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Developing an Introduction: The Top-Down Model

What is an introduction?

An introduction is the first paragraph (or paragraphs) of any written work.

What is the function of an introduction?

An introduction

captures your audience's attention.

gives background on your topic.

develops interest in your topic.

guides your reader to yourthesis.

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How can I write an introduction?

There are three basic ways to write an introduction:

1. You can write the introduction after you write the body of your essay.

. You can write the introduction before you write the body of your essay.

!. You can rough out the introduction first and then focus and revise it once you have writtenyour essay.

"any people write a rough draft and fro# that find out what their purpose really is and what they

really believe. Then they revise the focus$ language$ or order of their introduction. This se%uence

&& of drafting an introduction and then revising and refining it once the body of the paper issketched out && is veryco##on.

None of the above situations is better!

What goes on in an introduction?

There is no single right for# for an introduction to take$ but one co##on for# that #any writers

use is the following:

The introduction begins with a broad state#ent about the #ain idea. This state#ent #ight

suggest background or the general category to which the thesis idea belongs.

The net sentences are #ore specific$ #oving closer to the actual thesis of the essay.

The final sentence of an introduction often contains a fairly specific version of the #ain

idea it is thethesis state#ent.

Do all introductions have four sentences?

o$ introductions can have a very few to #any sentences$ or even be #ore than one paragraph inlength$ depending on the length of your essay. *n short$ the actual nu#ber of sentences in an

introduction is not i#portant.

Thesis tateent

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A thesis state#ent in an essay is a sentence that eplicitly identifies the purpose of the

paper or previews its #ain ideas.

" thesis stateent is an assertion# not a stateent of fact or an observation$

%act or observation:+eople use #any lawn che#icals.

Thesis:+eople are poisoning the environ#ent with che#icals #erely to keep their lawns

clean.

" thesis ta&es a stand rather than announcing a sub'ect$

"nnounceent:The thesis of this paper is the difficulty of solving our environ#entalproble#s.

Thesis: ,olving our environ#ental proble#s is #ore difficult than #any

environ#entalists believe.

" thesis is the ain idea# not the title$ It ust be a coplete sentence that e(plains in soe

detail what )ou e(pect to write about$

Title:,ocial ,ecurity and -ld Age.

Thesis:ontinuing changes in the ,ocial ,ecurity ,yste# #akes it al#ost i#possible toplan intelligently for one's retire#ent.

" thesis stateent is narrow# rather than broad$ If the thesis stateent is sufficientl)

narrow# it can be full) supported$

*road:The A#erican steel industry has #any proble#s.

Narrow:The pri#ary proble# if the A#erican steel industry is the lack of funds to

renovate outdated plants and e%uip#ent.

" thesis stateent is specific rather than vague or general$

+ague:/e#ingway's war stories are very good.

pecific:/e#ingway's stories helped create a new prose style by e#ploying etensive

dialogue$ shorter sentences$ and strong Anglo&,aon words.

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" thesis stateent has one ain point rather than several ain points$ More than one point

a) be too difficult for the reader to understand and the writer to support$

More than one ain point:,tephen /awking's physical disability has not prevented hi#fro# beco#ing a world&renowned physicist$ and his book is the sub0ect of a #ovie.

,ne Main point:,tephen /awking's physical disability has not prevented hi# fro#

beco#ing a world renowned physicist.

You can revise your thesis state#ent whenever you want to while you are writing your

essay. riters often discover what their real purpose and point is in the process of

putting their thoughts into words and then reading what they've written.

trategies for Writing a onclusion

trategies for Writing a onclusion

onclusions are often the #ost difficult part of an essay to write$ and #any writers feel that they

have nothing left to say after having written the paper. A writer needs to keep in #ind that the

conclusion is often what a reader re#e#bers best. Your conclusion should be the best part of yourpaper.

" conclusion should

stress the i#portance of the thesis state#ent$

give the essay a sense of co#pleteness$ and

leave a final i#pression on the reader.

uggestions

"nswer the .uestion /o What?/

,how your readers why this paper was i#portant. ,how the# that your

paper was #eaningful and useful.

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)nthesi0e# don1t suari0e

o 2on't si#ply repeat things that were in your paper. They have read it. ,how the#

how the points you #ade and the support and ea#ples you used were notrando#$ but fit together.

2edirect )our readerso 3ive your reader so#ething to think about$ perhaps a way to use your paper in the

4real4 world. *f your introduction went fro# general to specific$ #ake your

conclusion go fro# specific to general. Think globally.

reate a new eaning

o You don't have to give new infor#ation to create a new #eaning. 5y

de#onstrating how your ideas work together$ you can create a new picture. -ftenthe su# of the paper is worth #ore than its parts.

trategies 3choing the introduction: 6choing your introduction can be a good strategy if it is

#eant to bring the reader full&circle. *f you begin by describing a scenario$ you can end

with the sa#e scenario as proof that your essay was helpful in creating a new

understanding.

3(aple

Introduction

7ro# the parking lot$ * could see the towers of the castle of the

"agic 8ingdo# standing stately against the blue sky. To the right$the tall peak of The "atterhorn rose even higher. 7ro# the left$ *could hear the 0ungle sounds of Adventureland. As * entered the

gate$ "ain ,treet stretched before #e with its %uaint shops evoking

an old&fashioned s#all town so char#ing it could never haveeisted. * was entranced. 2isneyland #ay have been built for

children$ but it brings out the child in adults.

Conclusion

* thought * would spend a few hours at 2isneyland$ but here * was

at 1:99 A.".$ closing ti#e$ leaving the front gates with the nowdark towers of the "agic 8ingdo# behind #e. * could see tired

children$ toddling along and struggling to keep their eyes open as

best they could. -thers slept in their parents' ar#s as we waited forthe parking lot tra# that would take us to our cars. "y forty&year&

old feet ached$ and * felt a bit sad to think that in a couple of days *

would be leaving alifornia$ #y vacation over$ to go back to #y

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desk. 5ut then * s#iled to think that for at least a day * felt ten years

old again.

hallenging the reader:5y issuing a challenge to your readers$ you are helping the# to

redirect the infor#ation in the paper$ and they #ay apply it to their own lives.

3(aple

Though serving on a 0ury is not only a civic responsibility but also an

interesting eperience$ #any people still view 0ury duty as a chore thatinterrupts their 0obs and the routine of their daily lives. /owever$ 0uries are

part of A#erica's atte#pt to be a free and 0ust society. Thus$ 0ury duty

challenges us to be interested and responsible citiens.

4oo&ing to the future:;ooking to the future can e#phasie the i#portance of yourpaper or redirect the readers' thought process. *t #ay help the# apply the new infor#ation

to their lives or see things #ore globally.

3(aple

ithout well&%ualified teachers$ schools are little #ore than buildings and

e%uip#ent. *f higher&paying careers continue to attract the best and the

brightest students$ there will not only be a shortage of teachers$ but theteachers available #ay not have the best %ualifications. -ur youth will

suffer. And when youth suffers$ the future suffers.

5osing .uestions:+osing %uestions$ either to your readers or in general$ #ay help your

readers gain a new perspective on the topic$ which they #ay not have held before readingyour conclusion. *t #ay also bring your #ain ideas together to create a new #eaning.

3(aple

a#paign advertise#ents should help us understand the candidate's

%ualifications and positions on the issues. *nstead$ #ost tell us what a boobor knave the opposing candidate is$ or they present general i#ages of the

candidate as a fa#ily person or 3od&fearing A#erican. 2o suchadvertise#ents contribute to creating an infor#ed electorate or a people

who choose political leaders the sa#e way they choose soft drinks andsoap