Writing the Introduction There are three primary rhetorical moves for opening up your paper in your introduction: · Lead-in · Background Article Reference · Thesis Statement There are several ways that you can open up the paper in your lead-in and background article reference: · Introduce a recent/current event · Introduce a recent film, popular media · Introduce a person's story (actual story, hypothetical, your own), presenting a narrative · Introduce a definition · Introduce a previous historical event (past) · Introduce research from experts Students often think that an introduction can only be 1 paragraph, but that's not true. An introduction should adequately open up the conversation for the reader and acquaint your readers with the topic. A shorter paper requires a shorter introduction; a longer paper, a longer introduction. Your introduction will be longer (or shorter) depending on the topic, audience, and context.  _________ About the models. Below are two sample introductions from two NCTC students' papers that open up the conversation and preface a topic. As the introductions move into the thesis statements, the authors also move into the main discussion of the paper where they'll be making specific arguments about the topic.  Length. The first introduction comes from a major research paper (8-10 pages). It's a longer paper that has a lot of vital information to introduce to the reader; therefore, the introduction is longer. The second introduction comes from a shorter paper (4-5 pages). The rhetorical moves are identified in each example. First-Person and Telegraphing. The models also demonstrate a standard "rule" that you've heard you cannot do in your introduction: Use "I" in this paper and telegraph "In this paper, I will discuss..." Yes, you absolutely can use "I" in a paper, and you can say, "In this paper, I will discuss..." However, you need to be aware that there are certain times, contexts, and genres when this sort of telegraphing is more appropriate than others. For example, writers do not typically use first-person "I" when writing lab reports or empirical papers because the research should speak for itself, and the writer should be as invisible as possible. In those cases, you'd want to avoid first-person, "I." Here's an example (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. of scientific study from the African Journal of Emergency Medicine. Notice that the thesis statement is the first sentence (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.in the 4th paragraph.  In literature papers, writers typically do not include statements like "In this paper" or "This paper will show..." because audiences usually favor a more subtly introduced and nuanced approach. Here's an example (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. of a literature paper that illustrates this point.  In writing and rhetorical studies, though, "In this paper" or "I will show" is acceptable and welcomed because writers are ofte ...

1. Writing the Introduction
There are three primary rhetorical moves for opening up your
paper in your introduction:
· Lead-in
· Background Article Reference
· Thesis Statement
There are several ways that you can open up the paper in your
lead-in and background article reference:
· Introduce a recent/current event
· Introduce a recent film, popular media
· Introduce a person's story (actual story, hypothetical, your
own), presenting a narrative
· Introduce a definition
· Introduce a previous historical event (past)
· Introduce research from experts
Students often think that an introduction can only be 1
paragraph, but that's not true. An introduction should
adequately open up the conversation for the reader and acquaint
your readers with the topic. A shorter paper requires a shorter
introduction; a longer paper, a longer introduction. Your
introduction will be longer (or shorter) depending on the topic,
audience, and context.
_________
About the models. Below are two sample introductions from two
NCTC students' papers that open up the conversation and
preface a topic. As the introductions move into the thesis
statements, the authors also move into the main discussion of
the paper where they'll be making specific arguments about the
topic.
Length. The first introduction comes from a major research
paper (8-10 pages). It's a longer paper that has a lot of vital
information to introduce to the reader; therefore, the
introduction is longer. The second introduction comes from a
shorter paper (4-5 pages). The rhetorical moves are identified in

