English 11 Honors Summer Assignment Each student will select ONE group of texts from the list below. Then students will construct a four-paragraph essay that synthesizes ONE theme found in both the book and TED talk. This requires students to write a carefully constructed thematic statement that applies to both pieces. Students should note that thematic statements consist of the central argument the author makes in a given piece of work. Thematic statements are often commentaries about life and/society. See the attached handout for more information. Students should also note that synthesis essays require students to demonstrate the ability to find commonalities among pieces and then comment on the larger implications or ramifications the pieces present. See the attached handout for more information. Students should include specific textual evidence from each text as well as strong analysis and explanation as it relates to the theme. The essay must be typed in MLA format and is due the first day of school. See the attached handout. Students who do not complete the summer reading assignment will get a zero as a grade. Select ONE group of texts from the options below: 1. King Dork by Frank Portman and The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain TED Talk found at http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts 2. So You ve Been Publically Shamed by Jon Ronson and Listening to Shame by Brene Brown TED Talk found at http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame#t-466758 3. White Oleander by Janet Finch and To This Day for the bullied and beautiful by Shane Koyczan TED Talk found at http://www.ted.com/talks/shane_koyczan_to_this_day_for_the_bullied_and_beaut iful#t-695930 Students may want to watch each TED Talk before selecting the corresponding book. Students with questions should contact: Mr. Adam Patai apatai@interact.ccsd.net Ms. Kimberly Mahan KRomain@interact.ccsd.net
How to synthesize sources to write a well-constructed essay What is a synthesis? To SYNTHESIZE means to assemble parts into a new whole. The parts are the different sources, each representing a distinct view or views on a particular topic. The whole is your essay in which you explain your position (your claim or thesis statement), considering views from the sources that show both sides of the issue. A synthesis essay is NOT a summary of the sources. Examples of synthesis: Similarity: shows how sources support the same idea. Contrast: shows how sources support different sides of an issue. Accumulation: shows how sources build on one another. The Synthesis Essay In the writing section of the exam, the students need to synthesize several sources related by a thesis statement, by drawing together particular themes or traits that observed in those sources and organizing the material from each text according to the prompt Tips for effective synthesis. The students should - read carefully the prompt and create a thesis statement, - use the time allowed to become familiar with the sources given, - discuss them in relation to the thesis, - use all the sources by relating them to what they have in common. Writing the essay Students preparation for the synthesis may involve summaries, comparison, and analysis, along with a solid organization. Introduction (one paragraph) 1. Should introduce the reader to the subject(s) of the essay (general information about the subject(s)). 2. Should provide more specific information about the topic leading to the thesis. 3. Should provide the titles and authors of the texts being synthesized. 4. Should contain a one-sentence thesis or claim that states what the essay will be proving or supporting. Synthesis Thesis Statement A thesis for a synthesis essay has multiple parts: 1. It identifies the common theme or rhetorical strategy. 2. It identifies how the authors are using that theme or rhetorical strategy. 3. It goes beyond stating the similarities and/or differences; it asserts what larger idea can be arrived at by looking at both texts.
A poor thesis statement would be: Book A and Book B share the theme of isolation. What do the sources say about this theme? Example Thesis Statements When these novels are examined together, we find that both show that on the way to discovering oneself, there should be a focus on not only ourselves and our actions, but also a focus on understanding the nature of the world around us. Both authors argue that by taking a path of greater resistance, people can make a difference against injustice which exists in society: in Bless Me, Ultima, the characters of Antonio and Ultima challenge the choice of taking a path of least resistance, as introduced by Johnson in Privilege, Power, and Difference, by standing up against injustices. Body of the essay Organized by theme, point, similarity, or aspect of the topic, the body of the essay should contain the following information, organized according to the prompt and the patterns discerned in the sources. Comparison/Analysis A comparison of the sources main ideas just summarized is very helpful so that the reader can understand the ways in which the sources are related to the thesis statement. The comparison shows similarities and/or differences between the different sources. After summarizing and comparing the sources, students are ready to analyze them as they relate to the thesis statement; this is the time for the students to offer their interpretations and personal opinions on the issue being discussed. It is vital to use textual evidence to support your claims. Furthermore, students should then provide in depth analysis and explanation to support the thesis using textual evidence. This section should be the bulk of the essay. Students should provide both sufficient evidence AND analysis. Conclusion The conclusion is a summary of your essay and ideas. It does not introduce new ideas. The format for the conclusion is: Restate the thesis Summarize the main points of the essay that support or prove your claim/thesis. End with a closing thought. The closing thought DOES NOT restate the thesis. This would be redundant. The closing thought allows students to evaluate how their thesis relates to a larger context. This may include implications or ramifications that apply to society. It is always possible to attract the reader s attention to further research on the matter.
