Introduction Paragraph and Effective Openers

What goes in the Introduction? Effective Opening—opens the paper in a way that makes sense and is engaging. Relates to the real world Bridge—relates what you say about the real world to your topic Roadmap—let the reader know what the topics of the body paragraphs are. Can preview the topics or give background information Thesis Statement—the one sentence that focuses your entire paper

Question Think of a question or two that requires reflective thinking on the part of the reader. How would one react if the people within his or her society caused another injury?

Quote Find a quote that fits in with your topic. Albert Camus once said, “No matter what cause one defends, it will suffer permanent disgrace if one resorts to blind attacks on crowds of innocent people.”

Intriguing Fact/Idea Give your reader something to think about. It may make the reader want to know more about the idea. More than half of Americans experience being treated with less courtesy or respect, receiving poorer service than others, and/or being threatened or harassed . 

Fragments Use a series of sentence fragments to focus the reader’s attention on images or key words you want them to think about. Hatred. Injury. Ostracism. These can all happen to a person who sees the real malice in the world.

Set a Scene Use your words to paint an image of the ideas you want to highlight A boy, left in tears, is disappointed in his town and forced to face the hate they reap. A man, shot 17 times, has his reputation tarnished and his life taken from him because of the racism of his town.

Metaphor Make a comparison between your topic and something with similar qualities. The innocent are delicate flowers that need protection.

Riddle Give some clues that lead to an answer that ties in to your topic. It is all-consuming, powerful, and life- changing. It is the racism deeply embedded in a town’s mindset.

Definition State a definition in your own words that ties to your topic. To be innocent is the lack of guile or corruption.

Bridge Connect what you said in your opener to To Kill a Mockingbird. Ex: In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird’s fictional town of Maycomb, many people are destroyed by the citizens within it.

Roadmap Preview what you are going to talk about Give some background information on your topic. Ex: Jem’s faith in humanity is destroyed when he watches his town’s racist-clouded reasoning convict an innocent man. Tom, the receiver of this conviction, has his reputation tarnished and is killed due to the town’s inability to see him as an equal.

Thesis Statement Your point Ex: By presenting Jem Finch and Tom Robinson as symbolic mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee shows how harmless people are damaged by society.

The Whole Thing How would one react if the people with his or her society caused another injury? In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird’s fictional town of Maycomb, many people are destroyed by the citizens within it. Jem’s faith in humanity is destroyed when he watches his town’s racist-clouded reasoning convict an innocent man. Tom, the receiver of this conviction, has his reputation tarnished and is killed due to the town’s inability to see him as an equal. By presenting Jem Finch and Tom Robinson as symbolic mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee shows how harmless people are damaged by society.