MONSTER ESSAY
a post-Beowulf writing assignment
Beowulf conquers
monsters that stand
in his way to better
his life and the life of
others.
Everyone has
something they must
overcome in order to
reach their goal.
Therefore,
everyone has
a personal
monster to
overcome.
Stop and Think.
Think about a goal that you are trying
to reach that is proving difficult:
graduating with your class, a GPA
that aligns with your intelligence,
getting along with others, happiness,
time management, staying motivated,
losing weight…
Now ask yourself this:
What’s keeping you from reaching
your
goal? What’s standing in your way,
or
making your goal to heavy to hold,
even
in your dreams?
Whatever is holding you back or standing in your way is your
monster, the demon that will not let you live your best life… and it’s
time to slay it!
Depression
Anxiety?
A situation?
Passing your
classes?
Self-doubt?
A need for
perfection?
Losing weight?
Fear of failure?
A place?
Making Friends?
A fear of leaving
home?
A fear of letting go?
Grief?
Choice A: The Monster Essay,
A Personal Narrative
• Your assignment is to write an essay about a
personal monster that keeps you from your goals
and living your best life.
• It is a personal narrative that will be included in the
senior portfolio. Repeat: This is a portfolio piece!
• Tip: Procrastination is a banal monster choice.
Everyone procrastinates. If procrastination is what
is holding you back from reaching your goal, ask
yourself why you are procrastinating. Whatever is
causing you to procrastinate is pyour real monster.
• Write something meaningful.
Choice B: A Monster in Society,
A Personal Narrative
• If you do not have a personal monster, you may want to personify a
monster in society like you did in your group project. However, you
may only use the section that you wrote. If your group did not
participate, you may use every section; however, the expectation is
that you add to it to make it more descriptive and meaningful.
• If you choose this narrative, it too will be included in the senior
portfolio. Repeat: This is a portfolio piece!
• Tip: Procrastination is a banal (ordinary,/boring) monster choice.
Everyone procrastinates. If procrastination is what is holding you
back from reaching your goal, ask yourself why you are
procrastinating. Whatever is causing you to procrastinate is your real
monster.
• Write something meaningful.
Essay Format
Part 1: The Monster~ Introduce your monster and how it came to be. Personify your monster with
descriptive imagery.. (Thesis) Identify the goal the monster stands in the way of.
Part 2: The Challenge~ Illustrate your monster in action. Show the reader what it’s like when you
encounter your monster, to include at least one real life example. Show why it is so difficult to fight.
Part 3: The Battle~ Share how you will defeat your monster. Then, give a blow by blow account
with you rising as the victor.
Part 4: Living Your Best Life~ Now that you have defeated your monster, how is your life better.
Illustrate what it is like to live without fear of your monster lurking in the shadows. Your sentence
should refer back to your thesis (last sentence in the 1st paragraph). Describe how reaching your
goal sill be attainable now that your monster is gone.
• Your essay must have at least 4 paragraphs (at least 2 pages). You can write more if
needed.
The First Step: Outlining
Complete the Monster
Essay Outline. There is a
link for it on your Monster
Essay Task Cards, and it
is posted in Google
Classroom in the writing
Folder. Open the outline
and type directly into the
spaces provided. Once
finished, submit.
Personal
Monster
Essay
Outline
Monster
in Society
Essay
Outline
THE END
Go Back To
The Task Cards…