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INTRODUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
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Essay Introductions:
When you first sit down to compose your essay, do not start with the introduction. Doing this leads to writing about things that you will repeat in your body paragraphs. You do not begin to argue your points in the introduction. The job of the introduction is to convince people that your paper is worth their time. Remember that your teacher is never your audience. Unless the instructor has given you an audience, you should always pretend that you are writing for the general public and that they don't have to read your work. Your goal is to write a paper that people would want to read.
TRY THIS METHOD:
The first sentence of your introductory paragraph should hook your audience—thus the designation as “the hook.” You may begin an essay with almost any topic you wish, as long as you can transition well. An introduction may have more than one transition. Most introductions will be as long as the body paragraphs. The samples below are short, but they do demonstrate topic types. I will provide more appropriately sized introductions in class.
Background information
Many subjects for essays benefit from a brief historical overview or some concise background information. The strategy here is to explain background circumstances to whet the appetite for further exploration.
Up until the 1960s, African-Americans, Latinos, and other people of color as well as women experienced blatant discrimination in the American workplace for irrelevant reasons of ethnicity or gender. The well intentioned people who designed Affirmative Action intended to help minorities and women gain greater representation in jobs, promotions, college admissions, and business contracts. To varying extents, this did occur. But times have changed. Today, because Affirmative Action has resulted in misunderstanding, bitterness, and verbal warfare, the program should be reviewed and revised.
Question
Asking a question is a great way to start an essay. Sometimes you might be tempted to start with something like this: Would you ever decide to have an abortion? If you want to begin with that type of question but want to avoid the use of the word "you," try making the question a command instead, like the example below:
When is having an abortion acceptable? Many young women think of such a procedure as a viable choice in an extremely complex situation. When teenagers take such measures, the results can be devastating. Despite their beliefs to the contrary, young people have not developed the capacity to understand the full ramifications of certain consequences that will impact their lives extensively. Nonetheless, how can people decide how old someone should be to make such a choice? Why should eighteen be a magic, determining number? Abortion provides a tragically complex topic.
Story or incident
This strategy involves opening the essay with a story or anecdote that directly illustrates the main idea. If you use this strategy, be sure that you keep the length of the story under control—remember that your purpose is to heighten interest and curiosity in your subject, not to digress into a lengthy narration. You may write a personal anecdote, but be careful not to overuse words like "I." You could write personal anecdotes as a story about someone else, but you do not have to. You could use a scene from the novel you are writing about; just be careful not to return to this topic until you reach your conclusion.
At eight years of age, Anne’s parents moved to a new apartment located in Bourj-Hamoud, Lebanon, a beautiful city that used to be called “Little Paris.” Upon seeing this big building, she thought her family would be living on a boat. The two-hundred-foot-long balcony, wrapping all around the apartment, made the greatest impression. The first few days after they moved in, she feared venturing out on this expansive balcony. As the days passed by, however, the balcony became the place where she spent all her time and ultimately learned about the outside world.
Statistic, fact, or statement
Oftentimes, you can command interest by beginning with a startling statistic or fact. Notice that the writer of the following introductory paragraph uses a specific amount money to appeal to his audience’s regard for wise spending.
Last year, over half of the nation’s computer users spent fifty dollars or more on phone calls and books for technical support related to problems installing or running computer programs. The money could have been saved if computer users had better knowledge of how to install a program. And program installation is not as complicated as many believe. Most programs require three fairly simple steps, each accompanied by a few precautions.
Quotation
You may decide to use a quotation to open your essay. If you use this introductory technique, you need to identify the source unless the quote is a generally known proverb or saying. If you are writing an essay about a particular book, story, or article, you may choose to begin your introductory paragraph with a quotation from the source you’re discussing.
“A stranger blocked her path, but she passed him blindly. He had to touch her arm before she would look up” (23). Mrs. Ardavi arrives from Iran and the stranger is Hassan, her son, whom she had not seen in over ten years. How embarrassing for a mother not to know her son. How different they must seem to each other. Nonetheless, they will need to find a way to re-establish their relationship. Both Ardavi and Hassan must come to terms with differences in culture, personality, religion, and age.
