getanswer

Step 1: ReviewIntroductions are the first impression our essay makes on a reader, so we want to make it a good one! We want to engage the reader and grab his/her attention and make them want to read more. We can make a great arguments, but to read them, readers first have to be interested! So how do we do that?Please review the information about introductions below. The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn’t induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead.” — William Zinsser, On Writing WellIntroductory paragraphs should accomplish two tasks:They should get the reader’s interest so that he or she will want to read more.They should let the reader know what the essay is going to be about.In order to accomplish those tasks, introductions—regardless of their length—need to have three elements:“Lead” ( or spelled the old-fashioned way, “lede”)Thesis StatementPreview or Plan of DevelopmentThe “Lead”The beginning is everything when it comes to writing. If a reader is not engaged by your first sentence, they will not continue to read, and the rest of your essay does not matter. However, I always advise students to write the first sentence last, as it is arguably the most difficult sentence in the entire essay to write (no pressure!). My point is, don’t get stuck on trying to write a perfect first sentence when you are just beginning an essay. You can come back to it later once you have spent a lot of time thinking about your essay and the topic itself.There are many different ways into an essay. The most common, yet effective, “leads” are explained below:Reading-source LeadFunnel LeadContrast LeadContext LeadAnecdote LeadReference LeadQuestion LeadReading Source LeadUse this kind of introduction when you are asked to respond to a reading. Begin with a single sentence in which you give the author’s full name, the title of the reading, and a summary of its main idea or thesis statement. Then, in your own words, sum up the other key points in the reading. To introduce these ideas, place, at the beginning of the sentence, the author’s last name or a pronoun (he or she). Then, transition to your thesis statement.Formula: In “[title],” [author’s full name] [verb in present tense] that [thesis summary].Example 1: In “Procrastination,” Ed Lazie argues that putting things off is a good idea. He points out . . . He adds . . . Finally, Lazie concludes . . .Example 2: In “What Employees Need Most,” Peter Drucker argues that the most important skill an employee can possess is the ability to communicate well in both writing and speaking. As one moves up the corporate ladder, the demand, he says, is less for particular technical abilities and more for the skill to “make clear . . . ideas to others and persuade them.” To acquire these skills, Drucker recommends taking writing courses in college—even creative writing. Despite his enthusiasm, it can be argued that the modern employer is still unwilling to accept such preparation.Funnel LeadBegin with a general statement about the subject. Add statements that narrow down, moving in a more specific fashion toward the thesis. EXAMPLE: Education >> adult education >> adults returning to school >> difficulties for an adult returning to school >> [thesis] skills I needed to brush up on.Example: It seems that these days we never leave school, that education is an ongoing concern to. We need constant education to keep up with job skills, or acquire new skills for a new job. But for a variety of reasons, adults who pursue these goals often have a difficult time making the transition from worker to student. [THESIS] In my case, I realized that my classroom skills were not as sharp as they used to be. [PREVIEW] I had totally forgotten how to locate information in a library, how to write a report, and how to speak up in class discussions.Contrast LeadBegin with the opposite idea that your thesis will develop. Then shift to your point. For a thesis pointing out the advantages of something, begin with the disadvantages; for an essay emphasizing the present, begin with the past; for an argument about what the truth is about a subject, begin with what seems to be true. This can be an intriguing way to begin an essay because it essentially begins with a rebuttal and then moves to the argument, thus quelling reader’s potential concerns before they build.Example: When I decided to return to school at age thirty-five, I wasn’t at all worried about my ability to do the work. After all, I was a grown woman who had raised a family, not a confused teenager fresh out of high school. But, when I started classes, I realized that those confused teenagers sitting around me were in much better shape for college than I was. They still had all their classroom skills in bright, shiny condition. [THESIS] I had lost all of my classroom skills over time, mine growing rusty from disuse. [PREVIEW] I had totally forgotten how to locate information in a library, how to write a report, and how to speak up in class discussions.Context LeadAll writing is a response to something—another idea, an essay assignment. If your writing is not answering a specific, assigned question, beginning with the context for why you are writing can give your reader necessary information. With this “hook,” begin with what you are responding to, or the reason for your writing.Example: “It was because of my letters that I happened to stumble upon starting to acquire some kind of a homemade education. I became increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what I wanted to convey in the letters that I wrote, especially those to Mr. Elijah Muhammad. In the street, I had been the most articulate hustler out there—I had commanded attention when I said something. But now, trying to write simple English, I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even functional.” From “Learning to Read” by Malcolm X.Anecdote LeadPeople like to hear stories, and many writers begin essays with a brief story to engage their readers. Keep in mind that this story should have the same message that you have in the rest of the essay. This can be an effective introductory “hook” because it is essentially an appeal to pathos and can humanize a topic. For example, in an essay about global warming, a writer could begin with a story about a woman from the Pacific Islands who has been displaced because of sea-level rise. That story would put a human face on an otherwise abstract topic.Example: “When I was nine or ten, I was steeped in Barbie madness. So much so that I joined the Barbie fan club. My mother still has the membership document displaying my careful cursive writing alongside the scrawled block letters of a younger sister.”Reference LeadBegin with a reference to a significant idea and/or event that you want to establish a connection of which your audience is aware. This will help your audience understand what your topic/ideas are similar to. In this type of “hook,” writers begin with an idea to which they are comparing their ideas.Example: “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who have been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak end to the long night of captivity.” Question LeadThis is when writers begin an essay with a question designed to prompt the audience to think about a topic in a specific way. These questions tend to be what we call “rhetorical questions,” or questions to which the writer does not offer an answer nor expects an answer from the audience. They are used to emphasize a point or for effect. One note of caution: Rhetorical question leads are much more common in persuasive speeches than in written essays. While some writing teachers caution against question leads, I have found that students like them. If you are going to write a question lead, use them sparingly and keep them relevant.Example: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel among the stars, or ride in a space shuttle and be a part of NASA’s famous astronaut team? Perhaps you could make your dream come true just like a girl from California did in 1977; this famous astronaut’s name is Sally Ride.Step 2:To help you brainstorm different introduction strategies for your essay, let’s practice some ways that you can begin your Essay 2 Prompt: Free vs. Hate Speech. Using the different types of “leads” explained here, select two different types of “leads” and write out each one for the paper you are working on. Choose two possible ways that you might begin and then add your thesis (it can (should) be the thesis you wrote for the previous exercise for both leads). “Lead” 1: “Lead” 2: