Is George a Good Friend to Lennie?

What makes a good friend? Does a good friend stick with you through thick and thin? Will a friend do whatever it takes to care for you and protect you? Is that what makes a good friend? Is George all of these things?

What is your claim? George is or isn't a good friend to Lennie (and why).

What is your argument? This is where you explain (or elaborate on) your "why" or "because".
What is your evidence? How will you argue your claim? Find evidence from the text to support your claim. This evidence can be direct quotes (anything you copy from the text is a quote) or references to circumstances and events that occur in the text. Use a balance of logical, ethical, and emotional appeals in order to both persuade your audience and make your argument more credible. Be sure to introduce the source of your evidence.

Do you address any counter claims? A counter claim is an opinion opposite of what you are arguing in your essay. Addressing a counter claim makes your essay stronger. Most counter claims are used to introduce a portion of the writer's argument. Many counter claims are introduced with "Although ... Even though ... Despite ...".

Here is an example of a counter claim:
Although Robert Cooke claims that "the global weather equation is enormously complex and no one knows exactly how to work it out", the role of humans should not be discredited. Human beings have drasticaly altered the face of the earth and this alteration does not go without its side effects.

Who is your audience? Who you're writing for directly determines what evidence you use to argue your claim. Be sure to determine your audience. It could be your teacher, a classmate, a character in the story, someone who has already read the story, or someone who is about to.

What is your purpose? Your reason for writing will determine the form and style your essay takes. In this essay you are trying to persuade someone to believe your point of view, or your claim. Make sure the form your essay takes fulfills this purpose.

Use what you know about denotation, connotation, diction and tone from analyzing other persuasive essays to create your own persuasive essay.

Make sure your essay meets the criteria for the persuasive essay as outlined in your rubric.

This essay should be in standard format: typed, double-spaced, in 12pt Times New Roman font, with 1 inch margins. I will also accept essays neatly handwritten on white paper if they follow the standards outlined in the beginning of the year.