 A strong introduction to an essay should be...  Engaging (being with a ‘hook’)  Informative  Contain at least 5 to 7 sentences  End with a clear and compelling Thesis Statement

 1) Begin with a question.  Examples:  What makes a good short story?  How do short stories reveal their universal themes?

 2) With a startling statement.  Examples:  Imagine a literary work with no conflict.

 3) With a famous quotation.  According to Wally Lamb, “A writer weaves a fabric of lies in hopes of revealing deeper human truths”.

 After you beginning “hook”, lead slowly into your THESIS STATEMENT.  Your THESIS STATEMENT explains to the reader what your essay is about, and should always include TAG (title, author, genre)

 Avoid first person and contractions  Always transition from one idea to the next  Use specific details and elaborate/develop your paragraphs  Use proper spelling and grammar

 Wally Lamb once said “A writer weaves a fabric of lies in order to reveal deeper human truths”. The validity of this statement can be seen in many stories, but more specifically in Chekhov’s short story “The Bet”. In Chekhov’s story, the universal theme that life’s most important values come from inside and not from material things is illustrated mainly through his use of irony, conflict and setting.

 Choose a story from the unit and write an essay that analyzes the literary techniques and elements and author uses to convey the theme in that story.

 Classwork:  Write an excellent introduction to the essay topic on the previous page.  When you are finished, hand me your paragraph and use the remainder of the class to study for the test.