BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS topic sentences

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BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGStopic sentences

• Writing the Essay

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THE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

• What is its purpose?
• To prepare the reader for what is to follow and
  arouse the readers interest in the topic.

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Functions of an Effective Introduction

1. Appeals to a specific audience.
2. Employs an interest device. -- appeals to the
   audience's sense of authority (what they know) 
   -- appeals to the audience's sense of value
   (what they feel)
3. Sets the tone or mood for the paper.
4. Focuses to a thesis (a one-sentence summary of
   the paper that follows)

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Ways to Introduce your Topic

• 1.
• The
• Thesis Statement
• Alone.
• (Take notes now.)

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The Thesis Statement Alone

• Against seemingly insurmountable odds, humans
  have shown an amazing will to survive. Three
  incredible people are
• evidence one the victim of a head-on crash with
  a semi trailer, the second the survivor of a
  brain tumor and the third the prey of a form of
  Lou Gehrigs Disease. (from the essay Human Will
  to Survive by Jerry W.)

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Ways to Introduce your Topic

• 2.
• Personal Comment
• or
• Anecdote
• (Take notes now.)

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Personal Comment or Anecdote

• Fast Eddie Riley did not just march to a
  different tune he polkaed. I first met him in
  university residence. Bright but socially inept,
  friendly but friendless, and the unfortunate butt
  of jokes and pranks, I can remember clearly how
  much outside the norm he lived. Followed by
  thesis statement. (from the essay Individuals
  Who are Outsiders by Pieter L.)

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Ways to Introduce your Topic

• 3.
• Questions
• (Take notes now.)

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Questions

• Why would anyone ever want to wear a school
  uniform? What are the possible benefits of such
  a hair-brained scheme? Has such a plan ever been
  successful anywhere but some fancy-schmancy
  private school? My initial thoughts were for no
  good reason, very few and probably not.

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Ways to Introduce your Topic

• 4.
• Opposite
• View
• (Take notes now.)

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Opposite View

• Everyone knows that capital punishment, the death
  penalty, has been widely successful throughout
  the world. It has been performed by the most
  humane possible methods, it has deterred
  criminals from committing serious offences, and
  it is being adopted by more and more countries
  around the globe. Unfortunately, this is not the
  case. On the contrary, killing people for
  killing people doesnt work. (from the essay
  Capital Punishment The Grave Reality by Janet
  S.)

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Ways to Introduce your Topic

• 5.
• Quotation
• (Take notes now.)

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Quotation

• You cant build a reputation on what you are
  going to do. When Henry Ford, famous auto
  maker, made this statement, he backed it with
  performance. To build a reputation or to create
  anything substantial, the builder needs to begin
  with a dream, he has to set goals, and it helps
  if he has an ideal, a model, to imitate. Terry
  Fox is just such a builder. (from the essay The
  Influence of Dreams, Goals, and Ideals by Robbie
  M.)

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Things to remember about using the Quotation

• It is important to choose a quote that is the
  right length.
• Think of Goldilocks and the Three Bears a
  short quote needs to be explained or elaborated,
  a medium-length quote may be just right, but a
  long one is likely to be just that too long.

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Ways to Introduce your Topic

• 6.
• The
• Startling
• Statement
• (Take Notes Now.)

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The Startling Statement

• Golf is gaining popularity faster than any summer
  sport! Thanks to superstars like Tiger Woods
  giving personal lessons to kids right here in our
  town, and thanks to millions of dollars in golf
  scholarships being given out in our own school,
  and even bigger thanks to the fact that new
  studies show that golfers, on average, live
  twenty years longer than other athletes. Well,
  perhaps these are exaggerated statements, but
  golf is a great sport. The stars of the sport,
  the possibilities for a great career, and the
  physical benefits help make golf a big hit. (from
  the essay Golf by Robert R.)

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Remember to make your statement not only
startling, but relevant.

• ''Tonight more people will watch a typical
  situation comedy on TV than have seen all of the
  stage performances of all of Shakespeare's plays
  in the last 400 years.'' (This happens to be a
  true statement.)
• ''When I was 14 years old I fell in love with a
  woman 37 feet tall.'' This statement would be a
  novel way to start a talk about a 37-foot statue
  in one's hometown.

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Ways to Introduce your Topic

• 7.
• The
• Mix
• (Take notes now.)

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The Mix

• Curfews. When all else fails, adults revert to
  rules. The rules dont have to make sense. They
  dont have to be easy to enforce. They just have
  to sound simple. Once again, adolescents are
  faced with the threat from the Ready, Shoot,
  Aim school of thought. Whats the real problem?
  How did we get here? Where should we really be
  looking for answers?