Definition
If your essay focuses on a subject that might not be readily understood by your audience, you may want to ease readers into the topic by defining any confusing terms first. If you do choose this strategy as your hook, avoid the overused “according to Webster’s” or “The dictionary defines” phrasing.
Fishing aficionados should know that the northern states have excellent fishing lakes. People interested in making this trek will benefit from developing a familiarity with Rapalas and their use in game fishing. A Rapala is an artificial bait, which people tie to the end of a fishing line in place of a basic fishing hook. The hand crafted bait consists of either cedar or balsa wood with two sets of hooks attached to the cigar-shaped body. To catch a freezer-full of the best largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, or the highly valued muskellunge, learn how and when to use Rapalas.
Examples and details
You may want to arouse audience interest and introduce your subject by giving a series of examples or details associated with the subject.
Unless a person has felt like an outsider, been singled out by resident advisors, stayed up for hours studying for finals, been denied financial loans, failed a test, sat in the wrong class by mistake, read the wrong pages for homework, become sick from cafeteria food on campus, experienced writer’s block, paid over three hundred dollars for books, bought the wrong books and could not return them—unless one has experienced at least some of these situations, the “joys” of being a college student cannot be understood. Though college may be a humongous pain and the most challenging experience one could ever face, it is imperative.
Conclusions
Despite the importance of an introductory paragraph as the vehicle through which a reader chooses to continue with a particular text or give up, the conclusion forms the last impression—the final and most lingering memory—of the piece.
Conclusions convey a feeling of completion. In a process paper, a writer may comment on the ease of a procedure signaling that he/she has finished explaining how to perform the task, without adding new information.
A conclusion frames the essay. Much as a frame forms a finite border around a painting, an effective conclusion brings together the contents of an essay and offers closure. If you have ever been disconnected during a phone conversation, you know the frustration that accompanies an abrupt and untimely ending. In the same way, an essay should not end by repeating the last main point or with a detail related to a main point. A conclusion signal that the essay is ending.
Successful framing makes use of any of a number of concluding strategies. Consider the strategies listed below.
1. Summary: This common strategy works best for essays longer than four typewritten pages. Summarizing a shorter essay insults the reader, suggested his/her inability to follow a simple thread of information. On the other hand, if an essay deals with complex or technical material or if the essay is a ten-page research paper, the audience may appreciate a recap of key points.
Overall, although having a part-time job can crowd a teen’s schedule and limit study time, this job may be exactly what the teen may need. Learning to meet responsibilities on the job, growing to respect and get along with employers and co-workers, and developing the maturity to budget money help to develop three skills that more teens should acquire.
2. Recommendation: Making a recommendation provides an interesting way to close an essay. After well argued points, a recommendation works well, especially for a critique.
After a behind the scenes look at what a waitress has to cope with and juggle during every working hour, perhaps restaurant patrons will view servers with different eyes. As she approaches the table smiling with composure and good humor, try to respond with the same courtesy to this person who does much more than just serve the food.
3. Prediction or warning: Using a prediction or issuing a warning can be a dramatic and memorable way to end an essay.
If parents continue to ignore the suggestive sitcoms, films, and music videos their children watch, and if they fail to monitor their children’s viewing, there will be more irresponsible sexual behavior and mindless violence in society. Now more than ever parents need to teach their children moral behavior. If parents leave this teaching to the media, society will become even more toxic to young people.
4. Call to action: The call to action as a concluding strategy challenges the audience to become involved by doing something about a situation or problem.
The aforementioned examples of unclear wording in the college’s sexual harassment policy point out the need for a policy review. Every student on this campus, every faculty and staff member should write, call, or visit the board of trustees and urge them to revise the current sexual harassment policy so to provide clear language and establish fairness to all parties involved.
5. Reference to introductory strategy: An interesting and satisfying concluding strategy involves referring back to the introductory example, story, statistic, quote, or other device and elaborating or connecting the information, tying the end to the beginning of the essay.
Introduction:
Several decades in the past, children could play in their own backyards without fear or harm. Children roamed a neighborhood, moving from one friend’s house to another, remaining merely within calling distance of a parent. No one needed to be supervised constantly. Children would move in a group up and down a block with irreverent abandon. Children played baseball in the streets of quiet neighborhoods and parents only felt an occasional need to glance out. Even then, they checked mostly on behavior more than safety issues. Today, however, many children do not feel safe, regardless of their location, because of the era within which they live. After reading “A Child’s Tragedy Is a Grown-Up’s Failure” by Robin Abcarian and “Get It If You Can” by Roy Rivenburg, one can easily discern the toxic nature of current society.
