Methodology: Synthesis

Methodology: Synthesis (LLCE)

Goal

In ≈ 500 words, weave three documents (often a literary text, a critical essay and an image) into a coherent argumentative essay around an explicit problematic.

Steps

1. Identify each document: genre, source, date, voice, key idea.
2. Find the problematic that the corpus implicitly raises.
3. Plan in 2 or 3 parts; each part must cite all three documents.
4. Write an introduction (context + problematic + plan), the body, and a conclusion that answers the problematic.
5. Re-read for accuracy and register.

Cross-referencing toolbox

Function	Phrasing
convergence	echoes, reinforces, confirms
divergence	challenges, contradicts, qualifies
broadening	extends, generalises
illustration	exemplifies, embodies

Specific to LLCE

• Quote short literary fragments with quotation marks, and weave them into the sentence ("the heart of darkness that Marlow confronts").
• Refer to literary devices: imagery, narrative voice, focalisation, structure.
• Show cultural depth: link documents to wider movements (Romanticism, Modernism, postcolonial).

Frequent errors

• Treating the documents one by one — instead, mix them within each paragraph.
• Forgetting one document — guarantees a low mark.
• Plagiarising long passages — paraphrase and integrate.
• Personal opinion — synthesis remains neutral.

Useful introduction template

The three documents brought together address the question of … . Through a [literary excerpt], a [critical essay] and a [visual document], they invite us to ask: ... ? We shall first see how … , before examining how … .

Time management (3h30 paper)

50 min reading and analysis · 30 min plan · 1 h 50 writing · 20 min proofreading.