Creating Your
Argumentative
Synthesis Essay
What is Analysis?
What is Synthesis?
What is a Thesis?
What is Argument?
“Okay, so what is analysis
anyway?”
Dictionary.com says that analysis is
the process as a method of studying
the nature of something.
So when you analyze you are thinking
about how one idea affects another or
taking something a part to see how
each part works
“So… What is analytical writing?”
It is writing about something, how one
thing affects another, or taking
something a part.
See how something works
Identify the parts as a whole
Determine how the parts relate to each
other
Determine its purpose or meaning
“Yeah, yeah, so what do you mean
by that?”
In analytical thinking and writing, its
not the “what’s and the how’s” that
reach the analytical level, it’s the why.
Essentially what you are doing when
you are writing analytically is
explaining why something is the way
it is.
You are explaining why you believe
your opinion to be true.
What analytical writing is NOT!
Analytical writing DOES NOT:
Summarize information
Transcribe information
Recite what is learned to the teacher or
reader.
This essay should show a fresh insight
that YOU come up with!!!!
So what is a Synthesis Essay?
According to Dictionary.com synthesis
means the combining of the constituent
elements of separate material or abstract
entities into a single or unified entity
Rewrite that definition in your own words in
the space provided in your notes.
Essentially when you synthesize, you
combine parts to make one thing or idea.
Can you think of any examples of when
you synthesize something?
So what is a Synthesis Essay?
For this essay you will analyze at least four
or five sources on the same topic.
Because these sources are on the same
topic, you should start to see a connection
between all the sources.
You should form opinions and ideas about
those connections.
Eventually, you will come up with ONE idea
that you think all the sources demonstrate
together.
This one idea will become your thesis.
What is a thesis?
Before you begin, you should identify what
your THESIS will be. ALL essays must have a
thesis!
A thesis is a summary sentence that supports
your opinion and idea.
It is the LAST sentence in your introductory
paragraph.
Three parts of an introductory paragraph:
hook, background information/transition, thesis
statement. (NOTE: We will learn how to write
the introductory paragraph after you do your
research and outline your essay.)
“Why does my essay need a thesis
statement?”
Without one your essay has no
focus!!! It would be a big blurry
mess!!!!
It helps put your main ideas into one
summary sentence.
It better organizes and develops the
opinion or argument of your essay.
It provides your readers with a “guide” to
your argument.
The Argumentative Synthesis
Essay
Goal: To persuade, to convince readers to
agree with a particular claim
Method: The writer brings together
information from various sources to support
the claim, while other sources may
represent views the writer rejects
Focus: The writer develops a position using
sufficient, relevant, and reliable support
and the methods of effective
argumentation.
Top Four Things to Remember from
Today’s Introduction
1.
2.
3.
4.
When you analyze, you explain why you think
something is the way it is or why your opinion is
true.
You synthesize after you analyze several
different related sources. The synthesis occurs
when you combine your ideas to form ONE idea
about that topic.
A thesis is a summary sentence about a topic
that demonstrates your ONE idea. It will be the
focus of your essay: it is your argument!
An argument develops a position using sufficient,
relevant, and reliable support and the methods
of effective argumentation
Let’s Practice together
Analyzing Better Off Dead
Get out a sheet of paper to complete this
activity.
In the introductory scenes of this movie,
you will see the four members of this
family. Based on what you see and
what you hear, decide how you would
characterize this family as a whole.
Where will you get your support for your
thesis?
Synthesizing Better Off Dead and
Son-in-law 3.8 Paragraph
In these movies, the characters are
____________________________
One example of this characterization is
_______________________________
(Explain sentence: Give example from film.)
Another example is________________
_______________________________
(Explain sentence: Give example from film.)
A final example of this characterization
is_____________________________
(Explain sentence: Give example from film.)
Conclusion sentence: Why this character
trait? What is the purpose?
Now let’s try synthesis
We are going to watch a second movie.
While watching this movie, I want you to
make a list of characteristics about the
main character.
We are then going to combine our ideas
about the first and second movie clips to
synthesize a single idea about the
similarities of the two main characters of
both the movies.