26.1: Readings by H Morrison

Introductions

Introductions introduce the topic and your focus while giving the reader enough information to understand your thesis statement, which should always be the final sentence of the introductory paragraph or paragraphs.

Introductions are particularly important because they set you up for successfully arguing your point. In order to successfully argue and persuade your audience, you need to pique their interest, provide them with the necessary details to understand your argument, and then clearly articulate your argument.

Introductions move from general to specific, and consist of the following:

• A hook or attention getter.
• Introductory information: this depends on the assignment. It could be a summary of the topic, a summary to the article, or just pertinent information that the reader needs to know about the topic.
• A bridge to your thesis.
• A thesis statement.

General Tips for Introductions

Introductions exist to make the reader interested in your topic, provide the background information they need to then be convinced by your argument (the thesis and the body of your essay), and provide a roadmap in your thesis so the reader understands where this essay is going. As you draft your introductory paragraph, have the following in mind:

• Consider what your audience needs to know.
• Remember this is a persuasive opportunity. You start out general in the info you share, but then as you get closer to your thesis, you should carefully choose what info you share so that the reader is more likely to be persuaded by your argument.
• The hook can wait until you have a more complete draft.
• The first and last sentences of your essay are likely the most creative and comprehensive—don’t stress about them at this point. You probably don’t have enough information to craft a great hook yet.
• No quotes in the introduction.
• You may paraphrase.
• Cite parenthetically only.
• Your last sentence or sentences of the intro must be the thesis statement.

The Hook

What makes a good hook? A good hook will “hook” the attention of the reader. It’s an attention grabber: it’s essentially a simple advertisement for the rest of the essay. As such, it should be quite general. However, it should be substantive. Oftentimes we think the first sentence of the essay can be a stock phrase or not mean much, or just be “fluff.” While it should be one of the most general sentences in your essay, it still must carry meaning. Here are some types of hooks:

• Thought provoking statement or fact: Slavery still exists in America today. (Thesis: The US criminal justice system creates and maintains cycles of incarceration that enforces low or no wage labor, impacting the economic communities of the incarcerated for generations to come.)
• A rhetorical question: How much further can we push the frontiers of AI without harming humans? (Thesis: AI must be regulated by federal, local, and international governing bodies in order to maintain healthy economies, a competent workforce, and the arts.)
• Imagery: Imagine walking through the woods on a mild April day, but there’s no twittering of birds or scuttling of squirrels: there’s just silence and dying, ashen trees. (Thesis: The ecological devastation brought on by global warming has already begun to negatively impact human mental health.)

Advice: Don’t put pressure on yourself to write the hook first. Instead consider writing it after you have competed all other parts of the introduction.

Bad hooks start poorly:

• In a world where …
• The Oxford English dictionary defines…
• Throughout history … or Since the dawn of time …

Summarizing or providing introductory material

This part of your introduction varies based on the assignment. Some assignments will necessitate a summary of the article, or articles, included in the essay. Others will have a requirement for a summary paragraph, so it would not be appropriate to have a summary in the introduction as well.

Here and elsewhere, you must pay careful attention to the assignment description: what’s required for the introduction? If it is not delineated, you can assume you need to introduce the topic to your audience. This also means you need to know who your intended audience is and what they know and don’t know regarding your topic. You may need to introduce the topic itself as though it is brand new, you may need to define terms, and/or explain key concepts.

While determining what to include in this part of your introduction may seem daunting, it is also an opportunity: you can tailor what your audience needs to know to set them up to accept your argument. Of course, you must be ethical and not misrepresent the topic or texts that you are summarizing, but you can focus more attention on the elements that help your argument.

Bridge to thesis

This bridge connects your summary and intro material to you thesis. As such, it should further narrow the topic—remember, your hook should be the most general statement of your introduction, and each sentence should be progressively more narrow until your most narrow statement of your introduction: your thesis statement.

Thesis statement

The thesis statement is the entire point—the main point—of your essay and in argumentative essays, it presents a clear position that is reasonably debatable.

The thesis statement should be a sentence, maybe two, and should always be the last sentence of your introductory paragraph. It should also suggest the structure of your essay.

