Synthesize your Writing

What does it mean to synthesize your writing in the 2nd Step of the Conclusion?

Standard CONCLUSION structure:

1.     Re-visit and re-envision the thesis

2.     Synthesize the closing sentences of the body-paragraphs

3.     Provide a culminating sentence to leave the reader assured that your argument is correct

Often, in a conclusion paragraph, students reach the 2nd step (synthesize; wrap up all of the main points), and they simply rehash everything that was stated in the body-paragraphs.  

B-O-R-I-N-G!  

Not only is it boring, but it is unnecessary.  The readers just read through all of the same content in the body-paragraphs.  Why would you simply re-post that same content?  Do not simply repeat things that were in your essay. Come on! They just read it.  Show them how the points you made and the support and examples you used were not random, but fit together.

syn·the·size

/ˈsinTHəˌsīz/

verb

make (something) by synthesis, especially chemically.
"man synthesizes new chemical poisons and sprays the countryside wholesale"

combine (a number of things) into a coherent whole.
"pupils should synthesize the data they have gathered"

produce (sound) electronically.
"trigger chips that synthesize speech"

(Google Dictionary) 

The 2nd step in the conclusion paragraph is where you wrap up all of the main points of the argument but through synthesis.  One easy way to do this is by looking at the closing sentences of your body-paragraphs.  If your body-paragraphs were constructed properly, you would have had...

1.                a topic sentence (1st sentence) of the paragraph that asserted a sub-point for the argument declared in the thesis,

2.              development sentences that establish the logic of your subpoint, provide a scholarly source defend this subpoint, and use ethos, pathos, and logos to convince the reader that the sub-point proves the thesis to be true.

3.              a closing sentence (the last sentence) of the paragraph that wraps up the sub-point while reflecting back to the topic sentence of the body-paragraph.

Therefore, if you have properly constructed your body-paragraphs, based on the structure above, then you have excellent sentences to synthesize in your CONCLUSION paragraph.  

Be sure to follow the standard CONCLUSION structure for all of your essays:

1.                Re-visit and re-envision the thesis

2.              Synthesize the closing sentences of the body-paragraphs

3.              Provide a culminating sentence to leave the reader assured that your argument is correct

Synthesis is also used in your body-paragraphs when you are adding in scholarly source content to support and defend your argument.  See the quick presentation about synthesis below. 

Work Cited

Google Dictionary. “Synthesize.” Google Search, Google, 2018, www.google.com/search?

q=synthesize&rlz=1C1ZKTG_enUS819US819&oq=Synthesize&aqs=chrome.0.0l

6.647j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.

© 2018 Jeanette L. H. Dick

[For Educational Purposes Only]
Synthesize Your Writing