Introductory Paragraphs

1. Introductory Paragraphs Things to Think About

2. Arousing Interest • There are a number of ways you can do this. The first is open with an unusual fact or statistic. In the course of a hundred days in 1994 the Hutu government of Rwanda and its extremist allies very nearly succeeded in exterminating the country’s Tutsi minority. Using firearms, machetes, and a variety of garden implements, Hutu militiamen, soldiers, and ordinary citizens murdered some 800,000 Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu. It was the fastest, most efficient killing spree of the twentieth century.

3. Arousing Interest • You can also open with a question you will answer in your essay. You ask me what is poverty? Listen to me. Here I am, dirty, smelly, and with no “proper” underwear on and with the stench of my rotting teeth near you. I will tell you. Listen to me. Listen without pity. I cannot use your pity. Listen with understanding. Put yourself in my dirty, worn-out, ill-fitting shoes, and hear me. Poverty is not just a reflection of a man’s will to work; it is the result of a number of influences and factors, most of which were beyond my control.

4. Arousing Interest • You can also open with an interesting quote. Generally a quote from someone famous that your audience will be familiar with is best: Biblical quotes, a President, Muhammed Ali, well-known comics, even quotes people are not-so-proud of • You can also open by giving general information or background about your topic. A definition that will be useful later is a good idea. • Another alternative is to open with an anecdote or story that your audience can relate to.

5. Analogy • An analogy is a story that helps you demonstrate the meaning of an abstract idea. For example, maturity and death are two abstract, difficult ideas to define. However, it is easy to come up with a story that demonstrates the meaning of each. An analogy is not necessarily a personal experience, but perhaps one that did have an influence on your life.

6. For example… When I was seven, my favorite thing in the world to do was follow my sister and her friends around because they were “grown ups.” I thought about how nice it would be to be like them, make my own decisions, wear whatever I wanted, and have a boyfriend. They were mature and I wasn’t. As years passed, I realized that I was getting older, but I still didn’t feel mature; I still felt like a kid compared to her. She lived at home, slept in all the time, didn’t have to go to school, and worked part-time. The closer I got to graduating high school, the more I realized that I actually didn’t want to be like my sister; she was no where close to being a mature adult. I realized that I wanted to have responsibilities; I wanted to go to college and support myself. The older I got, the more I realized that maturity had nothing to do age and everything to do with taking responsibility for yourself.

7. Worthy of Being Read • Your intro should not only grab your audience’s attention, but convey to your audience that both your topic and you the writer are worthy of their time and the effort it will take to read the paper through to the end. • Avoid broad generalizations, judgments, creating or propagating stereotypes, or making statements the reader knows to be false. • Try to set yourself up as someone the audience can trust, someone who they see as very similar to themselves.

8. Intros also Establish the Topic and Tone • You’re going to do this through a thesis statement. It will establish both the topic and the tone of the essay. More on that later.