Writing an Introduction to your Literary Argument Paper

Background Information / Terms Consider the Counterclaim Hook / Lead Background Information / Terms Consider the Counterclaim Thesis / Claim

Get the Hook The beginning sentences of the introduction that help catch the reader’s attention. 1. Epigraph / A focusing quotation: Begin with someone else’s words. Consider consulting brainyquote.com 2. Paint a vivid picture of the setting in which your reader will find himself/herself: “A lazy, summertime river saunters through the Salinas Valley, paying little attention to the drama on its shores. A pair of lifelong friends sit by this river. One is lost in the dread of deeds done while the other determines his fate.” 3. History has a tendency to repeat itself, and art represents life. Consider telling a snippet of a true story: “The Great Depression challenged the bonds of even the closest of friends as it gripped people in the clench of its greedy hands.”

Background Info. Explain the problem and/or how it became a problem. You might need to introduce the character(s) you plan to discuss, the setting of the novel, and/or any symbolic or structural aspects of the novel your paper will cover. Provide your reader with any necessary meanings of key terms to establish a basis for your argument/claim. This is this section where you will give your working definition of the theme you have chosen to discuss in your paper. Provide the author’s full name and the full title of the text properly punctuated in this section as well.

Consider the Counterclaim What might other readers of this text be saying about it? What themes might they say are the most important or significant? It is not your job to disprove those in the course of literary argument but to find a way to fold these themes into your own claim. For example, if my claim is that this text uses Lennie’s murder to reveal George’s true character, and my opponent believes that the text is about showing mercy to a friend in need, I would contend that George is not merciful but merely a product of the cruel world in which Lennie cannot be accepted. It’s really an opportunity to discuss another little piece of the text!

Thesis statement / Claim Theme + Treatment = Thesis statement / Claim

“Theme” The major message from the text that you have decided carries the most significance to the novel.

How this theme is revealed by the author. “Treatment” How this theme is revealed by the author.

Putting it Together Using each of the elements in the word equation, write a thesis statement / claim illustrating your view of what this text is about.

1. Example Thesis / Claim Theme: An Act of Murder + Treatment: Presentation of George as a selfish individual living in an intolerant world. = Thesis Statement / Claim: In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck presents the death of Lennie at the hands of George as a murder and, in doing so, reveals the true nature of George and the world in which he lives.

2. Formula Thesis / Claim Thesis Statement / Claim: 1: Author’s name 2: Theme you will use 3: Title of the novel (properly punctuated) 4: How does the author accomplish this? 5-7: The examples you will use to develop your claim Thesis Statement / Claim: John Steinbeck illustrates an act of murder in Of Mice and Men by presenting George as a selfish individual living in an intolerant world. Steinbeck does this by presenting multiple unkind encounters between George and Lennie and by developing a society that will not tolerate individuals like Lennie.

Avoid these phrases… I believe… This paper is about … I think that … I want to show you … I want to prove … Essay writing is inherently a statement of what you believe, think, want to show, and prove. Consequently, these phrases are unnecessary. Just do the work of believing, thinking, showing, and proving for your reader.