[Body paragraphs develop main points with examples relating to a toxic society, using many quotes from the texts.]
Conclusion:
Anxiety robs youth of an appropriate childhood, a time of joyful innocence, learning, and exploration. Although no one can revert back to what people like to refer to as simpler times, there must be more that parents, educators, and lawmakers can do to increase safety for all children, especially in their own homes. Changing an environment takes a collective and constructive effort, which activists like Abcarian and Rivenburg obviously work to inspire.
Avoid Conclusion Pitfalls:
New Material: Resist the urge to introduce new material, such as another main point or another detail. Conclusions wrap up ideas and arguments; they do add a more points to the discussion.
Apology: Never weaken your position by apologizing—even in your concluding paragraph. For example, your audience will be confused and possibly offended if you conclude with something like the following: “Although no one can know everything about this problem, . . . ”
Moralizing: Avoid being preachy or condescending. An essay will be more memorable without stating obvious ideas and repeatedly, angrily hammering home the point. Never use exclamation points in an essay, except in a quote. Let the intensity of your diction and syntax do the work for you.
For example, the following writer of this informal personal narrative essay might decide in a revised draft to delete the italicized last sentence of this paragraph. The point was already made before the italicized sentences.
Today, everyone in our family has a job. We can now buy ourselves the things we need. Without the constant reminder of money problems, everyone feels content instead of stressed and short tempered. Learning to work together has taught us valuable lessons about the importance of effective and honest communication and the appreciation that follows. Times are tough but not impossible if you learn to work together. Be cooperative with your family members or they might end up hating each other!
When you first sit down to compose your essay, do not start with the introduction. Doing this leads to writing about things that you will repeat in your body paragraphs. You do not begin to argue your points in the introduction. The job of the introduction is to convince people that your paper is worth their time. Remember that your teacher is never your audience. Unless the instructor has given you an audience, you should always pretend that you are writing for the general public and that they don't have to read your work. Your goal is to write a paper that people would want to read.
TRY THIS METHOD:
- Start with a working thesis, one that you will be willing to change as you move through the writing process.
- Write your body paragraphs, checking regularly to see if your thesis is still working. If you start to stray from your thesis, you will need to decide if you want to rethink your body paragraphs or your thesis. Either option could work.
- When you finish your body paragraphs, think about what type of introduction you want. More research may be required to find your topic. Use the options below for inspiration.
- After you become accustomed to using introductory paragraph topics, they might start coming to mind as you write. When that occurs, scroll up and make note of it and then get back to work on the body paragraphs. Eventually, you might end up with several ideas for introduction topics before you finish the body paragraphs.
- Write the introduction, then the conclusion and (unless you have already been inspired with a title) the title should be written last.
The first sentence of your introductory paragraph should hook your audience—thus the designation as “the hook.” You may begin an essay with almost any topic you wish, as long as you can transition well. An introduction may have more than one transition. Most introductions will be as long as the body paragraphs. The samples below are short, but they do demonstrate topic types. I will provide more appropriately sized introductions in class.
Background information
Many subjects for essays benefit from a brief historical overview or some concise background information. The strategy here is to explain background circumstances to whet the appetite for further exploration.
Up until the 1960s, African-Americans, Latinos, and other people of color as well as women experienced blatant discrimination in the American workplace for irrelevant reasons of ethnicity or gender. The well intentioned people who designed Affirmative Action intended to help minorities and women gain greater representation in jobs, promotions, college admissions, and business contracts. To varying extents, this did occur. But times have changed. Today, because Affirmative Action has resulted in misunderstanding, bitterness, and verbal warfare, the program should be reviewed and revised.
Question
Asking a question is a great way to start an essay. Sometimes you might be tempted to start with something like this: Would you ever decide to have an abortion? If you want to begin with that type of question but want to avoid the use of the word "you," try making the question a command instead, like the example below:
When is having an abortion acceptable? Many young women think of such a procedure as a viable choice in an extremely complex situation. When teenagers take such measures, the results can be devastating. Despite their beliefs to the contrary, young people have not developed the capacity to understand the full ramifications of certain consequences that will impact their lives extensively. Nonetheless, how can people decide how old someone should be to make such a choice? Why should eighteen be a magic, determining number? Abortion provides a tragically complex topic.
