Introductions

Volunteer State Community College
Learning Commons

Introductions

Introductions and conclusions connect your essay with your reader. Specifically, the introduction bridges your paper with your reader's life, shows how it's relevant and worth their time, and eases them into the world of your discussion. Similarly, the conclusion transports them out of your paper back into their own lives in a way that allows them to take what they've learned with them as they leave and hopefully apply it to their world (see our handout on conclusions).

Many students find introductions difficult to write. Getting started with any task can be a challenge. If your writing is responding to a prompt, it may be a bit easier to write the introduction, but if you are coming up with your own topic, it may be a struggle to write an introduction. For this reason, some students prefer to write the introduction after they have written the body paragraphs. This is okay as long as you have a working thesis statement to direct the body. At some point, though, you will need to introduce and conclude your paper.

Is a good introduction worth the trouble?
If you think of your paper as a conversation between you and your reader, then it becomes clear that the introduction is the first impression your reader will have of you, your topic, and your writing style. If you make a negative impression, your reader will likely

If you make a good first impression, your audience will be engaged and interested.

decline the invitation to join you on your journey through teh essay. On the other hand, if you make a good first impression, your reader will be engaged and interested and encouraged to continue reading. This is what you need in order to convince your reader of your argument, and that is what you want as a writer.

Your introduction tells your reader where you're going; it provides a road map for the rest of your paper. Your introduction tells your reader what your main argument is and what types of information you plan to use to make that argument. It also provides the reader with expectations about the general organization of your paper. After reading your introduction, your reader should not encounter any major surprises in your paper.

How do I write an effective introduction?
The first step is to think about the question or questions you are trying to answer. If you've been assigned a question to answer, this is easier. If you have not been assigned a question, you will determine what questions you want to answer during your brainstorming session (see our handout on brainstorming.

Different types of essays will require variations in introduction.

A Classroom Scenario

Let's imagine you've been given the following prompt on Mary Shelly's Frankenstein:

Drawing on Frankenstein, discuss the relationship between science and society in 18th century Europe. Consider the following: How and why does Shelly juxtapose nature and science in the story. What elements of setting does Shelly use to create mood in this story, and what specific mood is created?

Finally, identify elements of gothic romance as they relate to this story and discuss the function of each in forwarding Shelly's overall intent.

A Classroom Scenario

Your entire essay will be a response to this question, and the introduction will be the first step to that end.

Your thesis will be a direct answer to the question, and your thesis will likely be included in the introduction, so the question is a good place to start.

Notice that this question starts with a general statement and then focuses on more specific questions from the book. One strategy might be to do something similar in your introduction--start off with a more general statement and then focus on more specific details of your argument. A different approach may certainly work too, but looking at the way your professor set up the question can often give you ideas of how to answer it (see our handout on understanding assignments for more information on deciphering hidden clues in assignments).

Decide how general or broad your opening needs to be.
We can use the analogy of an online map program to understand this concept. Imagine you are trying to determine if Nashville is on the same latitude as Venice. In that case, you would want to expand your map view to include the continents of Europe and North America. On the other hand, if you were trying to determine how to get from Nashville to Memphis, it would make more sense to zoom in to where you can see all of Tennessee but not the rest of the country. If, however, you were

The question you are answering will determine how much you need to "zoom in" on your view in the introduction.

trying to see the intersection of Gap Road and Nashville Pike to figure out how to get to the Learning Commons, ou would need to zoom in more closely to Gallatin and the Vol State area. The question you are answering will determine how much you need to "zoom in" on your view. Your writing needs to be placed in some sort of context, but that context may not need to be as general as the entire globe!

Like all aspects of writing, revision is okay and even expected! Don't be afraid to write an initial introduction and revise it later.

In order to engage your reader, we start with something called a "hook." For more information on using different introductions for different types of

A great introduction will start with a hook to draw your reader in.

papers, see our handout on writing a great hook.

In general, your opening should draw your reader in. Here are some ways to do that (they may not be appropriate for all types of papers). Start with:

*an intriguing example--this pulls a relevant example from the source.

*a provocative quotation that is closely related to your argument.

*an interesting scenario that sets the stage for your argument.

*a descriptive and perhaps unexpected anecdote.

*a thought-provoking question which leads the reader down the path toward your argument.

A great introduction will start with a hook to draw your reader in.

How do I evaluate my introduction?
One of the best ways to evaluate the effectiveness of your introduction is to have a friend read it and then tell you what he or she expects the paper will discuss, what type of tone it will have, and what types of evidence it will provide. If your friend can accurately predict these elements, then you probably have a good introduction.

Examples of what NOT to do in your introduction
The following types of introduction are likely to be much less effective than an introduction having the elements we've already discussed:

Taking up space. When you don't have a lot to say on your topic it is easy to create this type of introduction. Essentially this type of introduction will contain several vague sentences that don't really say much.

Restating the question. This can be an effective strategy in some cases; however, you should never stop at JUST restating the question. Whoever wrote the question you're answering already knows what it is and does not need to hear it again. A more specific sentence will be more effective.

Using the dictionary. This type of introduction begins with a dictionary definition (or parts of one). Sometimes it may be necessary to define terms in your introduction, but if this is the case it will be more interesting and relevant to your particular class or essay if you create your own definition. Dictionary