You've Got to Fight for your Right to Synthesize!

Essay due: Monday, April 24

Write a paper that synthesizes classroom sources and your own knowledge, experiences, and research to answer the question “What do Americans think is worth fighting for?” Remember that a synthesis paragraph begins with your own opinion/topic sentence, which is supported by quotations from two different sources. Not all of your body paragraphs need to be synthesis paragraphs. Four to seven pages. MLA format.

Minimums:

1) Two synthesis paragraphs.

2) Six sources. You may consider:

-       “Remarks by the President at the Acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize,” by Barack Obama

-       Songs presented by your classmates

-       Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo

-       Historical conflicts, large and small

-       Contemporary conflicts, such as wars in Africa and the Middle East

-       Contemporary and classical literature

-       Modern films

-       Popular songs

-       Personal experience

-       Something interesting that I haven’t thought of yet

3) An element of visual rhetoric (this counts as one of your six sources). This could be an editorial cartoon, an image, or a graph or chart. Your image should be included in the body of the paper. You should explain how this image helps you explore what Americans feel is worth fighting for. Be sure to cite the source of your image. Beware that using a large image to pad your page length does not actually add much content.

4) Be sure your internet sources are reliable and college level. Beware of over-reliance on The Huffington Post and similar sources. Be sure to review how to establish your sources.

5) Evidence against your thesis, soundly refuted by your laser sharp logic.

6) A properly formatted Works Cited page.