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Introductions and Conclusions

Introductions

One very common question among writers is, "How can I get the audience interested in my essay and my topic?" This question does not have one single answer, but there are ways to help writers get started creating interesting introductions that will "hook" readers. The following four suggestions are quick techniques to help you begin building an introduction that not only introduces your topic but also interests the audience in that topic.

Use a quote before even beginning the essay

War is like a great monstrous threshing machine; it
does not keep score; it does not pick and choose; it
does not show preference. It merely crushes
and maims and destroys, with no rhyme or reason,
until its bloody, sickening work is done.
- Gregory A. Coco in Killed in Action

Known as the bloodiest day of fighting in the American Civil War was the battle of Antietam. Looking across the high grounds and lofty vegetation of this beautiful area in Maryland, one would never suspect that just 140 years ago on September 17, 1862, the hills were crimson, dripping with young, patriotic blood and life. In this single day of fighting, the Union casualty and missing rested at 12, 469. Confederate losses more than doubled this number at 25, 899.

Create a striking image in the opening lines

The emerald hills of Manassas, Virginia in 1861 became a killing field where blood soaked the grass and mud; where Manassas Creek became a modern Nile running red; and where terror licked the hearts and heels of bystanders and soldiers alike.

Present a vivid scene in the first paragraph

The patient lies naked and unconscious in the center of the cool, tiled room. His head is shaved, his eyes and nose taped shut. His mouth bulges with the respirator that is breathing for him. Clear plastic tubes carry anesthetic into him and urine out of him. Belly up under the bright lights he looks large and helpless, exposed. He is not dreaming; he is too far under for that. The depth of his obliviousness is accentuated by the urgent activity going on all around him. Nurses and technicians move in and out of the room preparing the instruments of surgery. At his head, two doctors are discussing the approach they will use in the operation. As they talk they trace possible incisions across his scalp with their fingers.
-Taken from David Noonan's "Inside the Brain"

Use dialogue in the opening lines

When Albert Yeganeh says "Soup is my lifeblood," he means it. And when he says "I am extremely hard to please," he means that, too. Working like a demon alchemist in a tiny storefront kitchen at 259-A West Fifty-fifth Street, Mr. Yeganeh creates anywhere from eight to seventeen soups every weekday. His concoctions are so popular that a wait of half an hour at the lunchtime peak is not uncommon, although there are strict rules for conduct in line. But more on that later.
-Taken from "Soup," an unsigned profile that appeared in the New Yorker in 1989.

Components of the Conclusion

After you have reached the end of your essay by first hooking the reader with a good introduction and then supporting your thesis or claim with the body of the essay, you need to create a strong conclusion to finish your essay. The following are items that should be made part of your conclusion.

• Re-state your thesis statement in some way.
• Briefly summarize your main points, or if the essay is short and does not require a summary, you can present the reader with a question to consider, offer advice, or suggest action based on the argument or discussion of the paper.
• Draw a final conclusion/analysis about the information you have presented.
• Leave the reader with a final impression or something to think about after s/he leaves your essay.