Introductions

1
Introductions

• Strategies/Examples

2
Required Elements

1. Opening or Hook (purpose is to get the reader on
   track with the topic of the paper)
2. Clear statement of the papers purpose (also
   called a thesis statement)
3. Brief overview of the papers main points (the
   main ideas in the body paragraphs)

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The Opening or Hook

• Idea One
• Ask an open-ended question (that gets the person
  thinking about a concept in the paper)
• Why do people do the things they do? Each of us
  is motivated by certain desires and goals, and
  such is the case in Millers The Crucible.

4
The Opening or Hook

• Idea Two
• Begin with a quote from a well-known person that
  relates to a concept in the paper
• Woodrow Wilson once said, I would rather lose in
  a cause that will some day win, than win in a
  cause that will some day lose! His quote is
  reflected by the characters in Millers The
  Crucible. John Proctor is willing to die for a
  cause he believes will some day triumph, yet
  Abigail Williams gains a short-term victory and
  abandons he fight shortly thereafter.

5
The Opening or Hook

• Idea Three
• General/universal statement of truth that loosely
  relates to central concept in the paper
• Everyone is driven by personal desires and goals.
  Our very behavior is determined by how we
  approach the journey to these desires and goals.
  The characters in Millers The Crucible are no
  different each is motivated by a personal desire
  

6
The Opening or Hook

• Idea Four
• Interesting statistic or fact dealing with a
  concept in the paper
• In 1692 hysteria broke out over the existence of
  witches in Salem, MA. As a result, nineteen
  people were hanged, one person was pressed to
  death, and as many as thirteen people may have
  died in prison

7
The Opening

• Idea Five
• Tell a short story or anecdote that introduces
  concepts in the paper
• When we see a child break a rule he knows exists,
  we are puzzled. Yet when we see that the child
  breaks the rule because he desires a greater
  chance at winning, for example, a prize, we
  realize that his behavior is determined by his
  motivation for the prize.

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The Opening or Hook

• Idea Six
• State your thesis or main claim (only advised for
  the opening when writing under a time constraint
  or short paper length requirement)
• Many issues are raised in Millers The
  Crucible, and those issues are raised through
  the actions and behaviors of characters. The way
  the issues are portrayed provides certain
  messages to the audience, and the audience must
  decide whether to align with or stand against the
  play

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The Thesis

• A thesis centers around a specific topic.
• This papers topic How an authors use of irony
  can result in excitement in the reader.

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The Thesis

• A thesis should
• State the purpose of the paper (in the case of an
  informative/exploratory essay)
• Take a stand (in the case of an argumentative
  essay)
• This paper is argumentative it claims that
  irony results in increased reader emotion

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Thesis Characteristics

• A good thesis is clearly stated and, if it
  focuses on one text, mentions the author and text
  title.
• Example The use of color by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  in his novel The Great Gatsby highlights certain
  themes in the book, and enhances the readers
  experience.

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Thesis Samples

• Monty Pythons film Monty Python and the Holy
  Grail uses irony and satire to mock and twist
  the traditional heros journey as well as poke
  fun at chivalry and courtly love.
• Although racism is present in Twains The
  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the way this
  racism is presented reveals that the book itself
  is not racist.

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Thesis Sample

• An authors use of the literary device irony can
  result in heightened emotional responses in the
  reader.

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Thesis Sample

• Many issues are raised in Millers The
  Crucible, and those issues are raised through
  the actions and behaviors of characters. The way
  the issues are portrayed provides certain
  messages to the audience, and the audience must
  decide whether to align with or stand against the
  play. I was particularly drawn to the issue(s) of
  

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Outline of the Paper

• Include a general outline or road map of the
  major points in the paper within your intro.
  Doing so helps your reader prepare mentally for
  the main ideas that they are about to read.
  Insert these main ideas either before or after
  your thesis.

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Outline of the Paper

• (thesis). Liam OFlaherty causes the reader to
  experience shock at the end of his story The
  Sniper by using irony, and in his short story
  The Most Dangerous Game Richard Connell employs
  irony to increase the tension felt by the reader.

17
Intro Sample

• Just as construction workers use specific tools
  to build structures that appeal to the eye, so
  too do authors use tools to build their
  literature. An authors use of the literary
  device irony can result in heightened excitement
  in the reader. This can be seen in two specific
  short stories. Liam OFlaherty causes the reader
  to experience shock at the end of his story The
  Sniper by using irony, and in his short story
  The Most Dangerous Game Richard Connell employs
  irony to increase the tension felt by the reader.

18
Intro Sample

• Some parents say a child is not ready for a
  drivers license until they can prove
  responsibility. The teenager who wants to drive
  may begin demonstrating responsibility early, by
  taking out the garbage every week, doing dishes
  regularly, or starting a neighborhood pet care
  service. When successfully completed, the tasks
  stand as a symbol of the childs preparation for
  the more weighty responsibility of driving. In
  the same way, Kate Chopin incorporates symbolism
  in her short story Ripe Figs to indicate when
  her main character, the young girl Babette, is
  ready for travel from her godmothers house. A
  clear link is made between the figs ripening on
  the trees and Babettes own readiness to travel
  on her own to visit her cousins.

19
Intro Sample

• Dreams. As children we all have them dreams of
  flying or becoming a firefighter or actress. As
  adults dreams change to thoughts of a secure
  retirement or calm family vacation. Although we
  can hold dreams privately, it is when we share
  these dreams that our relationships with others
  become more valuable. When the high school
  graduate shares dreams of becoming a doctor then
  later graduates from medical school, the whole
  family shares the pride and accomplishment. In
  Steinbecks Of Mice and Men, dreams function in a
  similar way. Steinbeck shows that dreams, when
  shared, can not only encourage positive
  relationships, but can also provide a goal that
  keeps a man alive. Lennie and George move from
  farm to farm diligently seeking work, and keep
  going in the hard times by remembering the dream
  they share together, a dream that not only points
  them to the future, but keeps them together. When
  they share the dream of land ownership with Candy
  and Crooks, the two loners become more animated
  and look forward to the future, temporarily
  forgetting their own isolation. Steinbeck first
  introduces the power of shared dreams and
  ambitions in chapter one as Lennie and George
  settle down to dinner.