Synthesis Assignment

Synthesis Assignment Please download this document and type in your responses. The space will expand as you type. • Please read the following two passages from Chris Cleave¡¯s Little Bee and the passage from Michael Peel¡¯s A Swamp Full of Dollars: • In the immigration detention center, they told us we must be disciplined to overcome our fears. This is the discipline I learned: whenever I go into a new place, I work out how I would kill myself there. In case the men come suddenly, I make sure I am ready. (Cleave 47) • Yevette turned toward me but I was still watching the girl. The wind blew at her yellow sari and I saw there was a scar across her throat, right across it, thick like your little finger. It was white as a bone against her dark skin. It was knotted and curled around her windpipe, like it did not want to let go. Like it thought it still had a chance of finishing her off. She saw me looking and she hid her scar with her hand, so I looked at her hand. There were scars on that too. We have our agreement about scars, I know, but this time I looked away because sometimes you can see too much beauty. (Cleave 58) • In other highly corrupt states, the criminals know that they have to give the real economy space to flourish if they are to take their share. But if your nation¡¯s wealth is extracted by hired hands, such as the international oil companies, you need do nothing more than snatch your slice. The area boys are part of a grab-it-now free-for-all that helps explain Nigeria¡¯s paradox of poverty: its oil makes it richer than most African countries, yet the scale and scope of its social decay rank in some ways among the worst on the continent. (Peel 68) • Having read the above excerpts, think about an argument research paper you could write in which you would analyze/synthesize the above excerpts as a part of your argument. Now generate a thesis that is broad enough to produce a 10 ¨C 12 paper. Remember that a thesis statement starts as a question that you ask yourself about the text; it then morphs into a one-sentence statement. Thesis: • Now that you have a thesis statement, develop a rough (brief) outline for your hypothetical paper. This need only be four or five points; under one of the points would be your argument regarding the above excerpts. For example: • Introduction (no need to write anything here) • Point A (provide a brief heading) • Point B (provide a brief heading) • Detailed Support (above excerpts) • Point C (provide a brief heading) • Point D (provide a brief heading) • Conclusion (no need to write anything here) • Now please write a one - two page synthesis of the above excerpts in which you unpack what you think Cleave is illustrating by the two paragraphs vis-¨¤-vis the thesis of your paper and how Peel¡¯s comments support your analysis (this support, or it can be disagreement, by another author is the synthesis component). Please remember to include citations (author and page number) for any quotations. Please also include a Works Cited. For additional help regarding what I expect, please see the Synthesis Paragraph (actually more than one paragraph in this instance) posted in the Excellent Student Writing folder/module. The students¡¯ thesis for an argument paper is stated in the first sentence of the first paragraph. Note how well they cite the discourse regarding Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith as support for their thesis. Note also how the students integrate secondary literature (by Achebe - in a different essay in which he discusses Conrad, Lew, and Harris) into their discussion. Once again, this use of textual evidence other than that from the primary text (in the student example, the primary text is Things Fall Apart) is the synthesis component of the paper.