Ms. Kimmons
English II Honors
Name___________________
The Crucible –Argumentative Essay Assignment
Select one of the essay prompts and write a multi-paragraph (at least 5) argumentative essay.
Essay Prompt 1:
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Reverend Hale tells Elizabeth Proctor that “no principle, however
glorious” is worth dying for, and he argues that it is better to give a false confession than to die
for a principle of belief. Defend or refute Hale’s assertion using evidence from The Crucible to
support your stance. Use at least three pieces of evidence as support from the text.
Essay Prompt 2:
Choose one character from The Crucible. Then, argue whether his or her actions throughout the
drama are selfish or sacrificial. Is he/she heroic or villainous? Explain. Use at least three pieces
of evidence as support from the text.
Essay Prompt 3:
At the end of The Crucible, John Proctor makes the decision to hang rather than give the court
officials the lie they are expecting. Was this the right decision? Put yourself in his shoes and
give at least three reasons why he did or did not make the right decision. Each reason must be
defended with evidence from the text.
Additional Requirements:
 Paper must be 2-3 pages in length, typed, double-spaced, 12 point font, MLA format
 Use at least three correctly documented, “worthy” quotes from The Crucible in the paper (-5 for
each missing quotation)
 Use third person (no I, we, us, you)
 Use the format on the back of this page
 No contractions
FINAL COPY DUE:
ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION:
 Hook Sentence
 Background
 Title/Author
 Thesis Statement
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE #1
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE #2
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE #3
COUNTERARGUMENT
CONCLUSION
RUBRIC
MLA Format
/5
Last name and page in the Header
Appropriate Heading
Original Title
Double-spaced
12 point Times New Roman or Calibri font
Introduction
/5
Attention-getter
Background Information
Title and Author listed
Thesis Statement
Body Paragraph 1
/5
Topic Sentence
Explanation
Quote (worthy and documented)
Explanation
Transition
Body Paragraph 2
/5
Topic Sentence
Explanation
Quote (worthy and documented)
Explanation
Transition
Body Paragraph 3
/5
Topic Sentence
Explanation
Quote (worthy and documented)
Explanation
Transition
Counterargument
/5
Opposing view
Refuted
Reasserted Thesis
Conclusion
/5
Re-state thesis (not repeat exactly)
Universal statement/Clincher
6 Traits
Ideas and Content
/15
Word Choice
/10
Organization
/10
Fluency
/10
Voice
/10
Conventions
/10
Procedure
(-10 if late)
Printed Paper in class on due date
NAME