2. each example.
First-Person and Telegraphing. The models also demonstrate a
standard "rule" that you've heard you cannot do in your
introduction: Use "I" in this paper and telegraph "In this paper,
I will discuss..." Yes, you absolutely can use "I" in a paper, and
you can say, "In this paper, I will discuss..." However, you need
to be aware that there are certain times, contexts, and genres
when this sort of telegraphing is more appropriate than others.
For example, writers do not typically use first-person "I" when
writing lab reports or empirical papers because the research
should speak for itself, and the writer should be as invisible as
possible. In those cases, you'd want to avoid first-person, "I."
Here's an example (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site. of scientific study from the African Journal of
Emergency Medicine. Notice that the thesis statement is the
first sentence (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site.in the 4th paragraph.
In literature papers, writers typically do not include statements
like "In this paper" or "This paper will show..." because
audiences usually favor a more subtly introduced and nuanced
approach. Here's an example (Links to an external site.)Links to
an external site. of a literature paper that illustrates this point.
In writing and rhetorical studies, though, "In this paper" or "I
will show" is acceptable and welcomed because writers are
often unpacking very intellectually challenging content. They
want to make sure that it's clear what the writers' points are and
that there isn't confusion or misunderstanding. Here's an
example (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site. from a major journal in which the writer opens the
conversation (with several paragraphs). The thesis statement is
the first sentence in the 8th paragraph.
Perhaps you still don't like using "In this paper" or first-person
"I." That's okay. You can always use it to get started with your
thesis--to make sure you have one--and then delete it later when
revising.
In this paper, I will explore those two representations

3. further and will discuss how those stereotypes are problematic
for the disabled community.
Revised to: The representations presented in the film What's
Eating Gilbert Grape perpetuate stereotypes that are problematic
for the disabled community.
Sample introduction on the portrayal of stereotypes of disability
in the media (specifically, What's Eating Gilbert Grape)
One of the most influential instruments in how specific events,
groups, and ideas are perceived is the media. The mass media
encompasses television, newspapers, radio, film, and even the
internet. All of these play a considerable role in our response to
specific issues, for they hold the ability to portray a subject in
whatever light they please. However, too often we only present
stereotypes that are misguided and poorly informed. These
stereotypes are, unfortunately, often confirmed or
unintentionally advocated in the media.
One group that negatively portrayed are the physically or
mentally disabled. We often don’t think of this as a problem in
society, perhaps because we are typically uncomfortable with
the subject. Professor Paul Longmore, a lifelong activist for the
disabled and historian in disability studies, writes in his
book Why I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability,
“People with disabilities are not who or what we have been
taught to assume they are. The experience of disability is not
what we have been told” (14). There are many contributing
factors to why we as a society tend to have such a falsified view
of disability, stemming from hundreds of years of
misconceptions. Though we have been able to move past some
of these fallacies, certain stereotypes persist. Film is one aspect
of the media that has tended to be especially influential in its
depiction of the disabled, and many viewers rely on the media
as their primary source to understand disability, illness, and
impairment.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is one of the many movies we see
offering its take on disability. Johnny Depp plays a small town
grocery store bagger named Gilbert who is the caretaker of his

4. developmentally disabled brother Arnie, played by Leonardo
Dicaprio. Arnie is not the only disabled character in Gilbert’s
life; his mother is practically immobile from her obesity. Her
condition is the result of a deep depression that she succumbed
to after the suicide of her husband, leaving her in the care of
Gilbert and his two sisters. Throughout the movie, we can see
that Gilbert feels weighed down by his family and the
sluggishness of the town. Gilbert describes it in one scene when
he says, “Nothing ever happens here, and nothing ever will”
(What’s Eating Gilbert Grape). We watch him struggle to have a
life of his own while being Arnie's primary caretaker.
The film is powerful because it also explores two common
stereotypes about the disabled often portrayed in film;
specifically, the mentally disabled are often shown in the media
either as "supercrips" or as perpetual children. However,
while What’s Eating Gilbert Grape moves away from the
“supercrip” stereotype, it does not show either disabled
characters as fully-functioning, independent adults. Instead, the
film portrays Arnie and his mother as dependent burdens. This
paper will explore those two representations further and will
discuss how those stereotypes are problematic for the disabled
community.
_________
Sample introduction of the portrayal of the "other" in popular
culture (specifically, online memes)
When you look at a magazine, a commercial, or even a
billboard, more than likely, you’ll see a thin, “attractive”
individual rather than a heavier one. According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 69.2% of
Americans over the age of twenty are overweight or obese
(“Obesity and Overweight”). When overweight people are
featured in media, it is typically not in positive light; usually,
they are shown as a close-up belly-shot or in an unflattering
outfit, exposing their “flaws,” and are often mocked in the
images. For example, Caitlyn Seida recently writes in “My
Embarrassing Picture Went Viral” how a photo of herself,

