Personal Monster Descriptive Paper

In Beowulf, Beowulf battles the monster Grendel in an attempt to rescue King Hrothgar and his people from Grendels ravages. This epic maintains its popularity because even today we are obsessed by the notion of a hero overcoming an obstacle. We do this every day in our own lives. What monsters have you battled or are you battling? Were you afraid to flush the toilet as a child? Why? How did you overcome that fear? Have you had to work through the death of a loved one, a divorce, an eating disorder, a move, etc? Are you afraid of failure, or have you had to prove to others that you have so much to offer? In a descriptive narrative, write a story about your battle with your monster. It can be humorous or serious; it can be fiction, embellished, or memoir-like. Be sure to use the handouts provided and the rubric as a guide. Here are some reminders: Be sure to use descriptive details (figurative language, similes, metaphors, personification, and sensory details). You need to describe your monster physically even if it is a concept like divorce. In such cases, youll have to think symbolically and tap into your creative side. Make the reader feel as if he or she is there watching the battle. Dialogue should be used and punctuated correctly. The narrative should be in first person. As I walk through the kitchen Use all of the narrative techniques we talk about in class to make the writing more creative and interesting.

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3a Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3c Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3d Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3e Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

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NAME:___________________________________________________

RUBRIC:
Content: Do you fully follow the prompt? Do you describe your monster? Is it clear what your monster represents? Do you describe a battle with your monster? Introduction: Do you set out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance? Do you establish one or multiple points of view? Do you introduce a narrator and/or characters? Do you create a smooth progression of experiences or events? ___/15

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Body: ___/15 Do you use narrative techniques to develop experiences, events, and/or characters: Dialogue? Pacing? Description? Reflection? Multiple plot lines? Do you use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome? Do you use precise words and phrases to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters? Do you use telling details to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters? Do you use sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters? Conclusion: ___/15 Do you provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative?

TOTAL

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