Drafting Introductions

General Introduction Content

1. Hook: opening sentence(s) of essay that sets up your topic

2. Put the hook in context for thesis topic: background information on thesis topic

3. Thesis statement and subtopics that body paragraph explores

General Hooks (p.26 in RR)

The purpose of a hook is to draw your reader in to what you have to say. You don't want the hook to sound too broad and anonymous. You want to one of the general hooks below in a creative, but thesis-connected way: 

1. Relevant quote

2. Personal anecdote

3. Provocative and relevant question

4. Specific Example that fit your subject (perhaps one you will actually bring back and expand on later in your body

• Specific can involve a clear individual person/thing/place or a clear group of people/things/places
• specific: the Ford Focus; Michael Jordan; Hollywood actors
• too broad: people, everyone (wrong!); workers; 

5. Relevant fact: particularly one that sets the tone and allows you to explore the fact specifically as it relates to your thesis.

•  For example, a fact about how many different ethnicities live in the USA in an essay in which the writer explores how food is a ticket to other cultures for them. 

Drafting an Introduction

1. [As we discussed last class...] Have your thesis and subtopics at least drafted and outlined; these ideas are your map directions!

2. Decide which type of hook most interests you. Do some brainstorming that helps you (including, looking on the Internet for a relevant quote or fact to help you out)

• For now, if you got a quote/fact off a website, make sure to record the name and address of the website and the author, if there. We'll come back to discussing citing a source in another class, so you need to know where you got your info from.

3. Once you have the type of hook you want and have some content to work with, start drafting your introduction paragraph (aim for around 5-8 solid sentences for 450 word essays)

• Go from hook, to how the hook relates to your specific thesis, to introducing subtopics, to ending on your thesis statement.

Example Sketch Outline for Writing About What PRE is:

sketch outline:

I. Thesis statement:  The 'tortoise and the hare' fable taught me mental [and physical] endurance, which has helped me in school and (,) at work (and in keeping in shape). 

     A. Subtopics*: 

1. This child's fable came back to me in high school, when I realized I was struggling math.
2. The fable also helps me as a writer remember that a good story or poem doesn't always come out quickly, even when inspired.
3. I run 12-15 miles a week to stay in shape, and the hare's consistency helps me get past the ups and downs of being a runner.

*These subtopics came out of my looking at the thesis statement and the point I made there. The third subtopic allows me to stay with just "mental endurance" and really shaping that idea, so I revised the thesis statement as shown with editing marks. 

Generating a Hook

• I decided to go with a quote to open up the essay so that I could demonstrate different sentence structures for integrating a quote smoothly.... I was lucky and already had a quote that I use all of the time--one of my Prefontaine quotes from the PRE lesson!  Other places to find quotes:

•  Your favorite books, movies, shows. Your heroes. Your family. Of course, a good writer can take quotes they may have never heard before they write an assignment, but try and use the "hook with quote" strategy with quotes that have actually mattered to you in your life. You want to have a heart in your words. 

• If you find your quote on one of those generic quote websites, Google the quote to make sure it is valid (many hits on the quote).

Once I find my hook, I can draft my introduction

• When using a quote or a fact, it is good to start your hook off with a phrase that introduces where that quote/fact is coming from:

• (author) once said, "..."

• According to ________, ...

• Or...try out your own introductory phrase that gives context to the quote/hook!

The Hare Must Believe He's Got Tortoise Speed [Title reflects point and subject]

American Olympic distance-running great Steve Prefontaine once remarked, "I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it.” Prefontaine is known for his physical endurance as a record-holding distance runner, but one could argue his physical talent developed because of his mentality. Prefontaine's rise from a nobody runner to a world-class athlete is credited to his belief in himself. Prefontaine, in a way, reminds me of the tortoise in Aesop's famous The Tortoise and The Hare fable. Though their stories and talent levels are different, both Prefontaine and the tortoise believe in themselves and their ability to succeed through effort. ... 

•  Note how many sentences and transitions and explanations there are to go from the quote to the subject of the essay.

• Also, note that this is only the hook and transition of the opening/introduction. The remaining 2-4 sentences will be: subtopic introductions and thesis statement!