Writing Thematic Statements or What IS a Theme Anyway? Theme is the central message of a literary work. It is not the same as a subject, which is expressed in a word or two: courage, survival, war, pride, etc. The theme is the idea the author wishes to convey about that subject. It is expressed as a sentence or general statement about life or human nature. A literary work can have more than one theme, and most themes are not directly stated but are implied. o The reader must think about all the elements of the work and use them to make inferences, or reasonable guesses, as to which themes seem to be implied. (from Laying the Foundation series of books published by AP Strategies in Dallas) For example: if love is a topic/subject of two novels, a major theme in one of the novels could be Love, if taken to extremes, can be negative rather than positive, while in the other novel, the theme might be Love can conquer even the greatest evil. Notice that the topic/subject is the same, but the messages about that topic/subject are different in different works. Consider this: A theme is a meaning of a work. (Yes, there can be more than one meaning. ) Can the meaning of a work be love? hate? greed? No that makes no sense! Those are just topics, not themes. The theme is the statement an author is making about a topic. Stating the theme of a work of literature 1. Begin by using several abstract words to state the principal ideas of the work (topics that the piece is really about). Abstract words describe concepts or ideas that exist only in our minds like alienation, prejudice, ambition, freedom, love, loyalty, passion, etc. 2. Combine those abstract ideas with comments that reflect the author s observations about human nature, the human condition, or human motivation. In other words, what is the author saying about the abstract idea? Is he/she, for example, saying something about the qualities of people and/or commenting on society? Avoiding the common mistakes in writing a thematic statement 1. A theme is NOT a moral, a directive, or an order. A moral/directive/order tells us how to behave or what to do. A theme observes, weighs, and considers actions and ideas, but it avoids judging what people should or should not do; therefore, words like should and ought are not appropriate in a thematic statement. Also not appropriate is an order/directive such as Be nice to elderly people or Love like there s no tomorrow. 2. Themes are NOT trite sayings (clichés, maxims, or aphorisms) such as Actions speak louder than words, Love hurts, or Absence makes the heart grow fonder. 3. Themes do NOT refer to the specific names or events of a particular literary piece. A theme does not summarize a work, but it does reflect what happens in the work. A theme drops character names and uses more general terms like parents, leaders, society, or young people in a general observation about the human experience. 4. Themes avoid absolute terms such as all, none, everything, or always because they indicate sloppy thinking; they are categorical, no exceptions. Terms like we, sometimes, or often suggest a more realistic view of the variety of human experiences.
Modern Language Association (MLA) Format and Documentation This handout covers the basics of MLA format and the documentation of sources students frequently use. For more complete information, refer to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research in the Writing Center and at the reserve desk at the Chester Fritz Library. The MLA has a brief FAQ page online at http://www.mla.org/handbook_faq Formatting Your Paper Margins: One-inch on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. Page Numbering: Use your word processor to create a header that includes your last name and the page number in the upper right hand corner of the page, one half inch from the top of the page. Every page has this header. Title Page: MLA style does not require a title page; instead, the first page of the paper should begin with four lines, double spaced, indicating: your name, name of the course instructor, name of the course, and the date. Spacing: Double-space every line (including long quotes and the citations on the Works Cited page). Indenting: Indent the first line of every paragraph five spaces or one tab. Indent long quotations ten spaces or two tabs. Font and Typeface: Use a 12-point font in Times New Roman UND Writing Center writingcenter.und.edu Merrifield Hall Room 12 701-777-2795 Creating the Works Cited Page Continue the page numbering sequence from the main body of your paper. Center the words Works Cited one inch from the top of the page. Continue double-spacing. If the citation takes up more than one line of the page, indent the remaining line(s) one-half inch from the left margin. Reverse the name of the author: list the author s last name followed by a comma and the author s first name. Alphabetize the works you cite by the last name of the author. If there is no known author, alphabetize by the first word in the title of the work other than A, An, or The. An MLA-style works cited page looks like this: A Book by a Single Author Author s Name. Title of the Book. City of Publication: Name of the Publisher, year. Medium of publication. Gregory, Phillipa. The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel. New York: Simon, 2001. Print.
