Sample Paragraphs for Synthesis Essay
*Sample Thesis Statements:
(a.) In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily's experiences with grief can be explained by examining aspect of grief #1,
aspect of grief #2, and aspect of grief #3. OR
(b.) In The Secret Life of Bees, the way in which aspect of grief influences character behavior can be seen by
examining Lily's, T. Ray's, and May's experiences with death.
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH
(a.)A young child learns that life is not always pleasant when she discovers that her pet turtle has
passed away. She is distraught and is experiencing a plethora of emotions. But because her parents
understand the signs she is exhibiting, they can help her through this experience. (b.) Grief can be defined as
an emotion that is expressed when one experiences a deep loss of some kind. This loss may merely be
disappointment, or it could be the passing of a loved one. (c.) In the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue
Monk Kidd, various characters struggle with grief. Lily is a young girl who struggles to deal with the fact
that when she was only four years old she accidently killed her mother. Her father, T. Ray, struggles with
this fact as well, and does not seem to know how to meet her daughter's needs. May suffers from depression
and has difficulty facing life's sorrows as a result of her sister committing suicide when she was just a
teenager. (d). In The Secret Life of Bees, the way in which traumatic circumstances surrounding death
influence character behavior can be seen by examining Lily's, T. Ray's, and May's experiences with lost loved
ones.
SAMPLE BODY PARAGRAPH
(a.) In the novel, Lily struggles to deal with the death of her mother, specifically
because of the fact that she is partly responsible for the death and because the death is
unexpected. (b.) When Lily is only four years old, she accidentally kills her mother with a
shot gun. She is unprepared for this event and suffers from guilt up to age fourteen. She also
spends the majority of her life trying to find answers surrounding how her mother’s death
and her mother’s identity. (c.) The author states, “Time folded in on itself then. What is left
lies in clear yet disjointed pieces in my head. The gun shining like a toy in her hand, how he
snatched it away and waved it around . The gun on the floor. Bending to pick it up. The
noise that exploded around us. This is what I know about myself. She was all I wanted.
And I took her away” (Kidd 7-8). (d.) This illustrates the tragic circumstances surrounding
the death of Lily’s mother and the fact that Lily blames herself for this death. (e.) This
behavior can be explained by the fact that studies have shown that people who experience
traumatic deaths experience traumatic grief. (f.) The author states, “Children with childhood
traumatic grief experience the cause of that death as horrifying or terrifying, whether the death was
sudden and unexpected (due to homicide, suicide, motor vehicle accident, natural disaster, war,
terrorism, or other causes)…” (Goodman, Cohen, Epstein, Kliethermes, Layne, Macy, and
Ward-Wimmer). (g.) This shows that Lily’s reaction to her mom’s death can be explained by
the fact that children may be more likely to experience traumatic grief if the death was
sudden or traumatic. (h.) Thus, horrific events of a death can affect the way people grieve.
SAMPLE CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH
(a) The young grieving child is able to be understood and comforted by her parents because her
parents have knowledge of how young people experience grief. (b). Grief in life and in realistic fiction
can be understood by analyzing experiences through the use of non-fiction literature. Specifically, the
experiences of Lily, T. Ray, and May in The Secret Life of Bees can be explained by understanding the
background of traumatic grief. (c.) Understanding this type of grief can be important when dealing with
friends and family who may be suffering from the sudden loss of a loved one. On a global level, those
dealing with the loss of family and friends in the recent earthquake in Haiti or in war can benefit from
knowledge of traumatic grief. These events were sudden and horrific, and likely left numerous
individuals struggling to cope. (d.) When reading and analyzing fiction, it is important to understand
why characters exhibit certain behaviors and the circumstances which they are going through in order to
make connections to the text. It is also significant when trying to maintain positive relationships in life
and overcome tragedy.