The glass menagerie and a raisin in the sun synthesis essay assignment
a synthesis essay is an essay that asks you to combine information from at least two pieces of writing. these
pieces in academic terms are called "stimulus material"
prompt:
although tennessee williams's the glass menagerie and lorraine hansberry's a raisin in the sun may seem to be
completely different, a doser examination reveals that the two works are remarkably similar in multiple ways.
though the glass menagerie is set in 1937 st. louis and a raisin in the sun occurs in 1950s chicago, the two
families experience similar struggles, conflicts, and obstacles. in this essay you will identify and explain two
similar conflicts or struggles that the two families or two of the characters experience. these conflicts may be
within the family or between the family or characters and the society in which they live. in either case, you
should use specific textual evidence to support all your claims.
introduction:
1. the essay will begin with a hook. a hook may be a thought-provoking statement of fact, a quote, a question,
or an anecdote. avoid using clichés or truisms. we will discuss these ideas in class. make sure your hook
connects logically to your argument and to the next section of the introduction
2. for the bridge section, you will need to mention both works and identify the author of each. you will also
provide a very brief statement of conflict and setting for each one. then you should proceed to your central
idea and thesis
3. central idea: the central idea will state your argument. (the wingfield family and the younger family
experience similar conflicts.)
4. thesis: the thesis will include the central idea + the three thesis points (the three similar conflicts). make
sure thesis points are arranged in the same order that your body paragraphs are. the thesis should
only be one sentence. if yours is more than one sentence. you are likely putting