of Chris shows an idealism commercialism clash â€Å"It’s time she realised that nobody believes Larry is alive anymore† Only acts on his idealism when it suits him has let Kate pretend that Larry is alive for the last three years until he wants to marry his wife shows his hypocrisy â€Å"But I’m just like everyone else now†p166 Shows Chris’ arrogance in thinking that he was special â€Å"I’m practical now. You made me practical†p166 Repetition of practical highlights it’s significanceSignals Chris’s conversion from Idealism to pragmatism â€Å"A man can be a Jesus in this world†p169 Idea of Chris as Christ figure if you take his name metaphorically just add t to his name this is reinforced by this quotation Ann Dever â€Å"I’d like you to tell him that Larry is dead and you know it† p165 Stands up for what she thinks is right â€Å"It’s wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no Father†p117 Ashamed of her Father’s role in the shop incident and deludes herself that Keller is right based on very little evidence â€Å"I want you to set him free and then I promise you everything will end†p164 Ann tires of moral responsibility like Chris she loses her idealism and becomes more realistic she abandons her father for a chance to be happy â€Å"The female version† of Chrisp132 Gives up her idealism for pragmatism (starting a new life with Chris) is responsible for tragedy â€Å"This is filthy, didn’t you bring another shirt?†p138 Ann acts as a maternal force for George â€Å"You understand me? I’m not going out of here alone. There’s no life for me that way. P164 Determined to get what she wants won’t listen to others George Dever â€Å"say, you’ve gotten a little nervous, haven’t you†p139 Uncomfortable in the role of justice â€Å"Because you believed it† p143 Trusts Chris â€Å"I’ll find you a girl and put a smile on your face†p149 Clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d-He is swayed by the promise of a happy and easy life â€Å"You look terrible, George†p150 Standing up for his father has taken a toll â€Å"I told you to marry that girl† Lost out by being in the war Jim and Sue Bayliss â€Å"It takes a certain talent for lying. You have it and I do. But not him†p160 Jim wants to be idealistic but has sold out to become a good father â€Å"I†¦ studied a certain disease. It was beautiful. And then she came, and she cried. And I went back home with her. And now I live in the usual darkness† p160 Repetition of she and her Jim sacrifices his dream of being a researcher and his idealism â€Å"I told her to take up the guitar. It’d be a common intrest for them† p110 Kate believes the Bayliss’ have too little in common â€Å"Everybody knows Joe pulled a fast one to get out of Jail† p131 Colloquial-Show that the neighbourhood think Joe’s guilty foreshadows revelation that he is adds tension â€Å"They give him credit for being smart† p132 Colloquial-Show that Keller is well liked and respected Frank and Lydia Lubey â€Å"I’ve studied the stars of his life! Somewhere in this world your brother is alive!†p154 Satirical and dramatic irony Discredits fate as a force in this play as Larry is dead â€Å"Does dad expect a parole soon?† p114 Both have a habit of making tactless comments which makes them disagreeable despite their amicable nature â€Å"You’re still making your own clothes? Ain’t she classy† p147 Demonstrative of a couple living the American dream THEMES Confession â€Å"The structure of a play is always the story of how the birds come home to roost† Miller There is always the discovery of the past and a confession this is what makes a good tragedy â€Å"Forget Now. Live†p171 Short scentances-The confession is for the better â€Å"[Desperately. Lost]†p164 The confession evokes pity/fear â€Å"The star of one’s honesty†¦ he (Chris) probably just wanted to be alone to watch his star go out†p160 This is the effect a confession has on others â€Å"[hopless fury]†p126 Simile Causes anger â€Å"I was afraid†p158 Difficult to confess emphasised by short sentences â€Å"I’m not trying to hurt you Kate† â€Å"My God†p165-166 Confession usually causes pain Guilt and Shame â€Å"It’s wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no Father†p117 Colloquial-Ashamed of her Father’s role in the shop incident â€Å"Chris†¦ Chris, I did it for you†¦For you! A business for you.†p158 Keller deals with guilt by blaming others â€Å"What am I, a stranger? I thought I had a family here, what happened to my family?