You've done a lot of work to get ready for this last assignment. But, it is one of the most challenging styles of writing - the synthesis essay - so be ready for some brain-burning thinking.
Synthesis Topic: In a multi-paragraph response, of at least 400 words, contrast the themes of two of the following poems.
- Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
- Talking To Grief
- Stop All the Clocks
- Brown Penny
First, know that writing a synthesis paper is a thinking process.
- All the reading beforehand is part of the process.
- Evaluating and sorting sources is part of the process.
- Carrying on a thinking conversation with the sources is part of the process.
- Taking control of the material and presenting it in a way which indicates that you have selected, judged, responded to, shaped, and used the material is part of the process.
- Finding the clearest, most concise language to express your opinions based on knowledge of the material is a process. (From: http://mysite.verizon.net/brian.kiehl/Synthesis%20Paper.pdf)
Your Tasks Today:
- Decide which two poems that you will work with.
- Review and re-read the poems. Talk about the poems. Write all over the poems until you can say what the theme and main ideas of each is. Really. Don't fake this part.
- Write a thesis statement that quickly acknowledges the similarities of the two poems but then gives a detailed sense of what contrasting points you will discuss in the body of your essay.
ex. While "Barbie Doll" is a post-feminist rant about how obsessive visions of perfect female beauty ruin women's lives, and "Gender Bender" seems to be just about the emotional life of a boy who wants to be a girl, both are really a criticism of societal hegemony and group think; the speakers in both poems ask readers to think more critically about gender roles and stereotypes. - Read the sample essay. Begin to sketch out a rough plan/draft of a synthesis essay.