Everything in your essay must be in service of the thesis statement: your introduction provides context so the reader can accept the thesis, the body proves the thesis (and should do nothing else), and the conclusion reiterates your thesis and summarizes the evidence you have already provided.

Conclusions

Conclusions conclude your essay—they are a formal summary and close to your essay. As such, it will be the shortest paragraph of your essay. The longer the body of your essay is, the longer your conclusion should be. However, since your essays for this class are relatively short, your conclusion will be around seven or eight sentences.

Despite the recommendation to go out of order and not write your introduction first, it is recommended that you write your conclusion after you have written the rest of the essay. Conclusions are fairly simple, and it will be easiest for you compose your conclusion after you have completed all other essay components.

You may be tempted to write a complicated conclusion that suggests solutions or next steps regarding your topic and thesis. In article composition, this is appropriate; however, our definition of conclusions does not allow for this. Our conclusions should say nothing new, but instead review what has already been said.

To help you follow the formula, use the:

The Conclusion 2-3 Rule

Conclusions DO 3 things:

1. Restate thesis (using different words)--1 sentence.
2. Summarize all main points—typically a sentence or two for each main point, totaling around 5 sentences.
3. End with a final, concluding thought—1 sentence.

Conclusions DO NOT DO 2 things:

1. Introduce new information.
2. Contain quotes, paraphrase, or summary of other writers’ work (anything that would require a citation).

Restating your thesis

Restating your thesis does not mean copy/pasting your thesis into your conclusion; it means conveying the same information in different words (paraphrase).

Common issue: My thesis statement already summarizes my main points, so if I restate my thesis in the conclusion, it is repetitive to summarize the main points.

Solution: Restate only the core argument/conclusion of your thesis.

How to do it:

• The core argument/conclusion of your thesis can usually be determined by removing all of the causes, details, or support.

Example:

Full thesis in the intro:

Because Long COVID is most prevalent in women, and more often occurs in BIPOC communities, it has been under researched. Without awareness raising now and allocation of funds, Long Covid may have devastating mental, physical, and economic effects on BIPOC communities throughout the US for decades to come.

Core argument/conclusion:

Long COVID has been under researched and may have devastating effects on BIPOC communities throughout the US for decades to come.

Restatement:

Not enough research has been done on Long COVID and the effects it has on BIPOC communities will be devastating for generations.

Summarizing your main points

Again, paraphrase and summarize your main points—do not copy and paste from other parts of your essay. A sentence or two per main point will do. Your topic sentences, if done well, should be excellent guides.

Do not include citations, or particular source-based evidence: write in generalizations. For example, “studies show…” rather than “Butler’s, Jeffries’, and The Institute’s studies all show that…”

Keep in mind that each summary sentence, like your topic sentences, should be argumentative.

You do not need to summarize introductory or background paragraphs.

The last sentence

The last sentence is the mirror version of the hook. Just as the hook “hooked” the reader’s attention to get them interested enough to continue reading, your final sentence releases their attention but gives them a parting gift: a provocative or summative thought.

In articles, we often see authors providing solutions or calls to action in the final sentences. However, given the Conclusion 2-3 rule, we know that we cannot introduce new information. Adding a solution or a call to action may be appropriate if the following are true:

• You have a topic that your audience can actually or potentially take some meaningful action on.
• You provide direction on the specific action(s) the audience can and should take.
• You have previously discussed solutions to the problem.

Your conclusion is not the place to introduce solutions to the problems presented in your essay. If you want to advise the reader to “contact their local representatives” about an issue you present, there should be at least a mention of “the importance of engaging with local lawmakers in enacting change” elsewhere in your essay. Basically, if the reader is asked, or urged, to do something, the reader should have a good idea of the impact and need for that action, as well as how to do it, before they are asked. Don’t spring it on them at the very end!

The Hook (first sentence) and the concluding sentence (the last sentence) should be the last things you write. First, finish the essay completely, then focus on those two sentences.

After completing your full draft, step away from it for at least an hour and do something entirely unrelated. When you return to it, read the entire draft out loud. This can help you see it with “fresh eyes” and help stir the creative and summarizing juices.

Finally, do not put too much pressure on yourself when it comes time to write that final sentence. Many great student essays have mediocre hooks and concluding sentences. Your thesis, your evidence and explanations, your logic and organization are far more important.