the overview:
Although Romeo and Juliet took their own lives at the end of the play, the blame for their premature deaths remains unclear. They didn't exactly have the best role models (their parents and friends) or guides (the Nurse, the Friar) along the way. In fact, every character influenced their decision to take their lives -- but the question remains: who is most at fault?
the assignment:
We will think about and respond to this question in the form of a persuasive essay. The paper should be approximately 1000 words in length. Please include your word count at the end of your essay. You should include a title page with this formal essay. The title page should fit the standard requirements: 12-pt, Times New Roman, double-spaced, with the title 1/3 of the way down the page and the MLA heading 2/3 of the way down the page. As always, double-space, whether hand-written or typed. You must, however, type the final copy. The rough copy of this essay is due on Monday, November 26. The final, typed copy is due on Monday, December 3. The presentations will take place from December 5 through December 7.
Use no more than 10 "be" verbs. Never include 1st or 2nd person pronouns in formal writing, unless specifically requested. Eliminate statements such as "I think" or "I believe." Never write "In this paper I will tell you" or "In this paper you will find." Papers with 2nd person pronouns or 1st person pronouns (unless used in a direct quote) will receive an automatic 15-point deduction. As Honors students, you should be beyond this type of vocabulary / word usage. Proofreading is a must. Too many papers in the past contained silly mistakes. In the immortalized words of my graduate professor, Dr. Michael Slavkin, "Always spell check a document -- Stupid is as stupid does and nothing says stupid more than somoeneone thut cant spull wright."
A persuasive essay should have five paragraphs. Start with an introduction, complete with attention getter, background information, and thesis statement. Your thesis should state: the person you blame for the deaths; three reasons why that person is at fault. Start with the strongest reason and work your way toward the weakest reason. I will provide you with a sample essay; however, you may not write about the same person I chose. Read the sample thesis below.
The responsibility of Romeo and Juliet's deaths rests on Friar Lawrence because of his selfishness, his unreliability, and his unlawful behavior.My paper will follow the order of my thesis. Since I mentioned selfishness first, my first body paragraph must be about what I mean when I say Friar Lawrence is selfish.
You should include at least 3 direct quotes from the play in this essay. You will need at least one quote in each of the three body paragraphs which support your claim. Look at the example below.
"God pardon sin! / Wast thou with Rosaline?" (RJ 2.3.44).
As with your autobiographical essay, final copies must be typed. You need to print out two copies of the final paper, stapling the rough draft under the final copies. Plan ahead for printing issues. If you need your paper printed, email it to me or bring it in on a jump drive or floppy disk. Make these arrangements before the due date.
As with all formal writings, include your word count at the end of your essay. To review my requirements for formal writings, visit the link below: http://english9h.blogspot.com/2006/08/format-of-formal-writings.html
the content:
Choose from the following list to determine who is to blame for Romeo and Juliet's deaths.
- Romeo
- Juliet
- Nurse
- Capulet
- Montague
- Mercutio
- Tybalt
- Benvolio
- Romeo & Juliet (both)
the presentation:
Oh, and we will be presenting these to the class. Your presentation should be short, sweet, and to the point. I'm looking for 2-3 minutes, tops -- do not plan on reading your entire essay to us. Summarize the beginning, read a paragraph or two, and summarize the end. This is nothing too formal; however, speeches are a requirement of the Department of Education for the State of Indiana. I'm looking for eye contact, volume, and the ability to summarize your paper adequately and understandably. I would suggest planning ahead of time what you're going to say -- use notecards, if necessary, highlighting the points you want to discuss. Hint: A good speech doesn't explain what you're going to do before you do it; (i.e., "In this speech, I'm going to talk about why I think X is to blame from Romeo and Juliet's deaths...first I'm going to read you a paragraph about...). Time yourself, so you don't stop at thirty seconds or babble on past five. Consider bringing personal artifacts or creating a PowerPoint slide show for enhancement of your presentation. (No posters please.) Please let me know ahead of time if you will need technology equipment for your presentation. Speeches will take place 5-7 December. Sign-up sheets for time slots will be posted 3 December in the morning outside my door: first come, first serve.
As always, if you feel like you need help beyond what is available in the classroom, I will be available before school 7:00-7:30 and after school until 4:30. Ms. Wayne and I also check our email daily and may provide assistance this way as well. We cannot provide assistance if you do not ask; claiming to "not understand" an assignment and not asking for help is inexcusable. If you do not ask for help we will assume you understand the assignment and plan to turn it in, completed, on the due date. We have limited time left in this semester, and I'm sure you all would like to know your grades the day we take our final.
the value:
persuasive rough draft, incl. title page/works cited -- 100 points (not accepted late)
typed persuasive final copy, incl. title page/works cited -- 200 points
persuasive presentation, 2-3 min. in length -- 50 points
work cited:
A work cited page must contain the resources cited in the essay.
Look at the examples below for help. Remember, you must hang indent your entry. Also include the words Work Cited, centered, before the entry. Do not include the label I've included to let you know which copy is which. In the interest of saving paper, you may include your work cited entry at the bottom of your essay, if it fits, rather than placing it on a different page. If you consult additional resources (i.e., the internet), include them in your works cited page.
Prestwick House Paperback: Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Clayton, Delaware: Prestwick House, 2005.
English office copy: Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1994.
No Fear Shakespeare: Shakespeare, William. No Fear Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. New York: Spark Notes, 2003.
Simply Shakespeare: Shakespeare, William. Simply Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. Hauppauge: Barron's Educational Series, 2002.
Cliff's Complete: Shakespeare, William. Cliff's Complete: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. New York: Hungry Minds, 2000.
resources:
http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/persuasive_writing1.htm http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr4.htm
http://essayinfo.com/essays/persuasive_essay.php
Sample essay: http://www.geocities.com/missyfeller/english9h/persuasive.pdf
Indiana State Academic Standards met by this project: 10.3.3, 10.3.4, 10.3.8, 10.3.9, 10.3.10, 10.3.12, 10.4.1, 10.4.2, 10.4.3, 10.4.13, 10.4.5, 10.4.7, 10.4.8, 10.4.10, 10.4.11, 10.4.12, 10.5.4, 10.6.1, 10.6.2, 10.6.3, 10.6.4, 10.7.2, 10.7.4, 10.7.6, 10.7.18
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