The Art of Sincere Synthesis

The College Board explains that “synthesis refers to combining sources and the writer’s

position to form a cohesive, supported argument and accurately citing all sources.”

What is synthesis?

• Synthesis asks students to consider related issues in an effort to fully understand a larger issue.

What does that even mean?

• You need to establish a thesis that considers multiple viewpoints while presenting your own viewpoint as the primary argument.

• You should include both concession and refutation.

• You should use both inductive and deductive reasoning.

Remember?

Synthesis Formats

• Cause and effect• Pro/con argument• Issues and

considerations

You must understand the nature of the task. The introduction is not the task.

Peruse the sources. • Assess each text individually.

• Consider the form of each text. When was it published? Why was it written? Upper half essays consider not only content but also the form.

• Circle clarifying and defining diction that helps you to identify the meaning.

• Underline parts of the passage that you could quote that help you to identify the meaning.

Remember:

If you are just summarizing the sources, you are NOT synthesizing.

You must choose a position, state it, and use the sources to support the position.

Strategies: AP synthesis looks at perspectives, not bias.

• Next, for each document, identify the various issues and perspectives, both pro and con. Which documents support which perspectives or issues? Which refute them?

• How do these sources speak to one another? Choose the 3 most important issues being addressed and list them. Then go back to your circled and underlined sections to find the parts you will quote in your essay and draw arrows to the 3 issues on your list.

• Write one “personal” example for each factor that you could bring to the essay (personal knowledge, reading, experience, observation).

• Establish your own position. Make sure to address the complexities.

Remember, you will be having a dialogue with the sources.

Try filling in the blanks for the following suggested introductory templates.

Don’t use first person in the actual thesis.

In discussions of X, one controversial issue has been ____. On the one hand, ____ argues ____. On the other hand, ___ contends ___. Others maintain _____. My own view is _____.

• In discussions of introducing more fried foods into the cafeteria menu, one controversial issue has been the issue of health risks associated with consuming lard. On the one hand, Colonel Sanders argues that there’s no such thing as too much grease. On the other hand, the Surgeon General contends that grease equals an early kick into the grave. Others maintain that moderation is the key. My own view is that serving fried chicken on B Days will not disrupt anyone’s universe enough to matter.

Try filling in the blanks for the following suggested introductory templates.

Don’t use first person in the actual thesis.

When it comes to the topic of ___, most of us will agree that ___. Where the agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of ___. Whereas some are convinced that ___, others maintain that ___. My own view is ___.

When it comes to the topic of healthy food choices, most of us will agree that choosing balanced meals can only be good for everyone. Where the agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of just exactly what constitutes a healthy diet. Whereas some are convinced that anything fried is evil, others maintain that the body needs fat to function efficiently. My own view is that an all or nothing policy with regard to food is what is most unhealthy in the discussion of school menu choices.

Or use the following formula to create an effective thesis: Although Z, X because Y.

• Develop an assertion from the text: X.

Feeding children unhealthy food is a form of child abuse.

• Add WHY: Y.Because it creates unhealthy

adults who will die before their time.

• Now add the rebuttal, using ALTHOUGH: Z.

Although many people view choosing what they want to eat as an inalienable right,

Although many people view choosing what they want to eat as an inalienable right, feeding children unhealthy food is a form of child abuse because it creates unhealthy adults who will die before their time.

Strategies: AP synthesis looks at perspectives, not bias.

• Write a well-developed conversation for each issue using at least 2 of the quotes. Include the “personal” example with plenty of commentary. Make sure to address the connection between the sources as they relate to each issue. Make sure to connect to your thesis.

• Then ask, So what? This will be your conclusion.

Use documentation correctly.

• Cite sources, whether by name or by Source A, etc. Be consistent.

• It you cite a source, comment on it. The higher essays have at least a 3:1 ratio of commentary to quote.

• Don’t use long, unconnected quotes.

• If you cite it, use it correctly. Don’t use a source out of context. Don’t use a source to generalize about all sources.

• Use ellipsis correctly – use enough of the quote so that the readers know what you are talking about.

Use citations correctly.

Much has been made of the Kennedy-Nixon debates as an example of the power of the media in an election. In his article for The Encyclopedia of Television, Angus Campbell cites this as an example of television’s “novel contribution to the political life of the nation” (Source A). In his discussion of these debates, Louis Menand believes, along with historian Theodore White and even Kennedy himself, that television gave Kennedy the election (Source B). Menand repeats the familiar example of how people who saw the debate on television thought Kennedy had won, but those who had heard it on the radio though Nixon had won (Source B).

Use citations correctly.• However, despite the impact of television on the 1960

election, the broadcasting of presidential debates has had less of an impact on elections since that time. As the table in Source C illustrates, during the difficult years of the Vietnam War, no one wanted to debate on television. And even when the televised debates resumed in 1976, the number of people watching debates steadily declined from a peak in 1980, even though the number of channels had expanded (Source C), as had the number of televisions and viewers. Perhaps there was something about the novelty of the first televised debates that made them more influential than they would be in our time when television has become more commonplace.

Use citations correctly.

• Don’t say things like, “Source C states” or “Source B says.”

• Higher scoring essays use both the names associated with the sources and the source delineation in parentheses.

• Be careful not to confuse someone quoted in a source for the author of the source.

• Regular rules apply for quotes within quotes.• Cite every reference to a source.

High-Scoring Essays• The best essays begin by

contextualizing the issue, explaining briefly why educated citizens ought to read on.

• The thesis does justice to the complexity of the issue while foregrounding the writer’s position.

• These essays provide extended consideration of at least 3 sources. They go beyond merely citing to assaying their significance to the thesis.

• They forge connections between the writer’s position and the authors of the sources.

• The prose demonstrates an ability to control a wide variety of the elements of effective writing.

High-Scoring Essays

• Writers of the top essays enter into a conversation with the sources rather than being overwhelmed by them.

• These essays attribute information gained from the sources.

• These essays provide conclusions that do not merely summarize but address the “so what?” issue. How should educated citizens continue to think about the issue at hand? How will it continue to influence readers’ lives?

Middle-scoring essays

• The introductory contextualizing statement is brief.• The thesis is bald and straightforward and does not do

much to address the complexities.• The writers comment on the sources briefly. For a 5, the

consideration of the sources may be uneven.• The links between their own positions and those

represented by the sources are either very literal or strained.

• The conclusions are repetitive and reuse the language of the thesis.

• Though the language may contain lapses in diction or syntax, generally the prose is clear.

Low-scoring essays

• The sources dominate. Writers tend to leap directly into summarizing or describing the source material rather than contextualizing.

• There is little analysis. The sources may have been merely summarized or paraphrased.

• The sources are not always cited and/or only 2 sources are cited.

• Sometimes the writer has misread the source.• The essay includes large, directly-quoted

excerpts with very little commentary.• The prose suggests immature control of writing.

In the final analysis, it’s all about the VOICE!

• Use the material to create a personal voice. You must connect the sources to your position. Let’s just say, for argument, that you are a chicken. And your name is Sue Bridehead.

Although many people view chicken as the ultimate go-with-everything entrée (or pork, not mentioning any names), eating chicken negatively affects society because it tends to produce chaos and fear among chickens (like me), who should be allowed to feather their nests in peace instead of worrying about how they are going to look at the roast.

Works Consulted

• I consulted several documents on the AP Central website. There are many, many documents that address the synthesis essay.

• I consulted the following independent on-line source: http://blog.wsd.net/gllewis/category/ap-language-and-composition-english-11/

• Google Images remains a BFF.