Writing Great Introductions What do these famous first

Writing Great Introductions

What do these famous first lines of novels have in common? � Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. � Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. � If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth

The Hook �Interesting; “hooks” the reader �Strong sense of voice �Hints at what is later to come

The Bridge �Bridge sentences introduce your topic in a general way �Provide background information needed to understand your thesis

The Thesis �A statement of your argument �Elements it must include (not necessarily in this order) 1. 2. 3. Answers the question Has a “because…” Answers why

The example on your outline is not good enough!!!! �Here is the example you are given: “The tragic hero, Oedipus, was destined to kill his father and marry his own mother; he was undoubtedly a victim of fate. ” �What is thesis missing?

A better example… �The other is missing a “because…” and does not answer why �“The tragic hero, Oedipus, prophesied to kill his father and marry his own mother, is a victim of fate because the prophecy came true despite Oedipus’ many valiant attempts to avoid it. ” (It would be even better if you covered the prophecy in your bridge sentences).

What Not to Do �Use 1 st or 2 nd person pronouns (I, you, etc) �Use qualifiers like “perhaps, ” “maybe, ” “somewhat”—weakens your argument �Spend too long on the introduction—should be about 5 -8 sentences

How to get started �You may want to find the evidence from the book before you write an introduction �Remember to include lead-in information and a parenthetical citation for each quote