INTRODUCTIONS
Note that in every section
of the essay styles, there are pages of good examples in each style for your
introductions. These are general ideas for any essay that you can incorporate
into your work.
Introductions and conclusions are the
hardest part of an essay but are critical. For complete information in addition
to this page, look at the text by Marilyn Fry. Introductions are especially
important because they set the tone of your essay and invite the reader into
your topic. The biggest mistake composition writers make in intros is to make
them too short, getting to the point too abruptly. Once you have mapped out
your topic and decided what your three body paragraphs will say, it is time
to craft your thesis statement. Only after you have completed your
thesis statement should you think about how to introduce that thesis by your
introduction. Please look at Week One's link to
Thesis statements and Paragraphing
for more specific information on thesis statements, and look in
our book. It's very much like the difference between taking a picture
of a faraway tree with a strong telephoto lens and taking a picture of the
entire countryside. Your thesis is the telephoto lens focusing on a specific
point, but you need to begin the essay with a wider scope. Back away and approach
slowly and carefully.
I. THE FUNNEL APPROACH:
Introductions can be built in several
ways. A very traditional approach is called "the funnel". In this
technique, the Introduction works like a funnel, with a wide opening at the
top representing the most general statements, then narrowing until the thesis
slips out the bottom. Remember to balance your introduction to your essay.
In my opinion, it should not be much longer or much shorter than your other
paragraphs. For English 100, they should be a minimum five to seven
sentences.
FOR EXAMPLE, if your topic is describing how to groom
a poodle, you can begin be talking about dog ownership in general. You could
bring in statistics about how many people own dogs {very general info}, then
mention, if you know, how many poodle owners there are, talk about getting
yours for a minute, and then mention the responsibilities of poodles. Lastly,
that would flow naturally into grooming the dog, and your intro is set. Your
essay body from then on can only talk about grooming, so your intro and to
some extent your conclusion is a chance to get in some other interesting information
that you might want to say.
Look how this one narrows:
Having a child is a huge responsibility.
{Very general statement} Parents have to be careful so children don't
get hurt.{Word to change the direction toward safety measures}
. One of the most dangerous places is the car. {getting more specific}
Statistics show that thousands of children get hurt or killed in traffic
accidents every day. Therefore, {transition to thesis} children should
always use car seats when they travel. {Thesis is last, containing a topic
and opinion}
The above paragraph is in the argument style, and the
argument is clear. The above is a very short paragraph. You would want to
put more detail and more description into it, but I wanted to show the process
of organizing the ideas from general to specific.
II. THE QUOTE APPROACH:
In this approach, it is advisable to get a Dictionary
of Familiar Quotations. They are paperback books arranged like a dictionary.
If, for example you were writing about different types of relationships,
as in a classification essay, you might look up the word "love" in the quotation
dictionary. It would then list several famous quotations about love that you
could begin your essay with. Your quote and the explanation of the quote as
it refers to your essay would be a fresh way to begin. You can also use lines
from songs or poems, such as "Love will Keep us Together", "Love makes the
World go 'Round", "Love Hurts", and so on. It is best if you know the author
of the quoted item. The quotation book will tell you who wrote the line,
but if you use a song or poem lyric, you should know who wrote it. If you
don't know, at least say something like, "As the famous song goes", (give
quote). That way, you alert the reader to the fact that you didn't make it
up. Other sources could be a proverb or general saying, or even a quotation
from another source such as a line from a book or article. If you use this
approach, as with the others, your conclusion should be in a similar style.
It might be fun to have another to quote to end with for good balance and
flow of your essay.
III. THE ANECDOTE APPROACH:
An anecdote is a narration of an incident, a true story.
It doesn't necessarily have to be something that happened to you personally.
For example, if your essay concerns crime in Orange County or in your city,
you could discuss a recent robbery in your neighborhood, or if it did happen
to you, it would have even more impact if you told your story in your introduction.
