Argumentative essays work best when students care about the question. The Help provides plenty of those. Who has the right to tell a story? Is Skeeter a hero or a beneficiary? Does the book help or hinder how readers understand the civil rights era?

Those questions produce passionate writing, which is both a strength and a challenge. Passion without evidence produces essays that feel strong and score poorly. Your job is to channel the energy into structure.

Good argumentative writing needs a claim, reasons, evidence, and a response to opposing views. The novel supplies rich evidence, and outside sources can supply the counterarguments.

The topics and grading approach below aim for that balance.

Debate-worthy topics

Pick questions where reasonable readers disagree and the text offers support on both sides. Avoid questions with an obvious moral answer, since they invite little thinking. Phrase each as a claim students can support or challenge.

• Skeeter's project does more good than harm for the women she interviews
• The novel is more valuable as a conversation starter than as a historical account
• A white author can write Black voices responsibly if she does the research
• Hilly is a realistic portrayal of prejudice rather than an exaggeration
• Aibileen's ending is more hopeful than tragic

Grading the argument, not the stance

Tell students that the position they take will not affect their grade. The reasoning will. This is especially important with topics tied to race and representation.

Score claim clarity, quality of reasons, use of evidence, and handling of counterarguments separately. The last one matters most. A student who fairly represents the other side and still holds a position shows real skill.

Common weaknesses

Watch for essays that rely on personal feeling without textual support. "I think Skeeter is selfish" needs a scene and an argument. Ask students to show their reasoning.

Watch also for weak counterarguments. Some students set up a flimsy opposing view just to knock it down. Encourage them to present the strongest version of the other side.

Feedback and revision

Feedback that asks students to defend a step in their reasoning tends to work best. "Why does this quote prove your point rather than the opposite?" invites a thoughtful revision.

With a large stack, consistent rubric-based first-pass feedback can flag missing counterarguments or unsupported claims. You can then spend your time on the finer reasoning issues.