Story or incident
This strategy involves opening the essay with a story or anecdote that directly illustrates the main idea. If you use this strategy, be sure that you keep the length of the story under control—remember that your purpose is to heighten interest and curiosity in your subject, not to digress into a lengthy narration. You may write a personal anecdote, but be careful not to overuse words like "I." You could write personal anecdotes as a story about someone else, but you do not have to. You could use a scene from the novel you are writing about; just be careful not to return to this topic until you reach your conclusion.
At eight years of age, Anne’s parents moved to a new apartment located in Bourj-Hamoud, Lebanon, a beautiful city that used to be called “Little Paris.” Upon seeing this big building, she thought her family would be living on a boat. The two-hundred-foot-long balcony, wrapping all around the apartment, made the greatest impression. The first few days after they moved in, she feared venturing out on this expansive balcony. As the days passed by, however, the balcony became the place where she spent all her time and ultimately learned about the outside world.
Statistic, fact, or statement
Oftentimes, you can command interest by beginning with a startling statistic or fact. Notice that the writer of the following introductory paragraph uses a specific amount money to appeal to his audience’s regard for wise spending.
Last year, over half of the nation’s computer users spent fifty dollars or more on phone calls and books for technical support related to problems installing or running computer programs. The money could have been saved if computer users had better knowledge of how to install a program. And program installation is not as complicated as many believe. Most programs require three fairly simple steps, each accompanied by a few precautions.
Quotation
You may decide to use a quotation to open your essay. If you use this introductory technique, you need to identify the source unless the quote is a generally known proverb or saying. If you are writing an essay about a particular book, story, or article, you may choose to begin your introductory paragraph with a quotation from the source you’re discussing.
“A stranger blocked her path, but she passed him blindly. He had to touch her arm before she would look up” (23). Mrs. Ardavi arrives from Iran and the stranger is Hassan, her son, whom she had not seen in over ten years. How embarrassing for a mother not to know her son. How different they must seem to each other. Nonetheless, they will need to find a way to re-establish their relationship. Both Ardavi and Hassan must come to terms with differences in culture, personality, religion, and age.
Definition
If your essay focuses on a subject that might not be readily understood by your audience, you may want to ease readers into the topic by defining any confusing terms first. If you do choose this strategy as your hook, avoid the overused “according to Webster’s” or “The dictionary defines” phrasing.
Fishing aficionados should know that the northern states have excellent fishing lakes. People interested in making this trek will benefit from developing a familiarity with Rapalas and their use in game fishing. A Rapala is an artificial bait, which people tie to the end of a fishing line in place of a basic fishing hook. The hand crafted bait consists of either cedar or balsa wood with two sets of hooks attached to the cigar-shaped body. To catch a freezer-full of the best largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, or the highly valued muskellunge, learn how and when to use Rapalas.
Examples and details
You may want to arouse audience interest and introduce your subject by giving a series of examples or details associated with the subject.
Unless a person has felt like an outsider, been singled out by resident advisors, stayed up for hours studying for finals, been denied financial loans, failed a test, sat in the wrong class by mistake, read the wrong pages for homework, become sick from cafeteria food on campus, experienced writer’s block, paid over three hundred dollars for books, bought the wrong books and could not return them—unless one has experienced at least some of these situations, the “joys” of being a college student cannot be understood. Though college may be a humongous pain and the most challenging experience one could ever face, it is imperative.
Conclusions
Despite the importance of an introductory paragraph as the vehicle through which a reader chooses to continue with a particular text or give up, the conclusion forms the last impression—the final and most lingering memory—of the piece.
Conclusions convey a feeling of completion. In a process paper, a writer may comment on the ease of a procedure signaling that he/she has finished explaining how to perform the task, without adding new information.
A conclusion frames the essay. Much as a frame forms a finite border around a painting, an effective conclusion brings together the contents of an essay and offers closure. If you have ever been disconnected during a phone conversation, you know the frustration that accompanies an abrupt and untimely ending. In the same way, an essay should not end by repeating the last main point or with a detail related to a main point. A conclusion signal that the essay is ending.