5. dressed in her Halloween costume became a viral internet
sensation. Seida had posted a picture of herself as Lara Croft:
Tomb Raider on her Facebook. Shortly after, someone copied
the picture and added the phrase “Fridge Raider” to it. The
image went viral, and comments on the image referred to Seida
as a “waste of space” who should “go kill herself” (Seida).
The responses to Seida’s image illustrate how the overweight
community is ridiculed and even threatened for doing nothing
more than being themselves. Many people believe that making
fun of obese people is not wrong and is socially acceptable.
Chelsea Heuer writes in “Fattertainment” that fat-shaming leads
many people to fall into depression, become anxious, and
develop low self-esteem: “Researchers have even found
evidence that some of the health problems associated with
obesity may result from stigmatizing experiences, rather than
just excess body weight itself.” So, while obesity poses the
significant health problem for many Americans, “fatness” is
often just as, if not more, “disabling” because of society’s
prejudices against the obese. Because the media has twisted the
perception of the overweight and obese community, in this
paper, then, I will identify two perceptions of the obese: that
they are socially awkward and that they are ugly and
undesirable.
Writing the Discussion Sections
Remember that, when writing your discussion sections, they
should:
· Be topically organized around an argument.
· Include subject headings to set off the points for the reader.
· Be longer than 1 paragraph (you want to unpack your
arguments, and 1 paragraph won't cut it).
· Move from general-to-specific.
There are several significant rhetorical moves within the
discussion sections. So, consider this organization to help
develop your discussion sections:

6. · Make a point (i.e., topic sentence)
· Explain your point. (e.g., In other words, this means
that _____.)
· Offer evidence and sources to support or foil your point.
· For example, we see this in the research when _____.
· This point is supported by other sources. For example, so-and-
so writes that _____.
· Introduce your source to your unfamiliar reader by first and
last name and article title.
· Summarize/paraphrase the source that you'll be using to
support your point.
· Quote from the source to support your point.
· Bring it all together (identifying how the sources connect back
to your original point. e.g., This is important because of _____.
)
Notice that the models below follow this organizational model.
While the topics may differ, they demonstrate PIES (i.e., point,
interpretation, example, so-what).
________
Here are two examples of discussion sections from previous
students' papers.
Example 1: Horror Film Paper Topic
Daring the Nightmare
One purpose that horror films serve is that they allow audiences
to "dare the nightmare" and remain unaltered. Horrors film
create suspense using images that symbolize our fears about
death, destruction, the afterlife, or the unknown--all of which
we might be curious about but also frighten us. Good visual
images keep the audience on the edge of their seats since they
don't know what is to come--yet they are often begging for
more. Stephen King writes about this effect in "Why We Crave
Horror Movies," “When we pay four or five bucks and seat
ourselves at tenth-row center in a theater showing a horror
movie, we are daring the nightmare.” King argues that we want
to be scared and want to be on the edge of our seats with the
unknowing ahead. It feels cathartic to see the worst that can

