1. HOW TO GET A READER’S ATTENTION
HOOKS OR
HOW TO GET A READER’S ATTENTION

2. Good writing starts with a good Hook
Good writing starts with a good Hook. Whether it is a Narrative, a Response to Literature, or a Research Paper, there is no excuse to bore your reader! Besides, if you can’t prove to your reader that you can write an interesting hook, why would they want to read on?

3. WHAT PAPERS USE THEM?
EVERY GENRE OF PAPER NEEDS A HOOK OF SOME KIND. IT’S JUST UP TO YOU TO CHOOSE THE ONE THAT IS MOST APPROPRIATE. THIS IS BASED ON THE INTENT OF THE ESSAY AND THE AUDIENCE. YOU NEED A HOOK FOR:
NARRATIVES
PERSUASIVE ESSAYS
LITERARY RESPONSE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES

4. White Fang by Jack London
Examples from books:
“The eyes of the starving wolf pack gleamed like hot coals in the blackness of the frozen Arctic forest. They stared hungrily at the two man-animals and their dog-sled team huddled around the campfire. These man-animals had fish and they had meat. To a starving wolf-pack, who had had little to eat in months, the dogs and the man-animals were meat, too.”
White Fang by Jack London

5. Bridge to Terabthia by Katherine Paterson
Examples from books:
“Ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity – Good. His dad had the pickup going.”
Bridge to Terabthia by Katherine Paterson

6. Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer
Examples from books:
“ ‘The king is dead.’
Those four words, cold as marble and sharp as flint, were uttered by the thin, cruel lips of Edward Seymour, the king’s privy counselor and my brother’s uncle. In this way I learned of my father’s death.”
Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer

7. POSSIBLE HOOKS: Fact/Statistic Simile/Metaphor
Nearly 1/3 of the population of Europe was killed by the plague.
Tone/Mood
The bodies piled up in the streets of London, untouched, uncared for, mourned by the frightened masses that were left behind wondering when it was going to be their turn to die.
Simile/Metaphor
The Black Death swept across the land like a broom brushing away people as it would dirt.
In the Middle of the Action
The trebuchet cranked back slowly, then released suddenly, launching the stone up and over the walls of the city.

8. POSSIBLE HOOKS: Dialogue
Definition
The Black Death was an unstoppable disease caused by the fleas carried by the rats that co-habitated with the people of Medieval Europe.
Dialogue
“I see there’s been no improvement,” the apothecary sadly admitted, looking at the small girl trembling and sweating with fever before him.
Onomatopoeia
Sssssss. Sizzle. The fever burned through the victim’s body.

9. POSSIBLE HOOKS: Lyrics
Staccato three word lead
Rats. Sewers. Filth. London was not a city of great cleanliness.
Lyrics
“Ring around the rosie. Pockets full of posies. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!”
Theme
Some people believed that the Plague was sent to punish the evil on Earth, but they would soon learn that the disease knew no such ethics. It did not distinguish its victims.

10. 5 Paragraph Essay the Formula
Introduction with thesis as the last sentence
Paragraphs 2, 3,4:
Body Paragraphs
Paragraph 5:
Conclusion

11. Paragraph 1: The Introduction
Catchy opening/Hook/Grab reader’s attention
Give a few brief sentences of summary about story/time/place
Last sentence of the introduction =THESIS
The one sentence that states what the entire will essay will prove – The premise or central argument
The most important sentence in the essay
Usually 3 pronged
The magic number is

12. Introduction: Moves from the General to Specific
Thesis

13. Introduction: From the General to the Specific
Begin generally.
Begin with a hook:
Anecdote, Quotation, Question, Statistic
GENERAL
Explain how your hook applies to the specific
story.
SPECIFIC
Give some brief background information on the plot, setting, and characters.
THESIS
Thesis: Your specific argument.
Thesis is the last sentence of the introduction.

14. Sample Essay Prompt and Thesis
Sample prompt: Who is to blame for the tragedy in “The Veldt”?
Thesis re-states the prompt
The magic number is
3 Pronged Thesis:
Sample Thesis: The psychologist, the children, and the parents all play a role in the tragedy that occurs.

15. Hooks Begin with: A provocative question A startling statement
An anecdote
An interesting quotation
An intriguing definition

16. Anecdote as Hook
In June 2008, a fifteen year old heiress, daughter of actress Ellen Barkin and Revlon owner Ron Perelman, Caleigh Perelman, sued her mother for not allowing her to have more computer time and won. While this situation seems far-fetched, we are now living in a topsy-turvy world where some children seem to have more power than their parents. This scenario is precisely the one depicted in Bradbury’s “The Veldt.” In this story, the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hadley, are murdered by their children, Peter and Wendy, who premeditate their parents’ demise after being forbidden to continue to play in their high tech nursery. The parents make the decision to close the nursery at the suggestion of their psychologist. Ultimately, the psychologist, the children, and the parents are all to blame for playing a role in this tragedy.

17. Quotation as Hook http://www.quoteland.com (click here)
“A boy or girl who knows that love abounds at home will not resent well-deserved punishment. One who is unloved or ignored will hate any form of discipline.” -Dr. James Dobson
Explain the quotation. Then explain how it applies to the story.

18. Startling Statement as Hook
Technology is ruining our lives.

19. Provocative Question as Hook
How come parents just cannot say no to their children anymore?
Does technology help us or harm us?