†p161 Repetition of family Guilt and shame plays a role in the development of Keller’s relationship with his father â€Å"I can’t look at you this way, I can’t look at myself†p168 Keller’s confession leads to shame for Chris â€Å"(She finds herself reaching out for the glass of water and aspirin)†p109 Kate is so ashamed of her deception she has a mental and physical breakdown from a Freudian viewpoint â€Å"(a shot is heard in the house)†p171 Shame and guilt over the cylinder heads could arguably lead to this but I think If this had been the case Keller would have killed himself a long time ago instead I think larry and Chris’s disownal of him and his realisation that he has a social responsibility cause him to kill himself he tries to make amends by killing himself and thus exonerating steeve and his family â€Å"I can’t live with myself anymore†p169 Larry kills himself because of guilt that he has helped build a business that has killed American pilots and shame that his father and father-in-law have made a decision that kills his compatriots. â€Å"They killed themselves for each other†p121 Chris has survivors guilt he feels responsible for everyone Deception â€Å"I suspected my father and did nothing about it†p166 Chris is self-deceiving â€Å"But there’s God so certain thing s can never happen†¦Ann, you know I’m right!† p113 Dramatic irony-Kate is self deceiving she gives a flimsy argument and clearly doesn’t truly believe that Larry will come back as she’s horrible to Ann so if he ever does come back Ann will not want Kate to be part of their life â€Å"It takes a certain talent for lying. You have it and I do. But he (Chris) doesn’t†p160 This is Chris’ tragic flaw â€Å"Poplars cut off view† p89 Delusion that Keller can cut himself off from the world Loss â€Å"I’m practical now. You made me Practical†p166 Repetition of practical Chris sacrifices his idealism for his family â€Å"I†¦ studied a certain disease. It was beautiful. And then she came, and she cried. And I went back home with her. And now I live in the usual darkness† p160 Repetition of she and her Jim sacrifices his dream of being a researcher â€Å"Chris, I did it for you† p158 Keller sacrifices his morality for his family â€Å"I thought I had a family here. What happened to my family? P161 Loss of relationship between Keller and Chris and Kate â€Å"I told you to marry that girl† p148 Loss of future between George and Lydia â€Å"It’s wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no father†p117 Colloquial Loss of relationship between Ann and Steve â€Å"I was going to tell them†¦ it was too late† p157 Clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d Loss of opportunity to warn about the faulty parts â€Å"four-foot high stump† p89 Symbolises the loss of Larry â€Å"Because if he’s not coming back, then I’ll kill myself† p107 Bathos How Kate deals with loss of Larry = loss of mental stability â€Å"We’re like at a railway station waiting for a train that never comes in† p106 Simile Chris deals with loss of Larry by trying to move on â€Å"[Increasing demand]†p113 Conflict over different ways of dealing with the past and the loss of Larry each character tries to get their point across â€Å"Those dear dead days beyond recall†p110 alliterationLoss of the benign past â€Å"I want a clean start for you, Chris† p124 Idiom Deals with loss of past by breaking from it â€Å"Let’s†¦ raise some hell around here, like we used to before Larry went!† p110 idiomAnn deals with past by resurrecting it Suicide â€Å"I can’t bear to live any more†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"I read about dad being convicted†p169 Larry commits suicide because of guilt does this make him a coward or a tragic hero? â€Å"If he’s not coming back I’ll kill myself†p107 Bathos Irony as Larry has killed himself foreshadows this discovery â€Å"I’m his father and he’s my son and if there’s something bigger than that I’ll put a bullet in my head!†p163 Bathos Dramatic irony â€Å"You stop that!† p163 Short scentance emphaises shockMother’s reaction to suicide â€Å"[A shot is heard in the house]† p171 Keller’s reaction to Larry’s suicide â€Å"They killed themselves for each other†p121 Chris has a different attitude to suicide than his parents War profiteering â€Å"What you have is loot and it has blood on it†p121 Metaphor Chris is ashamed of it â€Å"Did they ship a gun or a truck out of Detroit before they got their price?