SYNTHESIS INTRODUCTION Synthesis Writing Creative Commons License Although at its most basic level a synthesis involves combining two or more summaries, synthesis writing is more difficult than it might at first appear because this combining must be done in a meaningful way and the final essay must generally be thesis-driven. In composition courses, “synthesis” commonly refers to writing about printed texts, drawing together particular themes or traits that you observe in those texts and organizing the material from each text according to those themes or traits. Sometimes you may be asked to synthesize your own ideas, theory, or research with those of the texts you have been assigned. In your other college classes you'll probably find yourself synthesizing information from graphs and tables, pieces of music, and art works as well. The key to any kind of synthesis is the same.

FOCUS To Kill a Mockingbird, set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s takes place in an era where racism and prejudice were common. The author Harper Lee was facing similar problems when writing the book in the 1960s. As such, many life lessons are learned about these issues from the themes of the novel. These themes point to the cause of the social turmoil and teach us how to prevent racism and prejudice in the future; they tie the historic and literary settings together and are at the core of the novel’s success.

TASK: Revisit your notes on the historical artifacts in your TKAM packet. What theme do you see being repeated? (Look at your themes list in the TKAM packet) Write it down and put stars next to the sources it relates to.

 Prompt: Read the sources carefully. Then, write an essay in which you create and support a claim capturing one of the themes and its effect in relation to the novel and historical time periods. Use the information presented in the sources to support your points. Make sure to use evidence from multiple sources, and make sure you cite the source when you use it.  Your written response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay.  Manage your time carefully so that you can:  Plan your essay  Write your essay  Revise and edit your essay  Be sure to:  Include a claim  Use evidence from multiple sources  Do not over rely on one source 1 2 a. b. c. 3 a.b.

BREAKDOWN: 1.Think about your argument. What theme has had an effect in the novel and historical time periods (‘30s and ‘60s)? What are the effects? 2.Write down a claim that you can support with the texts. Consider the following formula: From the theme, “ __________”, in TKAM by Harper Lee we learn that __________ (theme topic) (has the following effects in literature and history: ______________.)  Do not write an obvious statement, instead write something you can prove. Brainstorm general effects of not learning from the theme (leaving space between). For each effect write down two or three historical artifacts that support your claim and what we learn from each. You can also use examples from the text.

TEACHER EXAMPLE: From the theme, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee we learn that prejudice affects people’s actions negatively in literature and history. Prejudice causes misconceived notions about someone that are untrue (Mrs. Dubose/Dolphus Raymond/Boo Radley, Ruby Bridges, Stereotype image) Prejudice will physically hurt others (Tom Robinson, Richard Jewell, Photograph of 1960s policeman) We are all part of the human condition and have more similarities than differences (“Brother can you spare a dime?”, Warriors Don’t Cry, Why I joined the Klan”) Each piece of evidence should support and tie back in to the claim.