Sample Synthesis Essay--Effective Use of Supporting Documents

Synthesis Essay

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest – tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” This is the lie that is located on the Statue of Liberty. America does not guarantee the democratic ideals of equality, freedom or justice as promised by the Statue of Liberty, as we see in the history of the U.S.’s treatment of the poor, homeless and immigrants.

America has not kept its promise to lift the poor or the homeless from their miserable lives. Instead “the poor have disappeared from the culture at large.” (Source D) They have been isolated from what is normal by having to work in places where “one is required to surrender one’s basic civil rights,” which is something that the poor need the most. (Source D) Without civil rights the poor or the homeless are nothing to the world. Drug tests and urinary tests are a “violation of our Fourth Amendment freedom from ‘Unreasonable search.’” (Source D) Therefore unnecessary tests are against our Bill of Rights. Why don’t lawyers or business workers get any of these tests? They are considered part of “the culture at large.” (Source D)

Immigrants in the United States believe that they are welcomed through the “golden door” and that they will “breathe free” here. In source A, a group of sisters wish to go back home because they didn’t feel like they were getting “the best the United States had to offer.” They only had “second hand stuff” and were sent to all girls’ schools were they were told they would meet the “right kind” of Americans. The promise on the Statue of Liberty does not state anything about the suffering in its promise. America has lied to the poor and to those seeking freedom. The girl from source A is a great example because she describes how the name “Garcia de la Torre didn’t mean a thing to them.” Just because they are in America doesn’t mean they are part of it.

It looks like the Statue of Liberty is doing the opposite of what it promised. Immigrants and the poor suffer from low wages and discrimination in America. As shown in source F, it seems like the Statue of Liberty is only looking out to get immigrants. It might as well hold a gun because it is trying to keep immigrants out and those already inside are slowly getting pushed out.

The United States has let down those in need and has taken what was a gift of peace and turned it into a false idea of freedom. The Statue of Liberty stands for the false idea; the lies and the suffering of the poor and immigrants. It is a great use of American sarcasm.