For the Synthesis Essay, students will analyze three works that we have read from at least two different periods of literature. Here are some sample topics, but you are not limited to them:
Analyze characterization across three different works. For example, what are the similarities and differences in character development in “The Outcasts of Poker Flat,” “The White Heron,” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”?
Analyze symbolism across three different works. How do the different authors use symbolism to add meaning to their works?
Analyze a common theme or motif across three different works, such as the roles of women, the use of dialect, or violence.
Consider the pervasiveness of realism in American literature by analyzing its characteristics in a work of literature from each of our time periods.
Whatever your topic, focus on the details of the analysis, but also consider its significance. What does it tell us about American literature?
Guidelines
Choose three works from at least two different time periods to analyze. For example, it would be fine to discuss two stories from the Realism section as long as the third work came from the 20th century.
One of the works can be something we have not read in class, but it should be written by an American author within the timeframe of our course.