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The Introductory Paragraph. . .

• Should be the most enjoyable part of your essay.
  
• Is your chance to promote your product, to say,
  Pick me pick me!
• With each of the techniques, other than the
  Thesis Statement Alone, you need to add a thesis
  statement to the introductory paragraph.

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Introductory Paragraphs Exercise
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Topic SentencesPlaced first.

• A hedgehogs quills are its most obvious, most
  interesting feature. The quills, actually stiff,
  hollow hairs, have no points, are not barbed, and
  unlike porcupine quills, are not easily removed
  from a hedgehogs body. The quills can be both a
  defensive and an offensive mechanism. When
  attacked, a hedgehog will roll into a protective
  ball. On some occasions, a hedgehog will attack a
  predator and throw itself against the attacker.
  In both cases, the point is made.

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Topic SentencesPlaced second.

• To begin with, everybody has one why shouldnt
  I? Yes, having a credit card opens a new,
  exciting life. My little piece of plastic is the
  key to instant happiness I never have to wait to
  get that new top, the latest CD, a snack when Im
  hungry, or a treat for my friends. Its way safer
  than carrying cash and handy to slip into my
  jeans. Am I awed by its power? Do you think I
  dont know theres a monthly statement? Hey man,
  give me a little credit!

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Topic SentencesPlaced last.

• She lives in a 1.3 million home on Marrowstone
  Island, Washington. Thats not too expensive if
  your earnings have topped 50 million. And
  earnings like that make sense if your books have
  sold over 70 million copies and have been
  translated into 37 languages. Add blockbuster
  movies to the list, add being named Author of the
  Year for 2008, and then throw in being listed 49
  on Time Magazines list of 100 Most Influential
  People. Yes, Stephanie Meyers is a success story.

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The Concluding Paragraph

• Whats its purpose?
• The purpose of the final paragraph is to bring
  the essay to a smooth conclusion. Similar to the
  last page in a childrens book, or at the end of
  an old movie, it is a way of saying
• The End

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How do I end it all?

• 1.
• Restate the
• Main Points
• (Take notes now.)

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Restating the Main Ideas

• So before heading out to enjoy the great sport of
  scuba diving, remember to get the proper clothing
  and gear, and to follow the list of Dos and
  Donts. Somewhere nearby there is an underwater
  adventure just waiting to be enjoyed. (from the
  essay Scuba Diving by Tibor S.)

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How do I end it all?

• 2.
• The Future
• Or
• Suggestions for Action
• (Take notes now.)

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The Future/Suggestions for Action

• The NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) idea could be
  much more than an idea in your life. We are all
  going to die. How we die is open for discussion.
  Now that you know about a living will and a
  personal directive, and you have heard the true
  life ? and death ? stories of two real people,
  what choices do you have to make? (from the essay
  Euthanasia by Gurpreet K.)

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How do I end it all?

• 3.
• Questions

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Questions

• In conclusion, it should be obvious that why we
  take risks, who is responsible for the results,
  and when it is reasonable to put our lives on the
  line is a very personal set of questions. The
  most important question of all remains In that
  split second when a major decision is required,
  will you have the foresight and the will power to
  do what you know is the right thing to do? (from
  the essay Risk Taking by Andrew S.)

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How do I end it all?

• 4.
• Personal Comment
• Or
• Anecdote
• (Take notes now.)

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Personal Comment or Anecdote

• As we saw at the outset, Jane Doe had a big
  decision ? one that affected her life, her babys
  life and the lives of countless others around
  her. In this case, Jane kept the baby. It has
  been a story of triumph, of tears, of hopes, of
  sacrifice, of loneliness, of joy, and it will
  continue to be a life of wondering. Did I make
  the right decision? (from the essay Abortion
  by Jillian K.

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How do I end it all?

• 5.
• Cyclic Return
• (Take notes now.)

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Cyclic Return

• So where does that leave us? It seems to take us
  back to where we started ? like someone lost in
  the woods returning to the original campsite. We
  still have the same questions, we still have the
  same barriers, and we still have the same dress
  code. Will it ever change? My money say it
  wont. Hey, there goes an airborne sow! (from
  the essay School Dress Code by Jeremy J.)

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STRATEGIES TO AVOID

• Avoid introducing new ideas or facts that belong
  in the body of the essay
• Avoid merely rewording the introduction
• Avoid announcing what you have done, as in, In
  this paper, I have successfully explained why
  women are seen as sexual objects in todays
  society.
• Avoid apologizing, as in, Even though I am not
  an expert