In this case, you are acting as expert evidence of your point. Then the
body of the essay could be in third person. Note the examples in the text.
IV. THE EXPLANATION APPROACH:
The explanation approach is a technique that gives extra
background that might not really fit into the body of the essay but gives
further explanation to your thesis. In the example in our text, the thesis
was that California voters should defeat Proposition 13, the tax cut initiative
begun by Howard Jarvis in the late 1970s. Of course the body of the essay
consisted of the reasons to defeat this bill, but the explanation introduction
gave extra information about Howard Jarvis and what the Proposition would
accomplish if passed. In this introduction were quotes on both sides of
the issue that made the arguments clear and gave weight to the student's
thesis since there was expert "testimony". In the explanation approach,
you might also use a statistic or fact that applies to your topic. If, for
example, your essay is about crime, you could start off with a statistic
about how many robberies were committed in the area per year. This is a very
traditional but interesting way to begin any essay, but works especially
well in an argument or comparison/contrast essay.
V. THE HISTORY APPROACH:
Like the explanation model, the History approach reaches
back and provides further explanation of the topic. In the example in the
text, the thesis dealt with making your own clothes. So, the introduction
began with the beginning of time and discussed the fact that women have
made their own clothes. This approach requires a bit of research unless you
already have knowledge of a historical nature, or you can generalize without
having to know exact dates and places. This approach widens the context of
your topic and puts it in a larger context just for the purposes of the introduction.
Once you get specific with your thesis statement, the body must be well controlled
by the thesis. You can, however, widen back out in your conclusion with similar
ideas brought out in your intro.
VI. THE PERSONAL HISTORY APPROACH:
Here is the approach that takes an incident from your
own life to illustrate your thesis statement. This is a personal account
that leads directly to your thesis statement. It may not be just one story;
it may include a little biography of yourself that led you to your belief
that you express with your thesis. Let's suppose that your thesis is that
everyone should be bilingual. If you have grown up speaking two languages,
you become the expert when you tell your history, and then give your thesis.
VII. THE EXAMPLE APPROACH:
You may want to attract the reader's attention by giving
a series of examples leading to your thesis so that the reader can arrive
at your thesis along with you. The following paragraph illustrates the technique,
but remember, only the idea implied in the thesis can be brought out in the
body of the essay. The jobs she mentions at the beginning must not be mentioned
again in the body paragraphs. They might be mentioned briefly in the conclusion
only as compared to the waitress work.
While working my way through
college, I have held some dull and difficult jobs. I have spent a summer
picking tomatoes in hot fields. I have sold toys during the Christmas rush
to screaming children and tired parents in a crowded store. I have worked
all night sorting mail in a cold post office. However, none of these jobs
was as bad as my work as a waitress in a restaurant and ice cream parlor.
The work was physically hard, the pay was terrible, and the working conditions
were a nightmare. {Notice that she sets up her three body paragraphs
in her thesis statement}
VIII. THE QUESTION APPROACH:
You don't want to overuse this one, but you
can use some rhetorical question to begin an essay. It can be provocative,
trying to shock the reader or immediately draw him/her into your essay. In
the following example, the students uses more than one question as introductory
material.
Are you one of many people who dream
of becoming a recording artist? Are you stymied because you have the talent
but not the first idea of how to get started in the recording business?
If so, get out that music and practice those scales because you are going
to learn how to record your own demo tape. Making a demonstration tape
and sending it off to record companies could be the first steps in making
your dream of vocal stardom come true. (excerpted from Anderson, Marilyn
Keys to Successful Writing. New York: Longman, 1999, page 144.)
This, obviously, is the start or a PROCESS essay, and it
written very informally. If you begin informally, that tone should be carried
throughout the essay and into the conclusion.
So, now you have many choices of approaches to
Introductions. That should help you get started, but remember, you begin with
your thesis in mind and work your way up to it as the last sentence in the
Intro paragraph. For the Conclusion help, click on the link below!
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