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The Scarlet Letter Project

Page history last edited by paul bonnell 11 years, 9 months ago

Synthesis  Essay

 

From Dictionary.com: syn·the·sis

 

synthesis pronunciation /ˈsɪnθəsɪs/ Show Spelled[sin-thuh-sis] Show IPA noun, plural syn·the·ses synthesis pronunciation /ˈsɪnθəˌsiz/ Show Spelled[sin-thuh-seez] Show IPA. 1. the combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity (opposed to analysis,) the separating of any material or abstract entity into its constituent elements.

2. a complex whole formed by combining.

3. Chemistry. the forming or building of a more complex substance or compound from elements or simpler compounds.

4. Philosophy. the third stage of argument in Hegelian dialectic, which reconciles the mutually contradictory first two propositions, thesis and antithesis.

5. Biology. modern synthesis, a consolidation of the results of various lines of investigation from the 1920s through the 1950s that supported and reconciled the Darwinian theory of evolution and the Mendelian laws of inheritance in terms of natural selection acting on genetic variation.


 

Task: Work with multiple "texts" to examine a common theme or motif that relates at some level to one of the following: the Art of Seeing, forgiveness, restoration, growth, acceptance, rehabilitation, guilt, and/or self-confrontation.  You must develop your own theme or motif.  You must also incorporate at least 7 quotations and/or specific references to The Scarlet Letter.

 

Synthesize information from several structures into an essay of 650-1,000 words.  Additionally, construct at least one work of representational art--this may be original visual art, original sculpture or a piece of three-dimensional art, a structure that utilizes computer technology, original dramatic monologue, an original song, a game, a poem (try a villanelle?), music video, movie trailer, etc.

 

Supplementary texts that you might include: movies such as Smoke Signals or Easy A; radio shows such as This American Life: "Superpowers, Episode #178"; songs such as "Prince of Darkness," by the Indigo Girls, "What I've Done," by Linkin' Park, or "What I'll Remember Most," by Over the Rhine; short stories such as "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," by Flannery O'Connor and "Still Life," by Don DeLillo; essays such as "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," by Jonathan Edwards, "Of Two Minds," by Mary Kancewick, "The Statue That Didn't Look Right," by Malcolm Gladwell, "What Helen Keller Saw," by Cynthia Ozick, "Extreme Reading," by Rebecca Brown, "Living Like Weasels," by Annie Dillard, "The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History," by Jennifer Price, or "The Passing Wisdom of Birds," by Barry Lopez; poems such as "The Future," by Billy Collins, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer," by Walt Whitman, "Upon a Spider Catching a Fly," by Edward Taylor, or "Mad Girl's Love Song," by Sylvia Plath; your self-selects, and/or other sources such as music videos like "The Kill," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tqvbgads1E by the Dresden Dolls, etc.

 

Added literature: Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass, Ralph Waldo Emerson Self-Reliance, Henry David Thoreau Walden, Louise and the Pins "The Bell Jar," Macklemore and Ryan Lewis "Otherside," Emily Dickinson "I'm Nobody, Who Are You?" etc.

 

You may collaborate on any or all component(s) of the project, but your essay must be individually and uniquely yours.  In it, you must make specific reference to a variety of "texts," including at least five of those mentioned above (not including The Scarlet Letter) as well as sources (audio, visual, written, etc.) of your own choosing.  You may also refer to your own personal experiences.  You might utilize the Five-Step writing process to develop your ideas.  Remember to Revise and Proofread/Edit.  This a "final revision" essay.  Have a friend or family member check your work.

 

Essay Due: December 20.  Jan. 16, 100 Points. Artistic Rendering Due: January 8. Jan. 14, 50 Points.

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