Introduction
Adapted from a handout by Diane Matlock

Introductory paragraphs should do at least three things:

They should make your reader want to read your essay.
They should describe your topic.
They should state your thesis.

Consider these introductory components as you write:

Identify: You need to start out by identifying
the work(s) you will be discussing by title, including the
writer's name.

Describe: Then, start describing your topic. Don't waste time saying "In this essay I will discuss..." or "I will prove that..." Just do it.
Focus: Don't think you have to make your topic cosmically significant. You are writing a specialized kind of essay, and you can assume that your reader is interested in the subject. The sooner you get to the specific subject of your essay, the better. Don't be grandiose or melodramatic.

Give background: You need to provide enough background information on your topic to make it comprehensible. You can assume that your reader has read the work you are discussing, but you still need to supply the details that caught your attention!


Boring? If you are not interested in the topic, your reader won't be either. Don't write a paper on a topic that does not interest you.

Be Concise: Don't let your introductory paragraph get too long. If necessary, break it into two paragraphs.

Rewrite: Introductions almost always have to be rewritten, and often substantially revised. Don't work too hard on the first draft. Keep it simple, and amplify later. Or, consider writing it after the body of the paper.
Compare/contrast: If you are writing on a compare-and-contrast topic, you need to make it clear what the basis for the comparison is. What is the rationale behind your comparison? Differences between two works are significant only if the similarities between them are also significant.

Quotations: Quotations are one way to start an introduction-but don't start every introduction that way!



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