†p168 Allusion-Realism argument it is too idealistic to expect people to work for nothing â€Å"Chris, I did it for you† p158 Keller’s attitude is that war profiteering is fine if it is done for the family â€Å"But I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were† p170 Shows Keller’s change of mind he can no longer justify war profiteering through his family he now believes he has social and moral responsibility Moral Responsibility â€Å"I†¦ studied a certain disease. It was beautiful. And then she came, and she cried. And I went back home with her. And now I live in the usual darkness† p160 Repetition of she and her Jim neglected being true to himself â€Å"The star of one’s honesty†¦ he probably just wanted to be alone to watch his star go out†p160 Simile Lack of honesty from all characters even eventually Chris â€Å"It’s wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no father†p117 Colloquial Lack of forgiveness from Ann and initially George â€Å"I said he’s dead.I know!†p165 Ann shows moral responsibility when she bravely tries to convince broken pscyotic women that her son is dead as she has found out â€Å"I can’t bear to live anymore†p169 Larry can’t forgive â€Å"I want you to set him free and then I promise you everything will be at an end†p164 Metaphor Ann tires of moral responsibility â€Å"I can’t look at you this way. I can’t look at myself†p169 Can’t emphasised Chris finds it hard to forgive and stay true to himself â€Å"A man can’t be a Jesus in this world†p169 Allusion Keller lies about Steve and his involvement with the faulty parts Social responsibility â€Å"I’m his father and he’s my son and if there’s something bigger than that then I’ll put a bullet through my head†p163 Irony and bathos Keller’s initial delusion about social responsibility his journey through the play is the discovery that there is more than this â€Å"But I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were† p170 Recognition that he has social responsibility can’t live with the realisation â€Å"To him the world had a forty-foot front; it ended at the building line†p163 Shows Larry initially ignored his social responsibility â€Å"I can’t bear to live any more†p169 Realises he has social responsibility and that he has been indirectly forced by his father to neglect this but does he neglect his social responsibility by killing himself taking a pilot away from benefiting his country? Heroism â€Å"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself† Joseph Campbell (American folklorist) A tragic hero is â€Å"A man not pre-eminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune however, is brought upon him not by vice or depravity but by some error of judgement† Aristotle Miller was aware of this definition â€Å"I’m his father and he’s my son and if there’s something bigger than that then I’ll put a bullet through my head†p163 Bathos and irony Joe is a hero according to Campbell’s definition â€Å"Forget now. Live†p171 Short scentances show shock Through death he is able to save his family from long term suffering â€Å"I can’t sleep here; I’ll feel better if I go†p170 He shows determination there is a metaphorical recognition that he needs to die â€Å"Well that’s only your business Chris†p100 He doesn’t want to confront his wife so he becomes alienated from his son Chris knows Keller is â€Å"no worse than no men. I thought you were better. I never saw you as a man. I saw you as my father†p168 Cylinder heads cause break with Chris and tragedy â€Å"I suspected my father and did nothing about it†p166 Chris is self-deceiving although it could be argued that fate takes a part as Keller’s deception could have remained hidden from the outside world through the court paper. Keller’s mistake has already destroyed his family the real tragedy as everything he’s worked for has been for them â€Å"for you, a business for you† â€Å"She finds herself reaching out for the glass of water and asprin†p109 Causes a mental and physical deterioration for Kate â€Å"Oh my God†p166 Refuses to believe her son is dead despite all the evidence â€Å"I’d hoped that if I waited, mother would forget Larry and then we’d have a regular wedding and everything happy, but if that can’t happen then I’ll have to get out of here†p101 Ironically Mother drives Chris away by refusing to agree with the evidence â€Å"It’s wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no father†p117 Abandons her father and believes Joe only to find out she was wrong to do so â€Å"Oh Chris, I’ve been ready for a long, long time† p120 Repetition of long Although she is not responsible for Larry’s death a great tragedy in her life she does kill his memory by getting engaged with Chris â€Å"The female version† of Chrisp132 