By Thelma Anselmi
Jail Time or No? Re-thinking a Decision in O. Henry’s
“A Retrieved Reformation”
WRITING PRODUCT: Persuasive Letter
RECOMMENDED TIME: Approximately 4 class sessions
OVERVIEW
This lesson guides students through activities that focus on analyzing characters in O. Henry’s
“A Retrieved Reformation.” It culminates in a persuasive letter, written from the point of view
of Ben Price to his lieutenant, arguing that Ben’s decision not to arrest Jimmy Valentine was the
correct one.
READING-WRITING CONNECTION
Lesson activities integrate literary response and analysis reading standards—emphasizing
character analysis—and response-to-literature writing standards.
OBJECTIVES
Students will do the following:
• make inferences about the two main characters in the story
• analyze Ben Price’s decision not to arrest Jimmy Valentine
• review the business letter format
• write a formal business letter from the point of view of Ben Price, arguing that his
decision to let Jimmy Valentine go was the right thing to do
Reading for Writing
Have students complete the following activities during and after reading to prepare for the
writing assignment.
1. Make inferences
Purpose: to help students understand the characters of Jimmy and Ben.
Tell students that they will be using details from the story to make inferences about the
characters of Jimmy and Ben in “A Retrieved Reformation.” On the board, create a Story
Details and Inferences chart that includes details and quotations about the two. Model how to
make inferences based on the characters’ looks, actions, and speech and what others say about
them. Then have students continue constructing their own charts by rereading the story in four
sections, pausing between sections to record the details and inferences.
Section 1: Lines 1–65 (“A guard came to the prison shoe shop. . .He never touched ‘hard’
drinks.”)
Section 2: Lines 66–119 (“A week after the release of Valentine, 9762,. . . gave
information.”)
Section 3: Lines 120–173 (“Yes, there ought to be a. . . Well, I don’t know!”)
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Section 4: Lines 175–256 (“The next morning Jimmy took breakfast. . .And Ben Price turned
and strolled down the street.”)
Have students reread sections 1, 2, and 3 first and complete activities 1 and 2 before proceeding
to the last section.
Sample Chart:
Section 1: Jimmy Valentine
Story Details
Pardoned by the governor after
serving only 10 months of a fouryear sentence
Inferences
He has important friends who do him
favors.
“Why, I never cracked a safe in my
life.” (line 12)
Jimmy probably lies a lot.
Uses his rehabilitation money for
food, wine, and a good cigar
Jimmy is used to fancy living.
Tosses a quarter into the hat of a
blind man
Seems sympathetic to others’
misfortunes
Walks out with his suitcase full of
burglary tools
Jimmy has no intention of giving up
his profession.
2. Develop and ask questions
Purpose: to encourage students to analyze their charts and develop questions that help clarify and
deepen understanding.
After reading each of the first three sections, have students review their charts and write down
any questions that they have. Encourage students to ask interpretive questions for which there is
no one right answer and which call for opinion, speculation, and conclusions based on the
making of inferences. Have students volunteer their questions. Then make a list on the board so
that, as a class, you can discuss as many unanswered issues as possible.
Possible questions that students might ask about section 1 include the following:
• Why are people like the governor so fond of Jimmy?
• Why would Jimmy want to perform another robbery when he just got out of jail?
3. Interpret the ending of “A Retrieved Reformation”
Purpose: to further students’ understanding of the characters’ actions at the end of the story.
Reread the final section of the story and have students fill out the charts. Then ask these final
questions:
• Why does Jimmy turn to leave immediately after freeing Agatha?
• What is it significant that Ben Price pretends not to know Jimmy?
READING THE PROMPT
Present the following writing prompt to students to focus their attention on the requirements of
the writing task. In order to complete this assignment, students will need to do the following:
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•
•
demonstrate an understanding of the characters of Ben Price and Jimmy Valentine
understand how to correctly format a business letter
Writing Prompt
Writing Situation
Have you ever been given a second chance? Do good deeds cancel out bad ones?
In the story “A Retrieved Reformation” by O. Henry, Jimmy Valentine, a master safecracker who has turned his life
around, is set to marry Annabel, a banker’s daughter who knows nothing about his former life. Jimmy, who has
vowed to never crack another safe, is compelled to do just that in order to rescue Annabel’s niece from the bank
safe.
Writing Directions
Imagine that you are Ben Price, the detective who has been relentlessly tracking Jimmy Valentine. Write a letter to
your lieutenant, justifying your decision to let Jimmy Valentine walk away and continue his life as Ralph Spencer.
Use evidence from the story to support your arguments. The letter should persuade your lieutenant that your
decision was the correct one.
