Name: _________________________________________

Hour________ Date:_________

Argumentative Essay Instructions

While reading Frankenstein, we have also discussed arguments. The Creature argues that Victor should
create a female companion for him; We argued about our different interpretations of the story in our
discussion groups. For the purpose of this assignment, we will argue over the biggest question that came
out of our discussion:

Who is the real monster in the story? Victor Frankenstein or his creation?
**Remember, for this paper, you will be making an argument, so this is NOT a persuasive essay. You will want to
win your audience over through your use of evidence, logic, and by addressing counter-arguments.**

You will be graded on the strength of your argument (i.e. how well you incorporate the essential elements
of an argument) as well as your use of writing conventions (formatting, citing quotes, grammar, etc.).
While we will occasionally draft or complete outlines on paper, the majority of our writing will take place
using the laptops and Google Docs. You will create and share your Google Doc with Mr. Palmer
(palmerb@sjredwings.org) and Mr. DeBrabander (debrabanderj@sjredwings.org) immediately. We will
be giving you feedback online through both written and verbal comments using a new technology called
Kaizena. If you do not have access to a computer, the internet, and/or audio at home, please let us know
and we will come to a new arrangement.

Instructions:
In order to complete a well-rounded, cohesive argument, you will need to include the following:

Thesis (Introduction)
o Who is the monster?
Evidence
o 2 quotes from the book
o 1 quote from an online resource
Reasoning
o How does your evidence help support your thesis statement?
Counter-Examples
o What evidence/reasoning would the other side use?
o How can you dispute their claim?
Conclusion
o Restates main point
o Ties paper topic to a larger theme or idea

Grading:
This paper is worth 150 points and your grade will be based on:
30 points Introduction
o How strong is your thesis and how well do I lead into my argument?
30 points Evidence/Reasoning
o How relevant is my evidence (quotes) to my argument?
o How well does my reasoning connect my evidence to my argument?
30 points Counter- Arguments
o Do I include an opposing viewpoint into my argument?
o How well do I disprove the opposing viewpoint?
30 points Conclusion
o How well do I wrap up my argument?
30 points Style and Conventions
o Did I follow the Formatting Guidelines and Stylistic Conventions?

Formatting Guidelines:

Creative and relevant title

12 pt. Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins
Double Spaced
Quotations properly cited (MLA Citation)

Stylistic Conventions:

Does not use first-person (I, me, we, us) or second-person (you)
Maintains a formal tone (no slang words or informal phrasing)
Few misspelled words
Few grammatical errors
Argument is logical and ideas transition clearly