Introductions

Introductions

Often, it is easier to write your introduction after you’ve compiled all your research and written the body sections of your paper. However, at the same time it is also helpful to get started, somewhere, and this is an obvious place (which can be helpful because it can allow you to get your thesis down).

Like most writing, there isn’t necessarily one way to write an introduction, but many different styles. It is important to find one that works for you. There is one myth, however, that must be dispelled once and for all and that is that your introduction must be one paragraph long and end with your statement of thesis. Wrong. Your introduction can be a page long, it can be made of multiple paragraphs, and sometimes, in the case of inductive or Rogerian arguments, the thesis is withheld until the end of the paper.

For ideas, here are four types of introductions.
1. Statement and description of a problem that affects writer and audience alike.

The problem of healthcare in the United States is at the forefront of a great debate. However, this is hardly a recent issue. Each president, dating back as far as _____ has attempted to expand coverage while controlling costs. Each president, in turn, has failed to avert the problems facing the United States. At present, 25 millions are uninsured. In 2009, the national health costs are expected to reach more than $2.5 trillion (“Health Insurance Costs” para. 2). In addition, the rising costs, which are expected to outpace US GDP, put undo strain on American businesses, which find themselves unable to afford rising health insurance premiums, and American families, which often cut back on necessities, such as food and utilities when burdened with large health costs ((“Health Insurance Costs” para. 4).

2. A brief anecdote or story that highlights the subject and puts a face on this problem.
John D is a fat man. He’ll tell you that, and chuckle so hard his gut will bounce to and fro. However, what John will also tell you is that he, due to his weight, is uninsurable. On May 22nd, 2008 John had a heart attack. At the time he was working as a nurse in the emergency room when he…

3. Open with a description of important, startling facts or findings.
According to a recent study, 62 percent of all bankruptcies filed in 2007 were linked to medical expenses. Of those who filed for bankruptcy, nearly 80 percent had health insurance (“Health” Para. 4). What is revealing about this statistic is…

4. Pose an interesting question or definition.
Many argue that healthcare is a fundamental human right. Those same people, it is safe to assume, know that this right is simply not available in much of the world. What, exactly, is healtcare? Is everyone afforded the “right” to the newest imaging devices, butting edge medicines and treatments just because they are human? Is healthcare really a service or is it, and has it always been, a business that reacts to the person with money, not the underserved? Is it safe to say that in the U.S. healthcare is a social problem before all else?

Good ideas for introductions: (From http://writing2.richmond.edu/WRITING/wweb/intros.html)

Types of introductions to avoid:

The Dictionary Definition: Many papers begin "Webster's defines X as..." and then continue to discuss the topic. This type of introduction has become very stale with faculty, who have seen it thousands of times.

The "Cinema scope" Intro: These often crop up in introductory history classes. Avoid sweeping panoramas such as "Throughout the march of history, one thing has been true..." or "Many novels have considered the ways in which good people become corrupted by money."

Cutting to the Chase too Quickly: It is too easy to go too far while avoiding overly general introductions. Avoid jumping right into a thesis statement and do not try to cover every topic in the first paragraph. It is difficult to say how specific to be in an introduction, but consider the idea that this part of a paper provides "the lay of the land" for a reader who will then know why the paper is worth finishing.

Memorable Quotations: Some faculty do not like papers to start with another's words. This overused strategy may be acceptable if a direct quotation sets the stage for what follows and its relevance is discussed in the introduction.

[I am adding: Statement of Purpose: Do not announce what you are going to do, just do it. Ie: “This paper will examine the different proposals for health care reform. I will start by looking at …” Similarly, avoid these missteps in the rest of your paper, ie “Now I am going to tell you about this other guy’s argument. “ In short, in an academic paper, these make the reader question your ethos and they waste the reader’s time by describing the paper and the writer’s process, instead of making an argumentative point.

These are called "telegraphic" sentences: Here a writer uses the first person to tell a reader what is going to happen. We have all seen this pattern:

"This essay will consider the development of humor in American Naturalism. My thesis is. . . "

Academic writing tends to adopt a more subtle approach, as in the revised example:

"The Naturalist writers in America, like their European counterparts, rarely flinched in depicting humans as brutal creatures driven by desires venal, animal, and primordial. Forbidden sexuality, gluttony, disease. . . "

Not a cheerful topic, but the tone is correct for these readers.

In addition, there are a number of other styles here: http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/documents/argueparts/introduction.cfm
Such as
*Provide Context for the Argument
* Establish Credible Authority
* Compel the Audience to Listen
* Establish Common Ground
* Clarify a Problem

Go here. Click around, read some examples and use it, with the examples and advice above to write your intro. Due: Tues. 11/10..