ENGL 1001 Chapter : Synthesis Essay ROugh Draft
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Patrick Bice
Professor Avila
English 1001
9/27/2012
Synthesis Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Author Rhetoric
The illegal activity of drug cartels, a non-diminishing problem that has taken over the
world in a reckless manner, has been inappropriately handled for over forty years now. Cartels,
or gangs of criminals who pursue the role of an illegal businessman, have snaked their way into
countries across the globe. In an effort to put a stop to these activities, government officials all
over the world have set up laws that should have seized these crimes, however, no sign of a halt
to these expanding cartels has been seen. Authors Malcolm Beth and Matthew S. Jenner argue
the many solutions in solving this cartel issue and why authority has not taken appropriate action.
The authors expose the many risks these cartels pose to the public and why awareness of these
crimes has not been established as a threat to humanity. The authors’ messages depend greatly on
their strategies to strike the audience’s attention, as well as portray the image of themselves as
writers.
These authors both write towards a similar audience. The Battle Without Hope by
Malcolm Beth and International Drug Trafficking: A Global Problem with a Domestic Solution
by Matthew S. Jenner appeal to varieties of audiences solely because world peace is a goal many
would like to experience. Beth’s side of the story goes in depth of the brutality and the efficiency
of the cartels. He has facts on drug lords in his article such as “El Chapo has bought properties in
eastern Europe and throughout Latin America in an effort to launder his dirty money” to notify
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that these criminals are no rookies at what they do (Beth). Beth is convinced that these crimes
will never cease. Jenner brings forth the idea that these are in fact deadly actions that have never
been taken care of properly, and he establishes a few possible solutions. These answers, Jenner
adds in his journal, will not be easily achieved, however, if people exercise things they are not
used, the world may face a violence-free drug trade.
Beth and Jenner are both masters at having a central goal throughout their works. Beth
poses the idea of a world that needs serious help or the fate of the Earth will lie in the wrong
hands, and Jenner hypothesizes the idea of a problem that has been mistreated and could possibly
be solved by simply legalizing an illegal problem. Both of these authors seek a call to action
from the audience. By using words and phrases conveying the key point in their writing, the
author express an emotion of despair. This sense of desolation convinces the audience to not act
lightly on a matter affecting everyone. The gang’s modus operandi, or method of operation, is to
“enter a small town, behead a local business owner and declare the territory theirs” (Beth).
The viciousness these criminals possess is unimaginable. For example, “The cartels
would kidnap prominent figures, assassinate candidates that vowed to terminate their cartels, and
randomly bomb public places” is a passage Jenner uses in his journal to demonstrate the
ruthlessness of these gangs (Jenner). Jenner states, “In 2008, an estimated 6,290 drug trafficking-
related murders were committed just in Mexico”(Jenner). Beth denotes material in his article
about these mass killings, but he goes further in depth in describing these criminal’s intentions.
Beth investigates the rivalry these gangs pose on each other by inserting passages like this, “a
man working for rivals of the powerful Sinaloa cartel was found; he had been beheaded and his
face had been carved off and delicately stitched on to a football” (Beth). Portrayal of these deaths
is seen in both passages as a warning signal to the audience. “While several global efforts to end
Document Summary
The illegal activity of drug cartels, a non-diminishing problem that has taken over the world in a reckless manner, has been inappropriately handled for over forty years now. Cartels, or gangs of criminals who pursue the role of an illegal businessman, have snaked their way into countries across the globe. In an effort to put a stop to these activities, government officials all over the world have set up laws that should have seized these crimes, however, no sign of a halt to these expanding cartels has been seen. Authors malcolm beth and matthew s. jenner argue the many solutions in solving this cartel issue and why authority has not taken appropriate action. The authors expose the many risks these cartels pose to the public and why awareness of these crimes has not been established as a threat to humanity.
