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.
Yay! I loved reading this! Thanks for sharing, Allison! I think the things that you learned about yourself as a writer and a student are excellent! It is so important to know what it takes for you to be able to fully develop your ideas, and, as you say in your last paragraph, give yourself the chance to bring your voice through and take control of the paper! I'm so excited for you! I also love what you said about looking for the middle ground! This is entirely the goal of this type of assignment, to help you dig deep enough that you find a new angle that isn't necessarily present, directly, in what you're reading! It sounds like this paper was a huge success for you on multiple levels! Congratulations!
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