Gives up her idealism for pragmatism (starting a new life with Chris) is responsible for tragedy â€Å"He won the war, Frank†p148 George lost the love of his life to Frank â€Å"I told you when you went away, don’t try for medals†p145 Aphorism He was initially eager to get away from the neighbourhood and become a soldier â€Å"I†¦ studied a certain disease. It was beautiful. And then she came, and she cried. And I went back home with her. And now I live in the usual darkness† p160 Repetition of she and her Jim is responsible for his own tragedy but is a hero as he remains a good husband and conformed to the prosaic â€Å"The world had a forty-foot front it ended at the building line†p163 Larry recognises that this is not the case and tries to make amends for it by suicidially fighting for his country Return of the Past â€Å"The past is always present and cannot be ignored, forgotten or denied† Centola Idealism vs. Commercialism Chris, Jim, George and Ann vs. Joe and Sue â€Å"When you marry never count your husband’s money p110 Aphorism The majority of the characters advocate idealism over commercialism â€Å"Because sometimes I think you’re†¦ ashamed of the money†p124 Hesitation shows conflict Keller thinks Commercialism can act as a benign force â€Å"Oh Annie, I’m going to make a fortune for you!†p122 Hypocritical of Chris â€Å"For you, a business for you†p158 Keller and Chris have the same attitude when they have a family they both ultimately want to work for them â€Å"The business! The business doesn’t inspire me†p102 More interested in idealism but has still sold out for money but in denial that he’s done so â€Å"And he’s got money. That’s important, you know†p130 Suggests that Chris can afford to be idealistic sue values materialism â€Å"As soon as a woman supports a man, he owes her something. You can never owe somebody something without resenting them†p130 Money affects relationships â€Å"I†¦ studied a certain disease. It was beautiful. And then she came, and she cried. And I went back home with her. And now I live in the usual darkness† p160 Repetition of she and her Jim has made a compromise between the two â€Å"Joe wants to bring you into the business when you get out† p135 Uses the third person Compromise between commercialism and idealism he knows Steve will not want to work for the better of the business â€Å"I’m practical now. You made me Practical†p166 Repetition of practical Chris sacrifices his idealism for his family Family Relationships Keller Family Keller and Larry â€Å"If Larry were alive he wouldn’t act like this. That was a boy we lost. Larry.†p163 Irony Larry is his favourite son he understands him â€Å"I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were†p170 Keller is prepared to change his views for Larry Keller and Chris â€Å"I’ve been a good son too long, a good sucker†p102 Colloquial They don’t understand each other but are ultimately prepared to make compromises for each other â€Å"Chris†¦Chris, I did it for you†p154 Keller taints there relationship by trying to put the blame for the cylinder heads on Chris â€Å"I’m his father and he’s my son and if there’s something bigger than that then I’ll put a bullet through my head†p163 Irony and bathos Shows that he does love Chris Chris and Larry â€Å"(Chris is discovered sawing the broken-off tree, leaving stump standing alone)†p127 Tries to clear away Larry’s memory Mother and Chris â€Å"She’s Larry’s girl†p155 Colloquial Seems to care about Larry more â€Å"Forget now. Live†p171 Short scentances Her maternal side comes out to Chris once Larry is dead Mother and Larry Irony and bathos â€Å"Because if he’s not coming back then I’ll kill myself†p107 Can’t let go of Larry â€Å"I knew I could stop him†p105 Irony Believes she can save Larry Keller and Kate â€Å"I wear the pants and she beats me with the belt†p150 Kate emotionally blackmails Keller Deever Family â€Å"Ann, George and their absent father might be viewed as the opposite of the Keller’s† Ann and Steve â€Å"It’s wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no father†p117 Colloquial Abandons her father and believes Joe with little evidence â€Å"I’ll do nothing about Joe† p164 Sacrifices Steve being exonerated for her future happiness Ann and George â€Å"You’re coming with me†p144 He is prepared to sacrifice her happiness for his idealism they don’t have a very strong relationship â€Å"This is filthy, didn’t you bring another shirt?†p138 Ann acts as a maternal force for George Steve and George â€Å"I didn’t see him once when I got home from the war!