7. happen to someone or to see the worst behaviors in others, and
then we can leave the theater knowing that we are safe and that
there are people out there worse than we are. Just like in the
classic horror film, The Sixth Sense, we want to "see dead
people," too.
Audiences see this characteristic illustrated more specifically
in The Orphanage when audiences are encouraged to dare the
nightmare of being haunted by ghosts after her son goes missing
during a party. In the film, Laura, her husband, and her adopted
son, Simon, move into the old home that she grew up in as an
orphan. From the onset of the film, though, something seems
mysterious about the house: the swing set outside would start to
move and make creaking sounds and then Simon starts speaking
to imaginary children, including his new friend Tomas who has
a secret room in the house. Audiences are introduced to a
nightmare world when, during a party, Simon mysteriously goes
missing, and it's as if he'd vanished into thin air. While Laura
and her husband search for Simon with the help of the police,
Laura decides to enlist the help of a psychic, Aurora, to find
Simon. In one scene, audiences see what Aurora sees, the
presence of ghosts who are angry and scared. The presence of
the ghosts suggest that something sinister happened in the house
many years ago. When Laura is skeptical of what she thinks
might have happened in the house and to her son, Aurora tells
Laura, "Seeing is not believing, it's the other way round.
Believe, and you will see." In this case, Aurora is also telling
audiences that they need to suspend their disbelief--both while
watching the film and in their own lives. We all have those
moments when we think someone might be watching us or when
we wonder if there are ghosts near us. The film is tapping into
those fears that we all share and asking us to dare the nightmare
of the unknown and death.
____________________
Example 2: Sample Discussion 1
Media Stereotypes of Disability: The Supercrip
After viewing many movies with the supercrip

8. stereotype, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape feels refreshingly
honest in its portrayal of disability. It moves away from the
impairment defying story of the supercrip and instead shows a
more realistic take on the effects of a cognitive impairment. The
supercrip is a particular narrative of the media that makes us
feel more a bit more comfortable with the idea of disability. The
media thrives from these stories of the supercrips who are able
to overcome their impairment in an uncharacteristically awe-
inspiring way, driven by their own sheer will. There is nothing
particularly uplifting or spectacular about mentally retarded
Arnie Grape, and that’s just fine. He is lovable in his
unabashed, innocent manner and leads a simple life that he is
content with. In the opening scene of the movie, we see him and
Gilbert anxiously waiting for the long line of RV’s to drive
through the town like they do every year. Watching this gives
Arnie pure pleasure and joy, although seemingly mundane to
those around him. Arnie doesn’t have any special talents that
make him exceptional, he isn’t trying to go attend college
despite all odds; his family is just relieved that he is able to live
till his current age of eighteen. He isn’t there to be an
inspiration to us and to make us feel more comfortable about his
impairment. Arnie is just fine being Arnie. The most important
thing that we should recognize is that there is no reason for him
not to be satisfied with his life or condition. It is rare that we
see a film that conveys a side of disability that is not aspiring to
be more like the rest of the general population.
As a society, it is easy to adore these supercrip narratives
because we are attracted to the thought of someone who had
once made us feel a little uneasy become more like the rest of
the general public. Time and time again we are fed a cookie
cutter image of success that we then begin to attribute to all
those who are disabled. This becomes an issue for the disabled
community because supercrips make up a very tiny percentage
of the handicapped population. These expectations are not
something that can generally be regarded as realistic. Yes, there
are those who can overcome all odds and do the impossible, but

9. to most, there are things that just simply cannot be obtained
because of the severity of their impairment or the barriers that
society has unintentionally placed in their way. Eli Clare, a
writer and transgender activist with cerebral palsy writes in his
essay The Mountain about the supercrip saying, “Supercrip
stories never focus on the conditions that make it so difficult
for people with Downs to have romantic partners, for blind
people to have adventures” (116). Because the media rarely
shed light onto these issues, we tend to remain unaware of the
barriers that are long lasting within the disabled community. It
is important that we recognize these issues and stop putting all
our faith into the expectations that a supercrip provides us so
that changes can be made. The different and more
straightforward portrayal of a cognitive disability like Arnie
Grape’s is so important because it can represent a more
significant portion of the disabled community (as opposed to the
smaller supercrip population) to a mass audience; therefore
raising more awareness of how an impairment effects those who
are disabled.