1. Intriguing Introductions
A guide to writing introduction paragraphs

2. Basic Setup & Purpose
Your introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of your essay. 
You immediately want to grab your reader's attention with a sound attention getter.
Then you want to inform your reader about what you are writing about and finish the paragraph with the argument of the paper—essentially, the thesis statement.

3. Part I: Attention Getter
This is written in 2-3 sentences.
You grab your reader’s attention with a solid attention getter that should connect to the literature in some way.
Do not begin your essay with “Did you know…” kinds of questions!

4. Part I: Types of Attention Getters
You may begin your essay with:
A quote from the novel (most popular choice)
A legitimate fact or statistic
A well-known quote from an outside source (thinkexist.com)
The attention getter must connect to the literature no matter what!

5. Part II: Background Info. / Bridge
This is written in 2-3 sentences.
Introduces the title of the work and the author before it’s mentioned again in the thesis statement.
Provides a brief plot snippet – DO NOT re-tell the entire story. Assume your audience is familiar with the work of literature to some degree.
Consider what the prompt is asking and try to explain elements of the story that relate to the prompt.

6. Part III: Thesis Statement
This is written in 1 sentence.
This provides the argument and reveals three prongs to support the argument.

7. Sample Introduction Paragraph
According to Edmund Burke, “next to love, sympathy is the divinest passion of the human heart.” When one is sympathetic, he or she tends to be compassionate and understand another person’s point of view. Calypso in Homer’s The Odyssey loves Odysseus, but she is forced to let him sail home. As a result of Zeus’ cruel decree, Calypso is left to live a lonely life alone on her island without the company of her loved one. Although Calypso is portrayed as obsessive and selfish in The Odyssey by Homer, she is deserving of sympathy as demonstrated by her actions, her thoughts, and her emotions.