2. THE INVERTED TRIANGLE:
3 Elements of Every Introduction
Introductions should
satisfy three
requirements: usually
students will begin with
a “hook” (general ,
creative statements that
slowly move toward a
specific topic) and lead
into the thesis and its
sub-points (the blue
print):
3. Ways of Hooking Readers In
The following are six popular methods for
adding creativity to your introduction:
a) Immediate Announcement
b) Delayed Announcement
c) Jokes and Anecdotes
d) Personal and World Narratives
e) Attention-grabbing scenarios
f) Startling Statistics
4. Immediate Announcement:
Begin with a witty or concise statement:
i.e. “All men are snobs about something.”
i.e. “Having good credit may not open the doors to El
Dorado but it can make an impact on a consumers’
living standards.”
–to use immediacy, the statement must be startling or
provocative, it must be eye-catching and CLEAR.
5. Delayed Announcement:
Begin with a broad statement and narrow until you get to
the main thesis (in blue below). Advantage: Getting the
reader’s curiosity—they are drawn to read and see
where you are headed.
i.e. “The human brain is composed of a jelly-like mass of fat and protein,
and weighs about three pounds. It is difficult to understand how this
seemingly small organ can contain billions of nerve cells, and is one of
the most complex organs in the human body. Since humans have the
most complex brain among organisms, they are able to speak, and
decide between right and wrong, good and evil. The human body is
physical and earthly in essence, yet can be elevated through the use
of the mind to a more spiritual and pure existence, by allowing the
force of good to prevail. As observed in William Blake’s poem, “The
Human Abstract” there is a constant struggle between the forces of
good and evil in the human mind, yet both forces are necessary for
human survival…”
6. Jokes and Anecdotes:
Begin with a short, witty joke or amusing biographical
statement. Cultural references do help!
I.e. “There are times when emotions cannot be harnessed, they
just run wild taking different dimensions with each reflection
of experience.”
i.e. “Reading Baudelaire’s work, a scene from Full Metal Jacket
comes to mind. When Private Joker is asked why he is
wearing a ‘peace sign’ button on his helmet along with a
‘born to kill’ sticker, he responds “it suggests the duality of
man sir.” this is precisely what two versions of Her Hair
illustrate, this duality of man.” reference to contemporary
culture, amusing, and allows for a casual way to introduce
the writer’s main approach to the reading—the ‘duality’ of
man.”
7. Personal Story or World Narratives:
Historical or autobiographical events can create intimacy with your reader and “paint a
picture” that sets your paper’s tone.
i.e. In today’s world there is a lot of information that masquerades as truth. It comes in the
forms of blogs, newspapers, and television news. There are logical fallacies at every
turn, and if one isn’t careful it’s easy to believe these untruths as gospel . In the story In
a Grove by Ryunosuke Akutagawa there are many conflicting testimonies and a number
of logical fallacies regarding the death of Takejiro.
i.e. From our origins as hunter-gatherers to our evolution as technology-savvy
cosmopolitans, humankind has always possessed a basic need for self-defense.
Fighting, though now more for sport, was at one time interwoven into the everyday
fabric of life. Man fought wild beasts to protect his home during the Ice Age and even
during colonial times of America, men and women defended themselves from Native-
American raids with fists, sticks, and muskets. A constant in every society, fighting has
been studied, regulated, categorized, styled, promoted, taught, and just about every
other action verb thinkable. Many people took to the study of fighting and
hypothesized which technique worked best. They in turn promoted and polished their
style, branded it, named it and exported it to the world in the form of human
discipleship. But a simple question with a complex answer evolved: which style is the
best? Modern businessmen have found a way to answer this question while turning a
pretty penny in the process. It is known as mixed martial arts (MMA) or simply ultimate
fighting.
8. Create an interesting, attention grabbing scenario (an
imaginative projection of the future, or some hypothetical
moment you want to create to make a point)
FROM "{a jammers guide to} RECLAIMING URBAN SPACE" (Sidebar) in
ADBUSTERS (No.29, Spring 2000)
You're standing on the corner, waiting for the light to change. A car
brakes and comes to rest six feet beyond the stop-line, blocking your
path. Normally, you'd eat your frustration and just walk around. But
today you're feeling rambunctious. You decide to risk a statement of
personal sovereignty. To the great surprise of everyone-including
yourself-you hop up onto that car, walk over it, and continue on your
merry way. Spontaneous gestures are a pie in the face of civil
society. Often motivated by a powerful, personal impulse, they tend
to provoke equally strong reactions, from delight to outrage. In other
words, they're liberating but fraught. Illegal or highly confrontational
acts may bring some heavy lumber down on the head of the jammer,
who had better be ready to accept the consequences….
9. Startling Statistics:
Present a startling statistic-shock readers out
of their ho-hum complacency. It's up to the
writer to make readers care!
Four billion people will be diagnosed with HIV
this year. As if this number weren't staggering
enough, consider this: In any given college
classroom, statistically one in every four
students will be diagnosed with HIV.
10. Weak and Weary! Try to Avoid:
1. Opening Questions: “In what ways do college and high school
differ?” –too mechanical, puts the reader on the spot before s/he
has any foundation information or comfort with your style
2. Implicit Statements: “The purpose of this paper is…”—clumsy and
boring, unoriginal
3. Dictionary Definitions: “The Webster Dictionary defines
Experience as…” –too cliché
4. Beginning with someone else’s quote or an epigram—too cliché,
and makes the other person your paper’s authority. Be sure always
to get the first and last words in when it comes to your writing!
5. Restating the Question: Do not restate the professor’s question as
part of the hook (i.e. ““Does Beowulf make the correct decision
when he elects to fight the dragon? Yes, he does. The reason why
is that he does indeed know, like all mortals, that he must die, and
so he meets his fate heroically.”)