Keep in mind the following key traits as you compose your letter:
Key Traits
Ideas
• Lists several examples of how Jimmy has become a new man
• Uses evidence from the text to support key points
• Answers any opposing arguments that the lieutenant might have about Ben’s decision
Organization
• Includes a salutation, body, and closing that are appropriate for a formal business letter
• Addresses the reason for the letter in the first paragraph
• Structures the body paragraphs to logically support the writer’s claims made in the introductory paragraph
• Uses transitions to connect ideas
Voice
• Uses a formal and respectful tone
• Conveys Ben’s personality and style, as reflected in the story
Word Choice
• Uses language that is precise and appropriate for a formal letter
Sentence Fluency
• Varies sentence structure and length
Conventions
• Follows the conventions of written English
Note: The Copy Master (CM) that is located at the end of this lesson plan contains an 8 1/2 x 11 copy of the prompt
to pass out to students.
Have students highlight the writing type, the central idea to be addressed, and the most important
elements under Key Traits.
PLANNING
After students have read the prompt, have them complete these activities to help them prepare
their response.
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1. Quickwrite
Purpose: to articulate key ideas that set the stage for writing a persuasive letter.
Ask students to do a five-minute quickwrite in answer to these questions: Why does Ben Price
decide to let Jimmy go free? What made Ben change his mind about apprehending Jimmy?
After completing their quickwrite, students should highlight the most important points. These are
the points they will want to focus on when writing the letter. If students find that they have left
out any important points from their quickwrite, they should add them at the bottom.
The following is one student’s quickwrite response that eventually grows into the sample letter
shown in its entirety later in this lesson plan.
I think that Ben Price let Jimmy Valentine go free because of the true reformation that he
sees in him. Putting his freedom and future at risk, Jimmy comes clean and publicly
reveals his true profession. This selfless act is enough evidence to show that he had truly
become a new man. The circumstances also aided Ben’s decision. Jimmy was about to
start a new life, marrying Annabel and giving away his tools. It was clear that this was a
significant turning point in Jimmy’s life. Arresting Jimmy now would serve no purpose.
2. Summarize quickwrite
Purpose: to focus the ideas.
Have students summarize their quickwrite and additions in one or two sentences. (Students will
later need to support their summary with evidence from the story.) Here is an example:
Ben Price sees that Jimmy Valentine has become a new man with a new life. He knows that apprehending him at
this time would serve no useful purpose, as Valentine had already redeemed himself.
3. Review Story Details and Inferences chart
Purpose: to collect evidence that supports the main idea.
Have students consult their Story Details and Inferences chart for evidence to support their main
idea. Encourage students to go back to the story as necessary in order to add details and
inferences to their charts.
The following is some of the evidence that the student ultimately uses as support:
• Jimmy had led an exemplary life for the past year.
• He had pursued an honorable profession.
• He was engaged to be married.
• He was on his way to get rid of his burglary tools.
• He was willing to give up his freedom and the new life he’d made for himself to save a child.
• It appeared that Valentine was already rehabilitated, and incarceration would not be helpful
or warranted.
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DRAFTING, SHARING, AND REVISING
These activities will take students through the rest of the writing process.
1. Model a business letter
Purpose: to show students the proper formatting for a business letter.
Show students the model for a business letter, located in the Copy Master that appears at the end
of this lesson plan. Remind students that a business letter should include formal language and a
respectful tone and should stay focused on the topic. Students should also note that the greeting
should be punctuated with a colon rather than a comma.
2. Microtheme
Purpose: to ensure that students have main points to make and supporting evidence for those
points.
To help students structure their letters as well as link evidence to their main points, have them fill
out the Microtheme form that appears in the Copy Master at the end of this lesson plan.
3. Develop a rough draft
Purpose: to get ideas down on paper in an appropriate letter format.
Students will use the business letter model and their Microthemes as a point of departure to begin
drafting their letters. Remind students that, since this is a formal letter to Ben’s superior officer,
the tone must convey a respect for authority. Students should include relevant facts and
quotations from the text to support their points.
4. Engage in share/respond activity
Purpose: to give and receive feedback about whether the rough draft meets the requirements of
the prompt.
Students should meet with a partner or a small group to get feedback on their drafts. Use small
groups if you do not think students will receive adequate feedback from just one partner. Partners
will be writing on both the draft itself and the Peer Response Sheet located in the Copy Master.
5. Complete revising activity
Purpose: to formulate a plan for revision.
Have students fill out the Self-Reflection/Revision form located in the Copy Master to begin
developing a plan for revising their rough drafts. Ask students to turn in their forms before
completing their final drafts.
6. Complete word choice and sentence fluency activity
Purpose: to practice the skills of sentence fluency called for in the prompt.
