The Beginning and the EndA Guide to Introductions and Conclusions

So you want to write a killer introduction?

The first thing to remember: the thesis and body paragraphs are the most important.

Thesisand Restated Thesis

Body Paragraphs(They’re soy.)

IntroCon

clusi

on

The Introduction Serves two purposes:

1. Gets the reader’s attention• All about style, ethos,

and pathos

2. Tells the reader what the paper’s about• Thesis• Directional Statement

For timed writings, they should be 2-4 sentences.

Remember, this is the five paragraph essay style.

Opener

Transition

Thesis

Opener Styles Startle with facts or statistics

o “Twenty percent of people who struggle with eating disorders will die from their disease.”

Describe a compelling condition or situationo “Two children under the age of nine huddle under a

makeshift shelter. They have not eaten in days. Their parents are dead.”

Use an anecdote or dialogueo “Captain Hook taunts the flying boy, sure that this fight

will be his end. However, just as his sword is within reach of Peter Pan, the captain realizes that he is standing in mid-air and promptly falls into the eager mouth of a smiling crocodile.”

More Opener Styles Explain a conflict or inconsistency

o “The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, yet its over 700,000 homeless often go uncared for.”

Ask a questiono Only do this if you’re desperate.o “Can murder be merciful?”

Use a quotation or proverbo Margaret Mead memorably stated, “Never doubt that a

small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

The appropriatene

ss of these techniques is

hotly contested

Where does this leave the AP student?

Thesis: The pink flamingo is very similar to Americans: it is different fromother birds, just like America is unique; it is bright and bold, justlike the American spirit; and it has persevered and changed throughoutthe years, just like the American people. o Nikki Windisch

Ideas in thesis:o Pink flamingoo Originalityo Birdso Bright and Boldo American Spirito Changeo American People

My several attempts… Thesis: The pink

flamingo is very similar to Americans: it is different fromother birds, just like America is unique; it is bright and bold, justlike the American spirit; and it has persevered and changed throughoutthe years, just like the American people. o Nikki Windisch

Pink Flamingoo “This weekend, a teenage

boy went ‘flocking’; to raise money for a European vacation, he filled his neighbor’s yards with pink flamingoes and promised to remove the tacky items—or, even better, relocate them—for a small fee. It is strange to think that the cheap pink bird Americans now pay to be rid of was once a welcomed addition to the American front lawn.”

My several attempts… Thesis: The pink

flamingo is very similar to Americans: it is different fromother birds, just like America is unique; it is bright and bold, justlike the American spirit; and it has persevered and changed throughoutthe years, just like the American people. o Nikki Windisch

Birds/Boldo “Most urban Americans

are accustomed to the dull greys of pigeons, the infamously dirty scavengers of city waste. It is no wonder, then, that in the fifties, Americans chose to celebrate a different bird, one that conveyed cleanliness rather than filth and intensity rather than monotony.

My several attempts… Thesis: The pink

flamingo is very similar to Americans: it is different fromother birds, just like America is unique; it is bright and bold, justlike the American spirit; and it has persevered and changed throughoutthe years, just like the American people. o Nikki Windisch

Changeo “American society is

always changing.”

Changeo In recent years, groups

of technology-embracing Americans have stood in line for hours for the opportunity to purchase the newest game system or iPhone. American consumers seem eager to embrace the sort of change that indicates they are cutting edge and forward-thinking.

Chaaaange!

Techniques to Avoid… Apologizing/Reticence

o In my opinion…o I’m not sure, but…

Announcing your Intensionso In this paper, I will…o The purpose of this

essay is… Using a dictionary

definitiono The Webster’s Dictionary

defines friendship as…

Restate the prompt The “Dawn of Man”

introo Society has always…o Since the

beginning… Clichés

o “’Tis better to have loved…”

o “Like father, like son”

The Conclusion

Thesis

Transition

Closing Statement

Restates Thesis Revisits points, but

doesn’t retell them Ends with a closing

statemento Gives sense of

closure or answers “so what?”

The Closing Statement Why is your essay

important?o What does it tell us

about humanity, community, love, life, death?

A general point we can glean from essayo Makes a point

beyond the obvious

Relate all that you’ve written to the universe

Exhortationo What should we do

now? Returns to

introduction (with a change)

I’ll miss you, Pizza!

Let’s Try! Restated Thesis: “By

using colorful diction and emphasizing the cultural and economicshift from year to year, Price illustrates her view that the Americanculture is preoccupied with the flashy and bold and is ever-eager forchange and new beginnings.”o Emily Dargen

Now that pink flamingoes generally only occupy front lawns next to worn-out shoes and faded vinyls during yard sales, perhaps it is time for Americans to recognize that the exciting change and bright future they’re looking for cannot be found in baubles, but, instead, will be found in the ingenuity and industry of the American people.

Let’s Try! Restated Thesis: “By

using colorful diction and emphasizing the cultural and economicshift from year to year, Price illustrates her view that the Americanculture is preoccupied with the flashy and bold and is ever-eager forchange and new beginnings.”o Emily Dargen

During the current economic recessions, Price’s tale of the American love affair with the flamingo gives hope that contemporary Americans’ zeal for new beginnings will pull them through these challenging times—if only so that they too can obsess over an outrageously tacky trifle.

Conclusion Don’ts Don’t start with “In

conclusion,” “To sum up,” etc.

Don’t include new information that you couldn’t fit anywhere else.