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6 pages/≈1650 words
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MLA
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Literature & Language
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English (U.S.)
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Topic:

How COVID-19 Has Largely Spared Africa

Essay Instructions:

Write an essay (1,500 to 1750 words) that synthesizes (“ties together” or “connects”) and analyzes 3-6 distinct sources into one coherent description of a problem or question.

Essay 3: Analytical Synthesis

Write an essay (1,500 to 1750 words) that synthesizes (“ties together” or “connects”) and analyzes 3-6 distinct sources into one coherent description of a problem or question.  Because of the length of the essay the problem should be focused in nature.  For example, “Climate Change” is too broad.  The pollution of the Gowanus Canal would be better.  The pollution of the Gowanus Canal by sewer water would be even better.  As with many of the essays we will read in this unit, you do not need to provide a definitive solution to the problem.  An analytical synthesis is an essay that gives readers a clear sense of the complexity of a currently debated topic through examination of various sources of information.  The essay explains the “conversation” that you find about your topic in those sources, including what sub-topics the sources identify/explore and how the sources connect to or differ from each other.  The goal is not to come to a decision or position on the issue; the goal is show that the issue is complex by pulling together the various perspectives and stakeholders involved in the conversation and to consider the possible arguments that could be made about the issue.

The first step in completing this assignment will be to identify a general problem or question that interests you.  We will look at several resources to brainstorm but this topic should also be one that will interest you (and, by extension, other readers), since you will be working with this topic for the remainder of the semester.  The audience for this paper may vary depending on the topic you select but the tone will likely be closer to addressing our academic community than previous assignments.  We will continue to examine sample essays in class and for assigned readings.  If you are uncertain of your topic, please ask me.  We will be conducting our final peer review workshop so keep that in mind when identifying your problem or question. 

The second step, will be to identify the sources most relevant to your chosen problem or topic.  In Zadie Smith’s essay, “Generation Why?,” for example, she incorporates interviews with Mark Zuckerburg (and other key figures), movie reviews, and texts like Jaron Lanier’s You Are Not a Gadget, among others.  Selecting sources that make interesting and different points about your problem will be vital to presenting your topic in an engaging manner.  Ideally, there will be a variety of source types—scholarly and popular. 

The third step will involve analysis and synthesis (concepts we also discussed in Essay 2).  You will use precise descriptions—based on specific, and direct evidence, like quotations and/or facts—to outline the problem from different angles.  In the case of Smith’s essay, the author includes the opposing opinions of Zuckerburg and Lanier (as well as her own).  Each of these sources can occupy its own paragraph or you can identify different components of the problem and allow each of the sources (or several of the sources) to speak in each of these subsections.  There are many ways to structure an essay like this so if you have questions, again, please ask.  No matter your structure, the important test in this step will be to demonstrate how each source relates to the problem with a seamless and convincing narrative voice.  The synthesis should do more than summarize or list the perspectives; you should identify the main issues that are important for this topic and the differences among the sources and explore the points of connection.

Your assignment should have all the components of a well-reasoned and convincing analytical essay.  You should begin with an attention-grabbing opening sentence, describe your problem in the first paragraph (a sentence that might resemble a traditional thesis more than in the previous assignments) and provide clear indication of where your analysis will be heading).  Support this analysis with a few paragraphs of specific description and evidence from your sources.  Use the format of your given periodical style.  Use sensory, figurative and otherwise engaging language.  Quotations can be directly cited or paraphrased, as long as you give proper credit.  We’ll discuss citation more later in the unit, but, as always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Use 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font.  Double-spaced, 1-inch margins.  Give your essay a title.

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How COVID-19 Has Largely Spared Africa
Experts long predicted that corona virus will devastate Africa. Melinda Gates, a US-based philanthropist predicted that African countries will “putting bodies out on the streets” when corona hits the continent CITATION CNN20 \l 1033 (CNN Business, 2020). Other experts warned that Africa could be the worst hit continent when the virus takes root. They cited weak health systems, limited emergency response capabilities and a history of infectious diseases like Ebola and how it devastated the continent. Today, as of 22 November 2020, nearly a year since patient zero in China, the epicenter of the virus, Africa has just over 2 million cases and 49, 121 deaths CITATION Afr20 \l 1033 (Africa CDC, 2020). For comparison, the United States, a country with a quarter the population of Africa, has over 12.5 million cases and over 250,000 deaths. It is unlikely that the disease will ravage the continent as the world is nearer to a vaccine and doctors have become better at treating it. African numbers are far below the predictions by experts and the United Nations about the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Africa. Why was Africa largely spared by the disease that ravaged the world?
One of the reasons why COVID-19 impact predictions on Africa were wrong is because the continent has a different set of circumstances that the experts overlooked. First, Africa has a relatively younger generation. According to Dews, ‘sixty percent of Africa’s 1.25 billion people are under age 25 - the youngest population in the world’ CITATION Fre19 \l 1033 (Dews, 2019). The EU has a median age of 42 years while in Africa is 19.7 years CITATION Eug20 \l 1033 (Ngumi, 2020). Scientist have established that younger people are less likely to die of the novel corona virus than older cohorts. According to UNECA, out of 1.25 billion people in Africa, only 40 million are over 65 years CITATION UNE16 \l 1033 (UNECA, 2016). Comparing that to Europe where in early 2018 there were 101.1 million older people (aged 65 years or more) living in the 28 EU countries, which is almost one fifth (19.7 %) of the total population CITATION Age20 \l 1033 (Age Platform Europe, 2020). One of the worst hit countries by COVID-19 was Italy, the median age of the overall population was 45.4 last year, greater than anywhere else in Europe CITATION Fra20 \l 1033 (France24, 2020). Italy badly hit by corona virus. As of 22 November 2020, Italy has nearly the same number of deaths (49,261) as Africa which has 49,121. Italy has about 1.38 million cases while Africa has 55.6 million cases. While Africa as a continent has nearly 40 times the number of cases as Italy, the death toll remains relatively the same. Experts have established a strong correlation between the median age of a country and the impact of COVID-19. Countries with higher median age are likely to suffer higher casualties than countries with lower median age. For the experts who predicted doom on Africa, they failed to account for the differences in demographic composition. Africa has the youngest population of all the continents and therefore the impact of the disease, in terms of deaths, would not be replicable in any other...
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