Explain to students that using appropriate, precise, and descriptive language as well as a variety
of sentence structures can help them convey their argument clearly and articulately.
Students should avoid writing short, choppy sentences that have little variety in their structures.
Have students combine the following sentences by forming compound predicates:
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A young lady crossed the street. She walked through the bank door.
(Revision: A young lady crossed the street and walked through the bank door.)
He got his key. He went upstairs. He unlocked the door.
(Revision: He got his key, went upstairs, and unlocked the door.)
Once students have practiced combining sentences, ask them to reread their drafts, looking for
any short sentences they could combine to improve the flow of the letter.
7. Revise the draft
Purpose: to strengthen the clarity of ideas, organization, and language of the letter.
With their partners’ comments and their own plans for revision, students are now ready to revise
their letters. They can make changes directly on their first drafts or enter changes on a computer.
In either case, they should produce a draft that is legible so that their peers can assist them with
editing.
EDITING
Proofread with a partner
Purpose: to focus on the technical correctness of the paper.
Students should check each other’s papers for three main items: proper business letter format,
spelling, and punctuation. Writers should make corrections, as necessary.
EVALUATION
Refer to the Student Writing and Teacher’s Assessment Criteria
Purpose: to use as a guide for revision and as an assessment tool.
Give students the criteria for an exemplary paper, as shown on the Student Writing and
Teacher’s Assessment Criteria form in the Copy Master. They may use this guide when revising
their papers. Teachers can also adapt these criteria into a scoring rubric.
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Student Model
by Joseph Trinh
Ben Price
10001 Stanford Avenue
Garden Grove, CA 92840
September 12, 2006
Lt. Robert Briggs
101 Police Plaza
Elmore, Arkansas, 90904
Dear Lieutenant Briggs:
I am sure that you are confused about my reasons for letting Jimmy Valentine go free rather than
arrest him when I had the opportunity to do so. After the time and effort I spent tracking him
down, it would have been a great pleasure to slap the cuffs on him, especially since he continued
to rob banks after being pardoned by the governor. However, I think if you had witnessed what I
did—Jimmy performing a selfless act that was sure to jeopardize his freedom—you might have
agreed with me. Let me explain.
After tracking Valentine, which took the better part of a year, I caught up with him in Arkansas.
He was employed as a shoe salesman, and, according to the locals, was flourishing in his new
profession. Assuming the name of Ralph Spencer, he became engaged to Annabel, the daughter
of the town’s leading banker. This made me suspicious. I was certain that this was a ploy to hit
yet another bank, one boasting a new safe with a patented door, accompanied by three bolts
operated by a single handle. It was also complemented with a time lock. Bypassing such tight
security would certainly enhance Valentine’s reputation and increase his notoriety. I decided to
watch the bank and wait.
It was not long before Valentine showed up with his bride-to-be, her father, her sister, and
Annabel’s two nieces. While the banker was proudly showing off the safe, Jimmy appeared not
to be interested. He just looked on politely without saying anything or asking any questions.
Suddenly, a piercing scream interrupted my thoughts. It turned out to be one of Annabel’s nieces
who had managed to lock herself in the safe. Since the timer had not been set, the vault could
not be opened, and it became clear that the child would either run out of oxygen or go into
convulsions from her terror. The quiet of the bank was shattered, and everyone was talking
above the screams.
The next sequence of events amazed me. With an air of authority, Valentine picked up the
satchel with his tools, and with precision and some deliberation, did what he did best: in a scant
ten minutes, and with a huge audience watching, he had the girl free and back in her mother’s
arms. A cheer went up from the crowd, and Annabel was as flabbergasted as her father and the
rest of the onlookers.
None of this seemed to matter to Jimmy. He just seemed to be glad the girl was safe. It took me
by surprise when Valentine acknowledged my presence by saying, “Well, let’s go.” However, I
couldn’t bring myself to take him away. What I had witnessed showed me that Valentine was
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truly intent on turning his life around. In full view of everyone, he had demonstrated his skills as
a master safe cracker. He had to have known that any chance he had of living a reformed life
was at stake. I had just witnessed his change of heart in rescuing little Agatha, and he was
turning himself in.
Even though Valentine was most certainly guilty of multiple bank robberies, and even though he
had thumbed his nose at authority, his actions here showed that he was no longer the same
person. He truly appeared to be the person the town of Elmore had known him to be—a shoe
salesman and a contributing member of the community.
Lieutenant, I know that you would have preferred that Valentine be arrested, and any other time,
I would have jumped at the opportunity to do that. But seeing Valentine give himself away for
the sake of another human being—a child— made me realize that he was truly reformed and
fully intended to live a decent, normal life. This was not the Jimmy Valentine I used to know.