†p141 George initially chooses idealism over his father Wears â€Å"(your fathers)† hat139 Eventually compromises and wears his hat as he loves him Lubey Family â€Å"I don’t know why you can’t learn to turn on a simple thing like a toaster!† p94 Demonstrative of the perfect family without idealism living the American dream American Dream â€Å"The American dream is a subjective term usually implying a successful and satisfying life. Perceptions of the American dream are usually framed in terms of American capitalism, and the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Bill of rights† â€Å"I’ll get out. I’ll get married and live some place else†p101 Freedom â€Å"I want a family, I want some kids, I want to build something I can give myself to†p102 Tricolon of want Belief that you can achieve what ever you want if you work hard for it â€Å"I don’t know why you can’t learn to turn on a simple thing like a toaster!† p94 Demonstrative of the perfect family without idealism living the American dream â€Å"I†¦ studied a certain disease. It was beautiful. And then she came, and she cried. And I went back home with her. And now I live in the usual darkness† p160 Repetition of she and her Jim sacrifices his dream of being a researcher he is not living the American dream â€Å"I was the beast†¦ Except I wasn’t†¦ Fourteen months later I had of the best shops in the state again, a respected man again; bigger than ever.† P116 Metaphor Failure of American dream should be in prison as has broken the law Hope â€Å"She’s dreaming about him again†p99 Kate hopes that Larry will return â€Å"I want a family, I want some kids, I want to build something I can give myself to†p102 Tricolon-Ann and Chris want to marry and be successful-live the American dream â€Å"Chris†¦Chris, I did it for you†p158 Keller wants to provide a significant amount for his family Humour â€Å"I would love to help humanity on a Warner Brothers salary†p93 Foils provide comic relief in act 1 contrast to later tragedy â€Å"My love, My light†p93 Sarcasm from Jim â€Å"I like to keep abreast of my ignorance†p96 Major character is introduced through humour contrast to his serious and idealistic nature â€Å"Don’t talk dirty (They laugh)†p134 Keller provides comic relief in act two and makes him more likeable Justice Justice is a main theme within the play ‘All My Sons’, and an example of justice being symbolised is the idea of Joe telling the children that he has a jail in the basement of his house.Although simple, this metaphor is quite powerful, as it suggests to the audience that he could be hiding more than just a basement to the people of the street. It could also suggest that he is keeping justice locked away within the Keller house, and as the children keep asking about the jail, there is an underlying idea that the truth about Joe could surface sometime within the play. ‘I spoiled the both of you’ Something that is apparent throughout the book is the amount of money that Joe has earned through his business. Some may assume that Keller bribed his way out of prison, due his frequent reference to, as well as his constant reliance on money. He uses this later in the play as a way to try and justify to his family that if he had gone to jail then he wouldn’t have been able to make all this money for them. â€Å"Everybody knows Joe pulled a fast one to get out of jail†. Whilst this may first seem as a cheap dig at the Kellers, this is confirmed when Jim says (to Kate) â€Å"I’ve always known†. This would be negatively viewed, as because of these actions an innocent man (Steve) is in jail instead of Joe. Therefore, the characters are just as guilty as Joe for letting an innocent man rot in jail. â€Å"if [George and Anne] wanted to open up the case again†. Joe’s prediction is actually correct though, and it is the arrival of George which helps to uncover the truth about the cylinder heads. George therefore does a very good job or prosecuting Joe. A clever inclusion into the play is that George is actually involved with the law, as opposed to it just being a metaphor, like the other parts of the courtroom analogy. We get this idea through Chris’ question to him â€Å"How’s the law†. â€Å"You’re not even an animal, no animal kills his own, what are you?