Frankenstein Essay
Prompt & Requirements
Due: Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Editing day Monday, March 13, 2017
Frankenstein Essay Title
Type out prompt
Name
Ms. Arrowood – Per. #
March 3, 2015
Frankenstein Essay – 4 pages = 100 Writing points - Due: Wed, 3/15/17
Editing Day, Mon, 3/13/17 = 28 Writing points
SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS FOR YOUR ESSAY.
1) Throughout Frankenstein Mary Shelley is obviously making social commentary about the humanity of the disenfranchised and lower classes. What is she saying about the pressures of the class system and how that relates to this treatment?
2) The psychological debate in regards to the development of an individual revolves around nature (your innate personality that you are born/created with) and nurture (your personality that is developed through experience). In Frankenstein, the three main characters (Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the Creature) in telling their stories try to justify their ways to their audience; in this way what does Mary Shelley’s reveal as her view on this debate? And, what does Shelley offer (through these and comparisons other characters’ stories) as means to mitigate the effects of nature or nurture on an individual? Look less at what any of these characters do, and more at how why they did it.
3) By showing Frankenstein abandoning his creation/scientific result, what is Mary Shelley saying about the value and evils of scientific exploration and intellectual pursuits?
Format:
Ø Double spaced, 1 to 1.25" margins, Times Roman 12 font
Ø 4 Complete pages (MINIMUM) – That means spill onto the 5th page!
Ø 16 parenthetical documentations (MINIMUM) with PDs (Author pg#)
o Of the 16 quotes, 4 MUST be ellipses (…), 4 MUST use [brackets], and 4 MUST incorporate dialogue - NO DOUBLING UP TO COUNT AS BOTH
Ø Cover page – See example on back
Organization:
Ø Introduction paragraph - at least 5 sentences with THESIS as last one.
o Thesis MUST have only action verbs!
o Introduction should include the title of novel and indicate who the author is.
Ø At least 4 body paragraphs
o Multiple pds per paragraph
o Lead-ins to ALL Quotes/CDs! – DROPPED QUOTES will lower grade
Ø Closing paragraph - at least 5 sentences – Summation & universal ideas only
Ideas and Content Requirements
Ø Fully address the chosen prompt
Ø Present and elaborate upon appropriate ideas that stay focused on topic
Ø AVOID plot summary. Plot summary will result in a F grade.
Technical Requirements:
Ø MINIMUM of 3 DIFFERENT varied sentence beginnings in each paragraph (18 total in essay); each sentence beginning must be used at least once
Ø limited state of being verbs = no more than 4 state of being verbs per paragraph
Ø varied sentence structure – must include 4 complex sentences, 4 compound sentences, and 4 compound-complex sentences within your paper
Ø MINIMUM 10 highlighted vocabulary words from the Frankenstein packet
Conventions:
Ø Remember that the title of the novel is in italics
o DO NOT USE 1ST OR 2ND PERSON (I, me, my, we, us, our, you, your) = 1st & 2nd person usage lowers overall grade by one letter
o Any "Words to Avoid in Academic Writing" present in your essay will result in loss of 1/2 a grade (an A grade becomes a B+). anyway, get/got, thing, a lot, rhetorical ?s, contractions, symbols
Ø Use PRESENT TENSE! (i.e. Arcite fought Palamon = Arcite fights Palamon)
Ø Use transitions, use spell-check (no excuses for misspelled words!), watch grammar.
Vocabulary from Frankenstein Unit
MINIMUM OF 10 NEEDED IN ESSAY
(remember – quotes don’t count)
1. adversary - n. enemy; opponent
2. ardent - adj. passionate
3. averred – def: declared; asserted
4. base - adj. mean-spirited
5. benevolent - adj. showing charity
6. commiserate - v. to express sympathy
7. conjecture - v. to guess using the available evidence
8. consolation - n. something that eases sorrow or disappointment
9. consternation - n. state of confusion
10. countenance - n. face; expression
11. dauntless - adj. fearless
12. discern - v. to detect; to perceive
13. disconsolate - adj. unable to be cheered up
14. enigmatic - adj. puzzling
15. fiend - n. evil spirit; devil
16. flagrant - adj. highly offensive
17. harrowing - adj. extremely distressing
18. hideous - adj. extremely ugly
19. illustrious - adj. very distinguished
20. inexorable - adj. unyielding
21. insurmountable - adj. impossible to overcome
22. irksome - adj. annoying
23. irrevocably - adv. in a way impossible to change
24. listless - adj. lacking energy
25. malicious - adj. deliberately harmful
26. mariner - n. navigator of a ship
27. omen - n. a sign of future good or evil
28. omnipotent - adj. all-powerful
29. penance – def: suffering in repayment for a sin
30. pensive - adj. deeply or dreamily thoughtful
31. perseverance - n. steady persistence
32. pilgrimage - n. long journey for a spiritual purpose
33. seraph man – def: angel
34. sere – def: dry
35. shrieve – def: absolve from sin; pardon
36. smote – def: struck
37. torpor - n. state of inactivity or apathy
38. traverse - v. to travel across
39. venerable - adj. worthy of respect or reverence
40. vengeance - n. punishment inflicted in return for a wrong
41. wan– def: pale
42. wantonly - adv. maliciously; without restraint