Writing the Introduction

This power point is based on information taken from:

The New Oxford Guide to Writing

by Thomas S. Kane

Preparation: Writing a Statement of Purpose

Take time to write a paragraph or two BROADLY describing what you want to accomplish in your paper, and how you’re going to organize it. If you find it difficult to write such a statement of purpose, you may not really know what your “purpose” or main argument is yet.

*Not facing the question before you begin to write is one of the chief causes of writing block and disorganization. Ideas do not come out of the blue, they have to be sought and arranged before you begin writing.

*The statement should contain a clearly defined version of your “thesis statement.” You might begin with: “This paper is going to discuss…and I will discuss it in relation to these three points: a) b) c).”

*For more ideas on generating content before you begin your essay, see the Writing Reference Library: http://kucampus.kaplan.edu/Platform/AcademicSupport/AcademicSuccess/PeerTutoring/Writing/resources/resource23.aspx

The Statement of Purpose Ensures That:

1. You will be able to eliminate formulaic language (i.e. “I will discuss” or “This paper will show that”) and provide something more creative for your readers

2. You have a map of your entire paper and can refer back to it as a checklist

3. You can hand your statement to a random person who has no knowledge of the topic, and s/he can tell you if it makes sense

THE INVERTED TRIANGLE: 3 Elements of Every Introduction

Introductions should satisfy three requirements, and usually these elements will begin from very general statements and slowly move toward your specific point (the thesis):

The Creative Hook

In a stack of 300 papers, what will convince your reader that your paper is among the top ten to read? Most likely, the reader will base her decision on the opening 2-3 lines of your paper. Those opening lines should be general enough to appeal to your audience while also preparing her for the main topic.

EXAMPLES

Note: Each example is discussed in a podcast that explains strengths and weaknesses for

the paragraph.

On Global WarmingWhat do Augustus Caesar, the Talmudic sage Abaye, and Gerald Ford have in common? All three were adopted, either as children or as adults. Adoption, despite its complexities, has spanned ages and sometimes races due to the benefits it holds for all participants. Its history traces its roots through the Biblical story of Moses, continues with Julius Caesar’s not entirely altruistic adoption of his successor Octavian, and eventually finds its way to America with the Orphan Train of the late 19th century. Adoption owes its long life to the simple fact that when one set of parents chooses to give its child to another one, every party benefits. A childless couple finds a new sociological niche, the birth parents of an unwanted child are able to resume the life they had mapped out for themselves, and a baby who might have grown up unwanted in an unstable home gains a family. A more complex situation can arise when the adopted child is of a different ethnicity than the family unit; then, there may be a feeling of estrangement from both the birth culture as well as the new family. More pragmatically, parents must cope with the complications of having a child who is an integral part of the family, but does not physically resemble it.

• Earth is experiencing a rise in temperature. Referred to as global warming, it is caused by trapped gases in the atmosphere. This creates what is called the greenhouse effect. Excessive gases create more heat which is having dramatic effects around the globe. While the majority of experts say global warming is cause for concern, there are a small handful of those who feel it’s nothing to worry about. Despite the debate, world governments are pulling together to create ways to reduce global warming. Companies are taking it upon themselves to make changes and there are things that can be done on an individual level as well. To understand why the changes must be made, one must understand what global warming is and what it’s causing.

• Lance Armstrong, when referring to medical patients and their struggle for life, famously remarked; “What other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell.” Hope opens the door to an endless array of possibilities and the potential to achieve the unfeasible. For a medical patient, hope comes in the form of faith healing, a widely used method of alternative medicine. Healing of the body through spiritual feelings or thoughts proves to be a very promising form of non-conventional medicine; its components, mechanisms and applications are both rich and diverse. When someone in need of a cure chooses to utilize the healing powers of faith they are tapping in to a vast world of beliefs whose history traces back to the earliest of societies. Faith, the practice of instilling hope and finding meaning, can be used to aid people who suffer from minor aches and pains as well as people who are terminally ill. The direct effect of belief is hard to isolate and examine yet the widespread use and positive results of this mechanism indicate it is a valid form of alternative medicine.

• A bomb is about to explode in one of the most densely populated areas of New York City and there is only one man that knows all the details to avert the bomb. Most people would agree to do whatever is necessary to obtain the information from this individual, even if it means torturing the man until he dies. Yet torture is not an effective means for the United States to combat terrorism, mainly due to the consequences of the suspect's personal rights and our country's reputation. Not only are the tortured's rights neglected during cruel interrogation methods, torture does not yield the desirable results. Furthermore, the concept of permissible torture leaves severe moral impacts on the American society.

Domestic violence is a strange thing to talk about unless you have experienced it for yourself. You can talk about it until you turn blue in the face. Some people even have the nerve to say that if it were me I would have not even gotten myself into that situation. A lot of things are easy to say until it happens to you. Domestic violence comes in many shapes sizes and colors. By saying this I mean anyone can be a victim of domestic violence. The main thing about domestic violence is the affects it has on the abused and the family of the abused. If put in this situation I wonder just how most people would handle it.

Having good credit may not open the doors to El Dorado but it can make an impact on a consumers’ living standards. When a consumer applies for a credit card, a loan, a car purchase, even a job, chances are their credit rating is checked. If a poor credit history is present (late or missed payments, liens, bankruptcy), it is likely the consumer will be considered a bad investment risk; lenders base their initial opinion on the credit history of a potential client. Certain employers use a potential employee’s credit history as a guideline on whether the candidate is a viable (and trustworthy) employment risk. Because of this, understanding the basics of consumer credit and consumer credit ratings can put purchasing consumers ahead of the game.

• 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. In the end, Blake, in his poem, points out three things. First, the soul struggles in the beginning, but then is triumphant over its physical prison, the body. Second, good and evil can be a symbol of one individual at different times. Finally, Romanticism, a change in the way people examined their lives, affected Blake’s work, as its fame was spreading during his lifetime.