† â€Å"I’m not going to do anything about it† Throughout almost all of the play Chris, Anne and Kate represent Joe’s defence.Chris suddenly becomes a prosecutor, voicing his fury and shame to his father Perhaps here we see a highly uncaring side of Anne, as she will gladly let her father rot in prison even though she now knows that he is innocent. Religion â€Å"Every Sunday ought to be like this†p90 The play starts on a sunday morning which is a religious time of the week â€Å"chris† Chris’ name could be interpreted as ‘Christ’ which would suggest a kind of moral superiority that he at least tries to achieve â€Å"downstage, stands the four-foot high stump of a slender apple-tree whose upper branches lie toppled beside it, fruit still clinging to its branches†p89 The apple tree is incredibly important in terms of religious symbolism. It obviously has connotations of the tree of knowledge – the tree which was in the story of Adam and Eve. It’s significant that it’s there as it is an indication of the ‘fall’ that’s about to happen (in the same way that eve fell from god’s grace by eating the apple). It represents in this sense the knowledge of Larry’s death and the real causes. â€Å"living next door to the holy family† p131 The tree is a holy symbol however it is broken.the broken tree signifies that in reality, the Keller’s aren’t as ‘holy’ as they seem. â€Å"the trouble with you is that you don’t believe in anything† â€Å"now I live in the usual darkness† My personal opinion is that Jim represents non belief in terms of religion. The idea that he lives in darkness suggests that there is no light from religion in his life. And perhaps his unhappiness is a result of this non belief. Although, as an alternative interpretation, you could say that the way he admires Chris (â€Å"he meets a man and makes a statue out of him† p131) and the fact that Chris could be interpreted as ‘Christ’ means that he isn’t a total non believer. â€Å"Nobody in this house dast take her faith away, Joe† p 107 Although this is a references to Ann’s faith in Larry, it potentially has further reaching meaning. The use of â€Å"dast† is not in keeping with the general colloquial tone of the dialogue in the play, so it stands out. It almost sounds as if it could have been quoted from the bible. It is keeping with the idea that Mother is hijacking religion as reasoning behind her argument that Larry is alive â€Å"I never believed in crucifying people† p117 Keller says this, and although it’s clearly a view that he has gained because he is guilty, it’s also representative of a forgiving figure. However, it’s also incredibly ironical since he’s put Steve through jail for something he didn’t do which is worse than crucifiction . â€Å"He was falsely accussed once and it put him through hell† p133 Chris says this to Ann and the irony is that Keller lied and put Steve in prison actions that Christians believe would put him through hell the next time he is accused he will commit suicide an action Christians also believe will result in the perpetrater going to hell â€Å"George, you don’t want to be the voice of God, do you?† p140 â€Å"And truer love hath no man!† p 148 it has biblical echoes. â€Å"Is it junk to feel that that there’s a greater power than ourselves?† p 154 â€Å"That’s all, nothing more til Christ comes†. P155 There’s great irony in this statement from Chris. By â€Å"til Christ comes† he’s refering to Judgement day (and therefore implying that they should never talk about the problem again). But in reality, judgement day is approaching (the day when the truth emerges and the day of Keller’s death). â€Å"God does not let a son be killed by his father† p 156 This is the whole concept that has led to Kate’s adamant belief that Larry is still alive. Play Act One The Keller’s home is describe as a ‘secluded atmosphere’ and something about ‘poplar trees’. This creates he effect of the Kellers home in having something to hide perhaps, which is reinforced by anne’s comment that ‘the poplars have gotten thick’. Also Their house is described as ‘on the outskirts of an american town’. Well ‘an’ could suggest that this does not only apply to the Keller’s, but the whole of american society including the audience who are viewing the play. Also look at Frank entrance. He ‘saunters in’ creating a sense of mystery and slowness about the place. Also look at the introduction to the materialistic goods such as the ‘malt mixer’, something which would have been fairly new, considering the context. Also there is a lot in Chris war speech, you could basically write a page on that single section and it is also good for linking in with the section ou ha ve been asked. Remeber, always link this section to the rest of the play, without this you won’t get an A. Act Two Act Three