Introductions

 

 

The introduction is the first thing the reader reads.  It gives them an impression of the entire paper.  This is where the reader decides if he/she wants to keep reading or not.

 

The first sentence gives a starting point.  You can go in any direction once you've written something down on paper.

 

Introductions and titles focus a reader’s attention and convince them it is worth their time to continue reading. A traditional introduction tells readers what to expect by announcing the subject, providing necessary background information, stating the problem or purpose related to the occasion for writing, and providing an overview of the central points. But if the writer does these things perfunctorily or ploddingly, the introduction can be toxic to readers. Those who are not part of a captive audience most likely will lose interest and stop reading. Even readers who might feel obligated to read a text will read only a few sentences before deciding whether the writer is well informed and has something interesting to say.

 

One of the most effective ways to increase the chances that readers will keep reading is to start with an introduction that intrigues them, that catches their interest, gets them excited or emotionally involved in the topic, and plunges them right into the texts. Even when necessary to provide some exposition, a short introductory paragraph that arouses the reader’s curiosity about the center of interest in the text is crucial.

 

Some examples from David Quammen, a columnist for Outdoor magazine and novelist, in a collection of articles titled Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature.

 

• What the world needs is a good vicious sixty-foot-long Amazon snake to eat all our children (my inclusion) (“Rumors of a Snake”)

• There are extinctions, and then again there are Extinctions. (“The Big Goodbye”)

• In the fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Christ is quoted as saying that the meek shall inherit the earth, but other opinion lately suggests that, no, more likely it will go to the cockroaches. (“A Republic of Cockroaches”)

 

These introductions are a little different from the traditional textbook introductions. Quammen gets at once into his articles—focusing on a specific detail or sometimes flooding the reader with several details and building an article around them; providing a hypothesis to be explored; or making a general observation and tying it to his subject. They pack a quick punch and have the imagery, density, quickness and freshness that are associated with poetry. Most of today’s readers love this kind of introduction.

 

Other Introduction Examples

 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

 

 A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickins

 

SING, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilleus
 and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians,
 hurled in their multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls

 of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting
 of dogs, of all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished
 since that time when first there stood in division of conflict
 Atreus' son the lord of men and brilliant Achilleus.

The Iliad of Homer

 

ATTENTION GETTER

Start off with a first sentence that grabs the reader and reels them in so they want to keep reading.

Sometimes it's a good idea to not give your topic away right away.

Very effective in persuasive papers or speeches

Can start with a rhetorical question, which gets your reader thinking

Can start with a statistic that can overwhelm your reader

Examples

The only way to truly preserve planet earth is to wipe out all human beings.

Parents do not want to be parents anymore.  That is what Ann Landers discovered after asking her readers whether they would have children if they had it to do over again.

 

PROVIDE BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Five percent of the population is afflicted with attention deficit disorder, a neurological condition that makes people distractible, hyperactive, and unable to concentrate.  At one time, we thought ADD was a childhood disorder that was outgrown by the age of 18.

 

BEGIN WITH A STORY (Narration)

(fictional, nonfictional, hypothetical)

Story must have some significance to your thesis.  There must be a point to telling this story.

A personal story is more appealing.

Conclusion should make some reference to story in introduction

Example

Steve walked into the restroom. After washing his hands, he threw the paper towel away in the bin. The garbage was full so he pressed down on it to keep the paper towel from falling out and onto the floor.  Hidden amongst all the trash was a needle which poked Steve in the arm.  Steve is now HIV positive.

Thesis:  AIDS is a disease that can happen to anyone.

 

BEGIN WITH A DEFINTION

Define your topic or major terms so the reader isn't confused with what you are writing about. Further, beginning with a definition of an abstract term, which one may write about, such as death or love, may differ from others, creating conflict, which is good. This gets people interested.

Examples

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a disease that breaks down the white T-cells, the body's chief immunity to viral disease.

 

USE COMMON MODES

Description, Classification/Division, Comparison/Contrast, or Cause and Effect

 

BEGIN WITH A SURPRISING VIEWPOINT, ONE THAT QUESTIONS OR PERHAPS CONTRADICTS CONVENTIONAL THINKING OR WISDOM

Example

We live in a society that is convinced of the benefits of taller stature. Conventional wisdom has it that taller, larger people are powerful, effective, and intelligent. Men, especially, are obsessed with height, hoping to reach the magical six-foot mark. In actuality, the widespread conceptions about the benefits of taller stature do not stand the test of scientific investigation . . .

 

BEGIN WITH A QUOTATION

Example

Patrick Henry once said, “Give me liberty or give me death.”

As William Shakespeare noted, “We are all such stuff as dreams are made of.”

When a writer uses a quote that is readily recognizable, either due to the quote or the author, the quote immediately captures the reader’s attention.

 

METAPHOR

Compare your topic to something else.  That comparison should run all throughout the paper until the end of your conclusion.

Example

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.

 

A writer may certainly use a combination of the above list or none of the above, but if the writer does not capture the reader’s attention, the writer has not done the job needed to do correctly.

 

In the introduction, establish credibility, describe your topic, give background information, define necessary terms, include a thesis statement.

Thesis Statements

Main idea or controlling idea—central point—that controls and unifies the text

Everything in the essay must relate back to this idea

Two things to do in the essay:

• mention your subject

• Explain your position on this subject or the significance of it

 

4 Rules of Thesis Statements:

• Do not make formal announcements:

Incorrect = In this paper, I will discuss three reasons why the United States needs stricter capital punishment.

Correct = The United States would benefit from stricter capital punishment because the crime rate is increasing, there is an increase number of repeat offenders, and families of victims would feel somewhat compensated.

 

• The thesis should present something arguable or in need of explanation, rather than a statement of fact.

Incorrect = Drunk drivers are dangerous.

Correct = To make the roads safer, we should suspend the driver’s license of anyone convicted of drunk driving.

 

• The thesis should present a manageable topic; it should not take in too much.

Incorrect = Our educational system needs a complete change (too broad).

Correct = To be competitive with the rest of the world, we must change the way we teach Math.

 

• The thesis should be written in specific language; avoid using vague words such as “nice,” “interesting,” “good,” “bad,” and “great.”

Incorrect = Playing high school football was a great experience.

Correct = Playing high school football taught me self-confidence and the importance of teamwork.

 

General Rule: Think of the thesis statement as a road map. It tells you exactly where you are going, and exactly where you need to stop along the way. If we want to get to San Antonio, Texas from Los Angeles, we have to stop in Phoenix, Dallas, and Austin to get gas, food, etc. Consider these thesis statements from popular American films . . .

 

Fight Club:      The movie Fight Club places special emphasis on the idea of man’s inherent need for spirituality, and illustrates several ways that man searches for this, however, what is severely established is that the only true way to achieve spirituality is through reducing one to his or her base form through self destruction.

 

American Beauty:        Though many things contribute to the breakdown of the Burnham family, poor communication, namely, Lester’s passive aggressiveness and Caroline’s combativeness ultimately lead to and are the chief cause of the family’s destruction.

If we are writing on the movie Fight Club, we may decide that spirituality is one of the driving themes and may then come to the conclusion that self-destruction is what the movie emphasizes to gain it. So that is our main point, but we must show in our thesis how we get there. So we will talk about how the film shows man’s need for spirituality and the places that man looks for it, inevitably coming to the conclusion that man finds in through self-destruction. The body of our essay will then discuss and support these points.