Successful framing makes use of any of a number of concluding strategies. Consider the strategies listed below.
1. Summary: This common strategy works best for essays longer than four typewritten pages. Summarizing a shorter essay insults the reader, suggested his/her inability to follow a simple thread of information. On the other hand, if an essay deals with complex or technical material or if the essay is a ten-page research paper, the audience may appreciate a recap of key points.
Overall, although having a part-time job can crowd a teen’s schedule and limit study time, this job may be exactly what the teen may need. Learning to meet responsibilities on the job, growing to respect and get along with employers and co-workers, and developing the maturity to budget money help to develop three skills that more teens should acquire.
2. Recommendation: Making a recommendation provides an interesting way to close an essay. After well argued points, a recommendation works well, especially for a critique.
After a behind the scenes look at what a waitress has to cope with and juggle during every working hour, perhaps restaurant patrons will view servers with different eyes. As she approaches the table smiling with composure and good humor, try to respond with the same courtesy to this person who does much more than just serve the food.
3. Prediction or warning: Using a prediction or issuing a warning can be a dramatic and memorable way to end an essay.
If parents continue to ignore the suggestive sitcoms, films, and music videos their children watch, and if they fail to monitor their children’s viewing, there will be more irresponsible sexual behavior and mindless violence in society. Now more than ever parents need to teach their children moral behavior. If parents leave this teaching to the media, society will become even more toxic to young people.
4. Call to action: The call to action as a concluding strategy challenges the audience to become involved by doing something about a situation or problem.
The aforementioned examples of unclear wording in the college’s sexual harassment policy point out the need for a policy review. Every student on this campus, every faculty and staff member should write, call, or visit the board of trustees and urge them to revise the current sexual harassment policy so to provide clear language and establish fairness to all parties involved.
5. Reference to introductory strategy: An interesting and satisfying concluding strategy involves referring back to the introductory example, story, statistic, quote, or other device and elaborating or connecting the information, tying the end to the beginning of the essay.
Introduction:
Several decades in the past, children could play in their own backyards without fear or harm. Children roamed a neighborhood, moving from one friend’s house to another, remaining merely within calling distance of a parent. No one needed to be supervised constantly. Children would move in a group up and down a block with irreverent abandon. Children played baseball in the streets of quiet neighborhoods and parents only felt an occasional need to glance out. Even then, they checked mostly on behavior more than safety issues. Today, however, many children do not feel safe, regardless of their location, because of the era within which they live. After reading “A Child’s Tragedy Is a Grown-Up’s Failure” by Robin Abcarian and “Get It If You Can” by Roy Rivenburg, one can easily discern the toxic nature of current society.
[Body paragraphs develop main points with examples relating to a toxic society, using many quotes from the texts.]
Conclusion:
Anxiety robs youth of an appropriate childhood, a time of joyful innocence, learning, and exploration. Although no one can revert back to what people like to refer to as simpler times, there must be more that parents, educators, and lawmakers can do to increase safety for all children, especially in their own homes. Changing an environment takes a collective and constructive effort, which activists like Abcarian and Rivenburg obviously work to inspire.
Avoid Conclusion Pitfalls:
New Material: Resist the urge to introduce new material, such as another main point or another detail. Conclusions wrap up ideas and arguments; they do add a more points to the discussion.
Apology: Never weaken your position by apologizing—even in your concluding paragraph. For example, your audience will be confused and possibly offended if you conclude with something like the following: “Although no one can know everything about this problem, . . . ”
Moralizing: Avoid being preachy or condescending. An essay will be more memorable without stating obvious ideas and repeatedly, angrily hammering home the point. Never use exclamation points in an essay, except in a quote. Let the intensity of your diction and syntax do the work for you.
For example, the following writer of this informal personal narrative essay might decide in a revised draft to delete the italicized last sentence of this paragraph. The point was already made before the italicized sentences.
Today, everyone in our family has a job. We can now buy ourselves the things we need. Without the constant reminder of money problems, everyone feels content instead of stressed and short tempered. Learning to work together has taught us valuable lessons about the importance of effective and honest communication and the appreciation that follows. Times are tough but not impossible if you learn to work together. Be cooperative with your family members or they might end up hating each other!