An Anthology or a Compilation Editor s Name, ed. Title of the Book. City of Publication: Name of the Publisher, year. Medium of publication. Martin, Wendy, ed. The Beacon Book of Essays by Contemporary American Women. Boston: Beacon, 1996. Print. A Book by Two or More Authors If the book has two or more authors, list their names in the same order they appear on the title page of the book. Reverse only the name of the first author. Author s Name, and Author s Name. Title of the Book. City of Publication: Name of the Publisher, year. Medium of publication. Witte, Stephen P., and Lester Faigley. Evaluating College Writing Programs. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP. Print. A Work in an Anthology Author s Name. Title of the Part of the Book Being Cited. Title of the Anthology. Ed. Editor s Name. City of Publication: Name of the Publisher, year. Page numbers of the cited piece. Medium of publication. Didion, Joan. On Going Home. The Beacon Book of Essays by Contemporary American Women. Ed. Wendy Martin. Boston: Beacon, 1996. 3-5. Print. A Nonperiodical Web Publication (including web sites sponsored by newspapers, magazines, and news organizations) Author s Name. Title of the Work. Title of the Overall Web Site. Publisher or Sponsor of the Site, Date of publication. Medium of publication. Date of access. Han, Phil. Jailbreak Fugitive Updates Facebook Page. CNN.com. Cable News Network, 23 Dec. 2009. Web. 23 Dec. 2009. A Journal Article in an Online Database Author s Name. Title of the Article. Name of the Journal volume number.issue number (year): page numbers. Title of the Database. Medium of publication. Date of access. Gould, Elizabeth. Women Working in Music Education: The War Machine. Philosophy of Music Education Review 17.2 (2009): 126-143. Project Muse. Web. 23 Dec. 2009. Citing Sources in Your Paper In your text, you can mention the source in a phrase that introduces the quotation and place the relevant page number(s) in a parenthetical reference at the end of the paraphrase or quotation, before the end punctuation: In Hunger as Ideology, Susan Bordo claims that women are inundated with advertisements in which food is constructed as a sexual object of desire and eating is legitimated as much more than a purely nutritive activity (150). Alternatively, you can cite both the information source and the page number(s) in a parenthetical reference at the end of the paraphrase or quotation, before the end punctuation. We demand images of youth because sagging flesh is almost the ultimate signifier of decay and disorder (Bordo 176).
If the quotation is more than four lines, start a block quotation on a new line and indent it one inch (two tabs) from the left margin. Do not add quotation marks. The end punctuation is placed before the parenthetical reference. Pratt explains how interactions are viewed through the lens of power: When linguistic (or literate) interaction is described in terms of orderliness, games, moves, or scripts, usually only legitimate moves are actually named as part of the system, where legitimacy is defined from the point of view of the party in authority regardless of what other parties might see themselves as doing. (508) If a source has two authors, use both last names in the parenthetical reference. In the end of The Gold Rush, the main character George was able to find his wife even though she was swept away by the current (Benson and Mumford 26). If a source has three authors, use the last name of each person listed. (Murphy, Stay, and Rafoth 22) If a source has more than three authors, you may cite all authors or use the last name of the first author followed by et al. (Huang et al. 10) If a source has no identified author, give the title of the work in your parenthetical reference. You may use a shortened version of the title as long as it directs the reader to the correct entry in the works cited page. This example cites information from The Longman Guide to the Web: (Longman Guide 137)