Introductions and Conclusions

1. Introductions and Conclusions Crucial pieces of the composition puzzle

2. “The introduction and conclusion… can be understood as a type of transition . . . At the beginning of a paper, the introduction serves as a transition by moving the reader from the world outside of your paper to the world within. At the end of the paper, the conclusion works in the opposite direction by moving readers from the world of your paper back to their own world . . .” The Allyn & Bacon Handbook

3. Introduction: The first puzzle piece • Announces your topic • Contains your thesis statement • Introduces main points • Engages readers’ interest

4. General to Specific • Begin with a general statement • Each sentence that follows should be more and more specific • The last sentence should be a clear thesis statement, which states the point of your paper. 

5. How can I do all that? • Answer “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how” • Think about your audience

6. Comparing two poems by Robert Frost – Intro Sample Dealing with emotional issues can be both complicated and perplexing.Now and then, a poet is willing to expose two very distinct facets of his or her emotional nature. Such a poet is courageous enough to look back on sadder times, as well as to recollect a fond memory—a writer honest enough to know that life includes both the swing of birches and the darker moments of the soul. Robert Frost is such a poet. The difference in the tone of his poems "Birches" and "Acquainted With the Night" reveals a poet equally adept at portraying both the lighter and darker sides in life through his use of setting, imagery and structure. 

8. Other ways to begin… • With a quotation • Make sure you explain its relevance • With an anecdote • Must be brief • Again, must be relevant • With a question

9. With an opposite opinion • Opposite to the one you plan to take on your paper • With an interesting fact • With a definition or explanation of a term

10. Conclusions: The last but definitely not least puzzle piece • Briefly summarize points made • Remind readers of the thesis statement • Last opportunity to get your message across • MUST NEVER repeat word-for-word a statement you have made earlier in the paper

11. A conclusion can also… • place the paper in a larger context • serve as a call for action • set forth a warning or hypothesis • raise a question or questions • introduce a relevant quote • tell an appropriate anecdote

12. Specific to General • Start by paraphrasing your thesis statement • Sum up what you have said in your paper • Allow your statements to become more and more general