Honors Biology 2006-2007
Name: _________________ Class: __
The Double Helix Essay Assignment
Write one 4 to 5 paragraph essay (see the guidelines below) on the following topic. Your
essay should start with a thesis statement, and should be well supported by information from
your reading so as to convince your teacher that you read your book carefully. The essay will
count as a major test grade of 50 points (half a test).
One of several definitions of the word medium is: a means of mass communication through
which information is transmitted or carried on. You are currently reading and studying a
printed medium, The Double Helix, a personal account of the discovery of DNA, and you
will soon watch another medium, a made-for-TV movie, The Race for the Double Helix
(the original title was Life Story). The two very different types of media have dealt with the
same historical event, which was the quest for and the discovery of the structure of DNA.
Upon your review of both forms of media, write an essay that seeks to answer the following
question: Which medium, the book or the movie, presents the most appropriate
description of James Watson and Rosalind Franklin?
In the essay, you may wish to consider one or more of the following questions as a
way to measure “appropriateness.”
 Which medium presents the most accurate view?
 Which medium presents a more lasting impression?
 How did the different media make you feel about these two characters
(admiration, disgust, pity, surprise, distrust, awe, amusement, etc.)?
 Which medium do you think each character would have preferred to be used to
describe them?
 Which medium would you prefer to describe you?
 How important is the "factual truth" in depicting important events of this kind,
and how much "artistic license" should be allowed?
 Should a different standard for accuracy be applied to these media because they
are reporting a scientific discovery and not just an historical one?
 Whose point of view is most appropriate, Watson’s or the movie’s screenwriter?
This is not a list of questions that you must answer in your essay. The list is certainly far
from complete, and you should not try to build your essay around more than one or two such
questions. They are simply some examples of a few of the many things worthy of your
consideration when approaching this type of problem.
Essay Guidelines
• Please double or 1.5 space your paragraphs.
• Poor spelling and grammatical errors will result in a loss of points. Spell & Grammar check!!!
• Do not use “center” justification. Consult the on-line HELP function to learn how to set your
formatting to “left margin justification.”
• If you use any source other than the text of The Double Helix or the movie, Life Story, you must
document it properly both in the text of the paper and in a bibliography. If you use quotes from the
book, you should cite the page number as well.
• The length of the essay is not a very important characteristic. However, a very short essay may
reflect a lack of thought or effort, whereas, an overly long essay is very likely to be filled with
unimportant information and will bore the reader.
• Each essay should have a cover sheet with the title of your essay, your name and period number, the
date you turned the essay in, and a signed honor statement.
• Do not use essay covers or fancy binders--just staple it.
• You are permitted to seek faculty or parental assistance with your spelling, grammar, and
expression, but this is pledged work. Parents and teachers can help you identify problems, but you
are expected to fix them yourself. Please understand that you alone are responsible for the essays’
content, grammar, and spelling. Be sure to proofread
• There is a zero-tolerance policy concerning late papers due to faulty or inconvenient technology. If
your computer, printer or hard drive is unreliable, be sure to plan to finish your papers early to allow
time for last-minute “disasters.” No extra time will be allowed for technology problems.
DUE DATE: FRIDAY May 11th
(late penalty: -5 points/day)
Parent's Signature: ___________________________________
(date)