Sophomore English/2016-2017
Gods and Monsters
Berger-White
Essay Assignment: Frankenstein
This goal of this assignment is to capture the way Mary Shelley creates complex characters in
Frankenstein. You will focus on a single character. Your choices are Victor, the Creation, or
Walton.
Think in terms of how a character struggles between two different impulses or qualities. That is,
how is the character in some sort of conflict with himself—and what happens as a result of that
conflict?
The first section of your essay—this should be at two or three paragraphs—must establish and
make an argument for one quality or impulse.
The second section of your essay—again, two or three paragraphs—should highlight and make
an argument for this other quality, something that is different from and in a kind of tension with
the quality you addressed in the first section.
The third section must be an attempt to synthesize what has come so far. This is ultimately what
separates adequate essays from good ones, so you’ll really want to focus your attention here.
Here are some questions that should help you move toward strong synthesis:
At core, who is this character?
How does Shelley make that character complex?
What are the results of the character’s struggle?
What does that say or suggest about him?
In the fourth and final section, you should address the following larger questions.
Why is the character’s struggle important?
How does his particular struggle fit with the meaning of the novel as a whole?
Suggested Length: 5 Pages
Title: Please
Stapled: Absolutely
Font: Times New Roman, 12—double-spaced
Value: 200 points
Here are the primary things that I will value in this essay:
(1) A good, bold, clear, and specific introduction. This should highlight the two key facets of
the character and name how those qualities work together. I recommend that you write
this section last. That is, write it last and place it first.
(2) Persuasive argumentation. Make a strong case for each part of the character’s struggle.
(3) Balanced treatment of both facets of this character’s complexity.
(4) Thorough analysis that comes directly out of your support, and that focuses on key pieces
of language. (Think: quoting the quote.)
(5) A synthesis that gets at the complexity of character and acknowledges how both qualities
are present and argues why both qualities are important to our overall understanding of
that character.
(6) Strong, clean writing. That means grammatically sound sentences, properly formatted
and cited quotations, and a clear sense of how one sentence flows into the next—and how
one paragraph flows into the next.