Who is Responsible for the Deaths of Romeo and Juliet?
30 points
Write a persuasive essay to convince me of your argument for the deaths of Romeo and
Juliet. Be clear and concise, but use your ideas/opinions/personal experience, quotes,
and examples from the book. I will use the rubric to grade your writing. We will also
use this rubric to edit and revise.
As you write your paper, I will be looking for you to tell me YOUR story about Romeo
and Juliet. This means that you must use ideas from the play, but support them with your
original thoughts. Your language and word choice will be important. Again, refer to your
rubric to guide your writing.
Guidelines to think about:
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Introduction with an attention grabber
Clear Thesis/argument
Use of examples/details from the play
Quotes from the play or other sources about Shakespeare’s writing
Your opinions
Anecdotes from your experience to connect with Shakespeare
Try to create a mood/tone…sarcasm, humor, sympathy, cynical…
Organization
Potent conclusion to leave me thinking
This can be done in first person, third person, or essay form. It needs to be as long as it
needs to be to tell your story and prove your case. There are not a minimum or maximum
number of paragraphs required, but I would guess you would need at least five.
Concentrate on your voice and style.
Getting Started:
You may want to use a thinking map to show your thinking and organize your
thoughts. You may also consider brainstorming lists, or working out a simple
outline. You may start with a flow map of events to sequence the events that stand out to
you. You may want a circle map to define who is responsible and why. You may want to
then use a tree map to categorize your thoughts and help you organize. Have fun with this
and take a RISK! Try a style that may be tough for you. This is how you will LEARN.
In the end, I want you to turn in all of your planning and the final product. I will be
grading you on your PROCESS of writing more heavily than your final product.
Remember, I want you to be creative and have fun with this, but you also need to draw on
your knowledge of the text, not the movie! Have fun!