WRITING ASSIGNMENT # 3 Flowers for Algernon



“Flowers for Algernon”

A Pro/Con Argumentative Writing Piece

SITUATION:

A major theme of “Flowers for Algernon” is the potential use and abuse of science and technology in addressing problems of human life. Algernon (and Charlie) had an operation to triple their intelligence. Even though the experiment wasn’t permanent, there were benefits to performing this surgery on a mouse. In other words, there were both pros and cons of using an animal for both medical and scientific research.

Think about it: Do the benefits of animal testing outweigh the drawbacks? Opponents say it is cruel and inhumane, but proponents say that animal testing has resulted in many life-saving treatments and cures.

What’s your opinion?

PROMPT:

Should animals be used for scientific or medical research?

Using the writing process, you will write an argumentative essay that responds to the above question. Your essay will include an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph.

The body of your essay should address the following areas:

¶ Give one clear reason for your opinion and support the reason with one fact, example, or quote from the article, short story, or outside sources. Include a detailed explanation of the quote in each of your body paragraphs.

¶ Give a second clear reason for your opinion and support the reason with one fact, example, or quote from the article, short story or outside sources. Include a detailed explanation of the quote in each of your body paragraphs.

¶ Give a counterargument. In other words, anticipate the opposition and refute those arguments. What is one argument the opposing side might say about animal testing? How will you respond to this statement?

Choose your side of the argument and use one of the following thesis statements.

Animals should be used for scientific or medical research because...

OR

Animals should not be used for scientific or medical research because.. .

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download