Synthesis Essay Reflection

After writing the synthesis essay, I felt like I was able to take two things and compare their points of view to come to a clear conclusion of my opinion on a topic. I learned how to take the main points of two articles and find out where they agree or disagree so that I could compare the two articles and summarize the arguments and then compare them to one another with strong evidence that shows where they differ. After completing the assignment, I realized how hard it is for me to take a topic that I am passionate about, and summarize it in just a handful of paragraphs. I had so much to say, but I knew that I needed to cut some of it down and focus on the important parts rather than the whole picture. As a student, I learned that I work better when I plan my writing out piece by piece, and take it one chunk at a time rather that doing the whole thing at once. This allows my ideas to develop even more, and allows me to put it all together at the end.

During the writing process, I struggled with developing my point of view. There were points in each source that I used that were strong, and they both challenged me to view the question differently. I had a hard time especially when I agreed with two points that contradicted each other. To solve this problem, I started to look for solutions to the problem rather than choosing one side. I looked for a middle ground that would satisfy both sides, and from there, I was able to come to my own conclusion based on the two sources.

In my writing process, I had many moments where I thought "Oh yeah, that makes sense too." I saw how both sides made a valid point, but in the end, I was able to come to my own conclusion based on the information that I had. I also had moment where it was clear to me which view point I agreed with, and this helped drive my ability to generate my own ideas about the issue. I would say that each article had its fair share of "Aha" moments, and those moments helped me grow my opinions into something worthwhile for my paper. I realized that once I was able to see the whole picture coming together, I became more and more confident in the work that I had done, and as I started to read over it, I started to see my voice come out and take control of the paper. The moment when my passion for the topic grew was on the best feelings that I had during the whole experience.

Analysis of Exploratory Blog Articles

               The article “ Should Adopted Children be Able to Seek Their Biological Parents” was written by a law student studying family law. Though their name is never given, the website that the essay was retrieved from is centered around providing law students with the opportunity to reach out to families through their writing. The essay was written by this particular student as a way to reach out to potential adopters and current adoptive parents, and inform them of the benefits that of biological family contact. The language of the essay is very formal, informative, and to the point. The writer gets their points across clearly, and their use of language shows that they are knowledgeable about the topic. One example of their use of language to show their credibility comes when the author writes “Adopted children have their right like any other child who is not adopted. There should be a free flow of information and personal right to engage in any activity as long as one can make sound and dependable judgment. For instance, when an adopted child attains the age of majority or is a grown up, he or she can make his or her own judgment. They can no longer be tethered in one place by their foster parents through denial of crucial information necessary for biological parents search” (“Should Adopted Children be Able to Seek Their Biological Parents). By describing the rights of every adopted child, the reader can clearly see that they are aware of the legal side of adoption, and have enough knowledge to write about such a controversial topic.  The writer never said that one side of the argument was better than the other, they simply presented the facts, and allowed the reader to formulate their own opinion upon reading the essay. One way that the author aids that reader in making their decision, is by giving examples of how contact with biological parents would benefit the child. The author gives you the facts, and then ties it all together with an example before moving on to the next points so that the reader has a clear idea of what the author is trying to say. The writer appeals to logos throughout the essay as they present facts and show logical thinking with those facts. They don’t try to appeal emotions very much, but I think that was good idea on their part, because they want the reader to be connected with the fact rather than emotional stories. After reading the article, I feel like I am well informed to make my own decision about the topic. This essay helped me see the important facts of birthparent contact, and I wasn’t lost in any personal stories that tried to persuade me one way or the other. Since it is a family law essay, the information presented was clean cut, and to the point, allowing the reader to get the information they wanted, and continue their research from there. The omission of personal stories is the most important part of this essay, because it made the main points stick out and guide the reader in their own thinking.

               The article “Adoption: When Problems Occur with Birthparents” was posted on a family education website that has article written by child psychologists, doctors, and family advisors. Due to the wide variety of authors, and the expertise that each other possesses, I thought that this would be a reliable source to gather more information from. The website reaches out to families of all types, and tries to answer some of the most common questions that parents have. This article in particular was written specifically to reach out to adoptive parents who are in the process of contacting the biological parents. It gives helpful information about how to reach out the birthparents, and explains the risks that are associated with contacting the birthparents. The article has a very objective view on the subject, although, it tends to be written more persuasively that the previous article. The language suggests that the author leans more toward the side of not allowing an adopted child to contact their parents, while also leaving it up the reader to make that decision for themselves. The author includes examples of ways that contact could go wrong that appeal to the reader’s emotions. They also present their information in a logical way that takes areas of common sense that the reader has, and applies them to the issue. Though they never present the other side’s views, they present their facts in a way so that the reader can predict what the other side would say about the issue. They also leave room for the reader to make their own decision without feeling like they have to agree with what the author has to say. I think that by not presenting the other side, they emphasized their points so much more. If they had include the other side, the reader would have been lost in all of the information, and the main points of the article wouldn’t have stuck out as much. As I read through the article, I started to see the other side of the argument, and I was able to compare it to the facts that were presented in the other article. There were points in both article that I agreed and disagreed with, and I think they both make strong points.