Introductions and Conclusions

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Introductions and Conclusions
Crucial pieces of the composition puzzle
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• The introduction and conclusion can be
  understood as a type of transition . . . At the
  beginning of a paper, the introduction serves as
  a transition by moving the reader from the world
  outside of your paper to the world within. At the
  end of the paper, the conclusion works in the
  opposite direction by moving readers from the
  world of your paper back to their own world . .
  . The Allyn Bacon Handbook

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Introduction The first puzzle piece

1. Announces your topic
2. Contains your thesis statement
3. Introduces main points
4. Engages readers interest

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General to Specific

• Begin with a general statement
• Each sentence that follows should be more and
  more specific
• The last sentence should be a clear thesis
  statement, which states the point of your paper. 

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How can I do all that?

• Answer who, what, when, where, why,
  and how
• Think about your audience

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Comparing two poems by Robert Frost Intro Sample

• Dealing with emotional issues can be both
  complicated and perplexing. Now and then, a poet
  is willing to expose two very distinct facets of
  his or her emotional nature. Such a poet is
  courageous enough to look back on sadder times,
  as well as to recollect a fond memorya writer
  honest enough to know that life includes both the
  swing of birches and the darker moments of the
  soul. Robert Frost is such a poet. The difference
  in the tone of his poems "Birches" and
  "Acquainted With the Night" reveals a poet
  equally adept at portraying both the lighter and
  darker sides in life through his use of setting,
  imagery and structure. 

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General sentence Dealing with emotional issues can be both complicated and perplexing. 
Less general sentence Now and then, a poet is willing to expose two very distinct facets of his or her emotional nature. 
Even less general (more specific) Such a poet is courageous enough to look back on sadder times, as well as to recollect a fond memorya writer honest enough to know that life includes both the swing of birches and the darker moments of the soul.
Even more specific Robert Frost is such a poet.
Specific thesis statement The difference in the tone of his poems "Birches" and "Acquainted With the Night" reveals a poet equally adept at portraying both the lighter and darker sides in life through his use of setting, imagery and structure. 
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Other ways to begin

• With a quotation
• Make sure you explain its relevance
• With an anecdote
• Must be brief
• Again, must be relevant
• With a question

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• With an opposite opinion
• Opposite to the one you plan to take on your
  paper
• With an interesting fact
• With a definition or explanation of a term

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Conclusions The last but definitely not least
puzzle piece

1. Briefly summarize points made
2. Remind readers of the thesis statement
3. Last opportunity to get your message across
4. MUST NEVER repeat word-for-word a statement you
   have made earlier in the paper

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A conclusion can also

• place the paper in a larger context
• serve as a call for action
• set forth a warning or hypothesis
• raise a question or questions
• introduce a relevant quote
• tell an appropriate anecdote

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Specific to General

• Start by paraphrasing your thesis statement
• Sum up what you have said in your paper
• Allow your statements to become more and more
  general

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Paraphrase of thesis statement Through Frost's use of setting, imagery and structure, both poems establish the pitch and timbre of life's emotional ups and down. 
Sum up "Birches" In "Birches," the poet's tone brings his readers into a deep and abiding relationship with the world around them.  His voice proclaims the hope of joys which, once remembered, can never be lost. 
Sum up "Acquainted with the Night" In "Acquainted With the Night," Frost's tone moves his audience to a place where darkness and solitude prevail.  In this poem, his voice creates a mood of sorrow surrounding possibilities which, once lost, can never be regained. 
More general "Birches" and "Acquainted with the Night" move the reader through experiences of hope and doubt, solitude and relationship.
Concluding sentence Robert Frost, a poet of courage and wisdom, evokes in his reader the understanding that emotions, be they sorrowful or joyful, are an intrinsic part of being human.