Download “Lamb to the Slaughter” Persuasive Writing Assignment

“Lamb to the Slaughter” Persuasive Writing Assignment Borrowed and adapted from: http://writingfix.com/Short_story_Prompts/Lamb_slaughter1.htm For this story, you are going to imagine that the murderer has been apprehended and put on trial for what she has done. In fact, you are going to assume the role of defense attorney for the accused murderer. You are going to have to pay close attention to details in the story as they read, because your job is to prove that the murderer is not guilty of the crime she is accused of committing. Now that you have read the story, you will be ready to re-­‐read the text to look for details to support a closing argument for Mary Maloney’s defense. To start, listen to this recording from To Kill a Mockingbird. It is the closing argument by Atticus Finch, the leading lawyer in the novel and film. American Rhetoric – To Kill a Mockingbird http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechtokillamockingbird.html Now look at the graphic organizer included with this lesson, which has hints provided for each type of quote to guide you in the right direction. You might want to look for quotes to support your closing argument and case for temporary insanity. You will need to gather at least three quotes from the story that support that your client was of a diminished mental capacity at the time of the crime and is no longer in that state, in order to avoid prison time. Starting the Writing Assignment: The closing argument easily lends itself to the standard five paragraph persuasive essay. Students should begin their piece with an introduction to their plea of temporary insanity followed by a paragraph for each of their three quotes, along with an explanation of how each relates to Mrs. Maloney’s plea for temporary insanity. The ending paragraph can summarize the points and convince the judge/jury that your client should not go to prison for this crime. Your essay/argument should be 4-­‐5 paragraphs in length. It should contain at least 3 quotes from the story. It should be in MLA format and contain correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. Useful Resources: Persuasive Writing Help Center http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr4.htm