For this assignment, you must write a 4 to 5 page analysis/synthesis that compares any two essays we have read so far this semester. Proper documentation and a Works Cited page are required. Your analysis/synthesis should also have a title.
1) An introduction which identifies the text under analysis and which provides pertinent background information. Additionally, you should state the authors’ primary point (their thesis) and the point(s) you intend to make about their article (your thesis).
2) An accurate summary of the text. This should be no more than 1/4 of your essay. However, try to provide readers with enough material so they relatively understand the text you are analyzing.
3) An analysis that evaluates the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the writing techniques. Give your readers a view of what the writing accomplishes and how it accomplishes that. You might also want to consider what the authors haven’t accomplished, as well.
4) Your response to the arguments themselves. How do you feel about the authors’ views? Do you agree or disagree with some or all of the points that the authors are making? This section might benefit from comparisons with other pieces of writing or from the inclusion of a personal experience.
5) A conclusion. This should make a reasoned claim about the overall validity of the writing you are analyzing.
Remember that an analysis/synthesis does not have to be wholly negative or positive; it is possible to agree with the basic argument while seeing holes in the article’s logic, to agree with only part of the thesis, etc.