Smith is a thief, but he is also a child with almost no options in a society that treats poverty as a crime. That tension makes the novel ideal for persuasive writing prompts, such as asking whether Smith's actions can be justified or whether he deserves forgiveness. Students tend to care about the answer, which makes for energetic writing.

The grading challenge is separating the quality of the argument from the position taken. A student who argues that Smith is guilty and one who argues that he is innocent should both be able to earn an A if they reason well. Making that principle explicit in the rubric protects students from the suspicion that grades follow the teacher's opinion.

Persuasive essays also require students to ground opinions in textual evidence. It is easy to drift toward general statements about poverty and fairness without referring to anything Smith actually does. Good grading keeps pulling the writing back to the novel.

Criteria for Strong Persuasion

Look for a clear position, reasons that are distinct from each other, and evidence that genuinely supports each reason. Strong essays also acknowledge the best objection to their view, such as noting that Smith's victims suffered even if his motives were understandable. That willingness to engage a counterargument is a hallmark of advanced persuasive writing.

• States a clear position on Smith's responsibility in the opening
• Offers at least two distinct reasons supported by specific scenes
• Addresses a counterargument fairly and responds to it
• Uses a reasonable, controlled tone rather than exaggeration
• Closes with a thoughtful final point rather than repeating the thesis

Keeping Grading Fair

Fairness is easier when the rubric defines what counts as evidence and what counts as reasoning. Tell students that an appeal to emotion alone will not earn full credit, while a reasoned appeal that cites the text will. This helps them understand how persuasion differs from simple opinion.

Consider reading essays with names hidden, or at least in an order that changes between criteria, to reduce bias. Tools that apply the rubric uniformly can also help, since they respond to the writing and not to the student. Teachers can then check borderline cases personally.

Feedback on Counterarguments

Counterarguments are the weakest part of most student essays. Many simply write that some people disagree and then restate their own view. Feedback should show students how to state the opposing position fairly and then explain why their own reasoning still holds.

A comment such as "what would someone who thinks Smith is guilty say about the person he robbed, and how do you respond" gives a concrete task. AI-assisted drafting can generate such prompts across a whole class based on each essay's actual claims. That level of specificity is hard to maintain by hand at scale.

Extending the Assignment

Consider following the essay with a structured class debate, in which students defend the position opposite to the one they wrote. The shift reveals how well they understand the other side and often improves their written counterarguments in later work. It also reinforces that good persuasion depends on understanding the whole issue.

Whatever format you choose, return to the central lesson that Smith resists easy judgments. Students who can hold that complexity in mind while still taking a clear position are doing the kind of thinking that persuasive writing is meant to build.