In that moment, I clearly saw that arresting Jimmy would serve no useful purpose. Prisoners are
held in jail for the safety of society, and this new Valentine could not be seen as a threat to his
community. I hope you agree with me that Valentine had proved that he no longer needed
rehabilitation. He had already accomplished that on his own.
Sincerely,
Ben Price
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Copy Masters
(CM)
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Writing Prompt
Writing Situation
Have you ever been given a second chance? Do good deeds cancel out bad ones? In the story “A
Retrieved Reformation” by O. Henry, Jimmy Valentine, a master safecracker who has turned his
life around, is set to marry Annabel, a banker’s daughter who knows nothing about his former
life. Jimmy, who has vowed to never crack another safe, is compelled to do just that in order to
rescue Annabel’s niece from the bank safe.
Writing Directions
Imagine that you are Ben Price, the detective who has been relentlessly tracking Jimmy
Valentine. Write a letter to your lieutenant, justifying your decision to let Jimmy Valentine walk
away and continue his life as Ralph Spencer. Use evidence from the story to support your
arguments. The letter should persuade your lieutenant that your decision was the correct one.
Keep in mind the following key traits as you compose your letter:
Key Traits
Ideas
• Lists several examples of how Jimmy has become a new man
• Uses evidence from the text to support key points
• Answers any opposing arguments that the lieutenant might have about Ben’s decision
Organization
• Includes a salutation, body, and closing that are appropriate for a formal business letter
• Addresses the reason for the letter in the first paragraph
• Structures the body paragraphs to logically support the writer’s claims made in the
introductory paragraph
• Uses transitions to connect ideas
Voice
• Uses a formal and respectful tone
• Conveys Ben’s personality and style, as reflected in the story
Word Choice
• Uses language that is precise and appropriate for a formal letter
Sentence Fluency
• Varies sentence structure and length
Conventions
• Follows the conventions of written English
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General Model for a Business Letter
The Ajax Pencil Company
4242 Holt Street
New York, NY 10023
September 14, 2006
Mrs. Joan Cusick
Stanford Elementary School
24355 Orange Avenue
Cypress, CA 90840
Dear Mrs. Cusick:
We can understand your annoyance at not having received the pencils you ordered on August
19th, 2006.
Orders for personalized pencils take three to four weeks for delivery, unlike the non-personalized
ones which ship within a week. This is stated clearly on the order blank. Apparently, the
salesman who took your order did not notify you of the difference in delivery date. We are
certainly sorry for the oversight.
I can assure you that your order has been received and that it is now ready for shipping. You
should receive your order within a day or two of having received this letter.
We apologize for the delay and hope that you thoroughly enjoy your purchase.
Sincerely,
Christine Latte
Claims Department
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Microtheme
Main Body:
Main points I want to make:
Specific references from the text to support my
main points:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Peer Response Sheet
To the writer: Give this sheet, along with your letter, to one or more members of your writing
group. Be sure you get thorough responses that give you solid ideas about how to proceed with
revision.
To the reader: Follow the directions below as you read and analyze your classmate’s letter.
Precise, specific comments will help the writer craft effective revisions.
•
What reasons does the writer give for why Ben chose not to arrest Jimmy Valentine?
•
Does he or she support the reasons with enough evidence from the story?
•
Does he or she successfully argue his or her point? Why or why not?
•
Does the letter sound as if Ben Price had written it? Why or why not?
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Self Reflection/Revision Plan
Revising Plan
1. Did your partner correctly identify your reasons for why Ben chose not to arrest Jimmy Valentine? If
not, how could you make your reasons clearer?
2. Did he or she think you included enough evidence to support your reasons?
3. Did he or she think you successfully argued your point?
4. Did he or she think you sounded like Ben Price?
5. What is your plan for revision, based on your comments above?
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Student Writing and Teacher’s Assessment Criteria
An exemplary letter is superior in its insight, organization, and language. It has most or all of
these characteristics:
Ideas
•
Lists several examples of how Jimmy has become a new man
•
Includes ample evidence from the story to support key points
•
Successfully addresses any opposing arguments that the lieutenant might have about
Ben’s decision
Organization
• Includes a salutation, body, and closing that are appropriate for a formal business letter
• Addresses the reason for the letter in the first paragraph
• Structures the body paragraphs to logically support the writer’s claims made in the
introductory paragraph
• Uses effective transitions to connect ideas
Voice
• Writes with authority, keeping the tone respectful and courteous
• Accurately conveys Ben’s style and personality
Word Choice
• Uses language that is precise and appropriate for a formal letter
Sentence Fluency
• Varies sentence structure and length
Conventions
• Has few, if any, errors
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