How to get past “stating your point” Thesis & Introduction How to get past “stating your point”

Thesis: 3 Kinds An analytical An expository (explanatory) An argumentative

To put it simply…

Your First Paragraph is a “personal ad” for your writing There are generally 3 parts: The hook—Why we should bother reading The context—Why you matter/give us some background The thesis—Where you’re going

For Example…

Things you should never do: The place holder introduction. When you don’t have much to say on the topic, so you make a series of vague, broad statements. For Example: Slavery was one of the greatest tragedies in American history. There were many different aspects of slavery. Each created different kinds of problems for enslaved people.

The restated question introduction. When you regurgitate everything you’ve learned the last 4 weeks, without delving deeper. Be interesting. Example: Rhetoric uses a variety of methods, including ethos, pathos, and logos, to manipulate consumers and viewers. Indeed, all of these are necessary for an effective ad.

The Webster’s Dictionary introduction. Overused. Too vague. A dictionary can’t really provide context. What does the dictionary have to add? Example: Webster’s dictionary defines rhetoric as …

The “dawn of man” introduction. Makes sweeping connections between your analysis and the beginning of time, and is indicative of more vagueness (not much to say). It also fails to really draw the connection between your thesis and your argument. Example: Since the beginning of time, rhetoric has been used…

The book report introduction. The stuff you had to do for middle-school book reports. Example: Frederick Douglass wrote his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, in the 1840s. It was published in 1986 by Penguin Books. In it, he tells the story of his life.

So the Point is… An introduction should interest you, give you a reason to keep reading, and tell you where the writer is going with their argument. Simple as that.