Lord of the Flies Argument Essay

50 points each for Outline and First Draft and 100 points for Final Draft
200 points total to writing standard
Goal Write an argument essay that addresses either of the following:
The theme is

an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The
moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on
any political system however apparently logical or respectable. (Golding on Lord of the Flies)
Choice 1: Leadership/Authority/Character
Abraham Harold Maslow believed that all humans have needs that should be met, when left unmet our
actions to fulfill our needs can corrupt the individual, while Goldings intentions in writing Lord of the
Flies was to show that all humans have a distinct character flaw that, when left unchecked by the morals
and laws of society, will eventually corrupt the individual. Do you agree with Maslow or Golding?
Defend your position with evidence from both Lord of the Flies and Maslows theory.
Choice 2: Flawed Human Nature
William Golding believes that every human is born with the tendency to do evil as opposed to JeanJacques Rousseau, who believes human it is our environment that shapes us be good or evil. Do you
agree with Golding or Rousseau? Defend your position with evidence from both Lord of the Flies and
Rousseaus theory.
Whats the best way to
get readers on your
side??

Guidelines:
Introduction, Body Paragraphs, and a Conclusion
MLA style, and formal essay rules
Address counterpoints (see below)
Thesis statement & topic sentences highlighted
Submit by email (tcd1288@gmail.com) by
Counterpoints:
There is always someone who will disagree.
Consider what points those who disagree with you might make.
Acknowledge these possible conflicts and refute them with
your ideas and textual proof in your body paragraphs.
Example Although most of the boys abandon Ralph,
he remains concerned for the good of the whole group.
This is the part that
refutes the counterargument.

Appeals:
When trying to persuade others
of your opinions on various
issues (in writing or speech),
appeal to your listeners in 3
ways:
1. Logical appeal to readers
practical reasoning (it makes
sense logically)
2. Emotional appeal to
readers feelings or emotions (it
taps into emotional support)
3. Ethical credibility of the
speaker (Demonstrates author's
reliability, competence, and
respect for the audience's ideas
and values)

This is the counter-argument.

Someone might argue that since the
boys leave Ralph, he therefore
cannot be a good leader.

Use the Format Below for this Essay:

Introductory Paragraph: Your introduction is an important road map for the rest of your paper. It
conveys what your topic is, why it is important, how you plan to proceed with your discussion and finally
a thesis that will assert your main argument.
Hook sentence(s): attention- getting sentence
Have a Thesis Statement-compose a sentence stating the position you will support. (NO I think
statements) Answer: Must a leader possess strong moral character (Ralph) or can a leader be effective
without moral character (Jack)? OR Is every human born with the propensity to do evil or does our
environment make us so?
Set the context: a couple of sentences that set the stage for your essay and should include title, author,
and genre and connects to your hook and leads to your thesis statement
Body Paragraphs:
What are your reasons? (WHY must a leader have moral characters? Or not?) or (What evidence is
there that humans are born naturally malevolent? Or not?) These are your main ideas that you want
to fully develop. Choose 2 or more and list them below. Then expand and come up with several
supporting ideas for each main idea. These supporting ideas will likely draw attention to specific
aspects of the novel and research which will be where your quotes come in to prove your point.
Reason #1:
Evidence 1:

Write reasons
in complete
sentences.
These will be
your topic
sentences.

Explanation:
Closing Sentence:

Reason #2:

Evidence 2:
Explanation:
Closing Sentence:

 Reason #3:

Counterclaim:
Rebuttal and Evidence:
Explanation:
Closing Sentence:

Make sure you have a Topic Sentence for each body paragraph and be sure to use TRANSITIONS
between ideas. A TRANSITION wraps up one idea and leads toward the next one. (DO NOT be
formulaic with First, Second, Third, In Conclusion-boring!!)
Concluding Paragraph:
What have you proven in your essay? Sum up your ideas by showing what you have proved in your
writing, but DO NOT repeat your thesis.
Add a new but related thought. Address counterarguments if you havent already. No quotes in the
conclusion; these are your thoughts.
Answer the SO WHAT? What are the implications now that you proved your position? Should
only moral people be allowed roles of leadership? Should all parents be forced to take childrearing
classes to ensure a proper environment for their innately evil (or good) children?
Make a statement of appeal whats one last way you can convince readers to agree?
Finisher: make you audience remember your essay (not in an infamous way!)

McFakey 4
Works Cited (example only)
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Putnam, 1954.
Halle, Louis. Tragedy and Heroism in the Lord of the Flies. Blooms Notes. Ed. Harold Bloom
Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publishers, 1996. 24-25.
Hamilton, John. Leaders and Followers. Magill Book Reviews (1995): N.p. EBSCOhost. Web. 1 March
2010.
Slayton, Paul. Teaching Rationale for William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Censored Books: Critical
Viewpoints. Ed. Carl Harris. Boston: Houghton, 1993. 351-357.

It has a header at the top, as it is considered the last page of your essay

Double-space the entire Works Cited page and note that your last name and a page number
should appear in the upper right corner, typed in the header

Title is centered

DO NOT NUMBER THE ENTRIES on your Works Cited page.

Alphabetize entries on the Works Cited page using the author's last name (or article name if no
author).

Each entry starts on a new line

All second lines and subsequent lines of entries are indented.
o Highlight your text

Standards Addressed: ELACC9-10W1a-e: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. ELACC9-10W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. ELACC9-10W5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising,
editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. ELACC910W7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question. ELACC9-10W8: Gather relevant information from
multiple authoritative print and digital sources. ELACC9-10W9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research. ELACC9-10L1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing.
ELACC9-10L2a-d: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
ELACC9-10L3: a. Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual -MLA Handbook.