Due: 11:59 PM EST Sunday of Unit 8.
Source Materials:
1. Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller.
Prompt:
| | In Death of a Salesman, what is Arthur Miller saying about success and the American Dream? How does he convey this theme? |
| | Choose two dramatic devices to support your answer. These will shape your supporting sections. |
You can use the characters, the dialogue, the plot, imagery, tone/mood, setting,
symbols, conflicts, dramatic irony, and other dramatic devices to support your answer.
You will also need to include text examples (dialogue/lines from the script) to support
your response.
Instructions:
Read through all of the instructions of this assignment.
Read and view the necessary resources in this unit to assist you with this response.
Your audience are people who have viewed and read the play as well, so please be sure
to focus on your reply and use plot points only as text examples. There is no need for a
summary of the play in this response.
Choose two dramatic devices to support your thesis. These will shape your supporting
sections. An example of a thesis in this response would be: In Arthur Miller’s Death of a
Salesman, Miller effectively conveys the themes of Success and the American Dream
through the use of ______________ and ________________.
Reply to the above prompt, being sure to include:
o An introduction that introduces your thesis
o Supporting paragraphs that include:
| | Your analytical response. Properly cited text examples that support your thesis. Explanations of how Miller uses a particular dramatic device to support his theme about success. |
o A conclusion that recaps your thesis and support.
ENG130 – Literature and Composition
Literary Response – Death of a Salesman
Requirements:
| | This assignment should be 1 to 2 pages. A title page is required and is not a part of the 1 to 2 pages. A reference page is required for the play, the resource articles, and for additional outside sources as you use them. The response should also be double spaced, written in Times New Roman, in 12 point font and with 1 inch margins. The response should conform to APA formatting and citation style. Use the third-person, objective voice, avoiding personal pronouns such as “I,” “you,” “we,” etc. Use APA format for in-text citations and references when using outside sources and textual evidence. Please be cautious about plagiarism. Make sure to use internal citations for direct |
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quotes, paraphrases, and new information.
Be sure to read before you write, and again after you write, the rubric criteria by which
your paper/project will be evaluated.
Evaluation Rubric for Literary Response – Death of a Salesman
| CRITERIA | Does Not Meet Expectations (0-11 Points) | Below Expectations (12-13 Points) | Needs Improvement (14-15 Points) | Satisfactory (16-17 Points) | Meets Expectations (18-20) |
| Content | Analysis not present — simply plot summary: and/or Analysis does not address the prompt. | Ideas lack development; misunderstandi ng of prompt or text; illogical argument. | Analysis supports the argument, but ideas are obvious and basic; and/or analysis of play shows a misunderstanding of the themes and devices. | Analysis of dramatic elements is convincing; a few assertions may lack specific examples, but assertions are still clearly connected to the argument. | Effectively analyzes at least two dramatic devices; goes beyond obvious and basic commentary; original ideas and insights. |
| Thesis Statement | Thesis is not present. | Thesis is unclear and loosely related to the paper or not present. Thesis does not appear in the introductory paragraph. | Thesis is attempted with little relation to the overall topic. Argument is somewhat unclear or confusing. Some supporting points are missing. Thesis may not appear in the introductory paragraph. | Thesis is present and relates to the majority of the paper. Argument takes a mostly clear position and is explained in adequate detail. Thesis appears in the introductory paragraph. | Thesis is organized and focused on the paper. Argument takes a clear position and is explained in full detail. Thesis appears in the introductory paragraph. |
| Evidence and Support | Does not include text support and/or text support is not cited. | Very little evidence is given and used in the essay properly. Evidence may not relate to the thesis statement. Evidence is cited but not with the proper formatting. | Some evidence is given and used in the essay properly. Evidence is somewhat related to the thesis statement. Evidence may or may not always cited properly. | Evidence is tied to specific evaluation criteria. Evidence is mostly tied to the thesis statement and used properly and is cited properly. | Evidence is tied to specific evaluation criteria and the thesis statement. Evidence is used effectively and cited properly. |
| APA Format | APA format is not followed. | Few APA conventions are followed, and may be incorrectly formatted. | Some APA conventions are followed, although not always correctly. | APA conventions followed with some errors evident throughout. | Free of many to all errors in APA conventions. |
| Grammar and Mechanics | Grammar and mechanics’ errors make the essay incomprehensible. | Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics errors occur throughout document. Word choices are seldom academic. Sentence structure may be illogical or unclear. | Several errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling and mechanics present. Word choice reveals some understanding of academic language requirements. Many sentence structure issues exist. | Some spelling, grammar, punctuation and mechanical errors are evident. Academic language is upheld. The sentence structure is often logical and clear so that relationships among ideas are established. | Free of punctuation, spelling, grammar, and other mechanical errors. Consistent use of academic word choices. Sentence structure is mostly logical and clear. |