“What does it take for people to start talking about domestic abuse?”

Tobin/McGeady________________________________ American Literature, Fall 2012 ________________________________ Unit 1________________________________ 1 October 2012________________________________

Topic: Introduction Paragraph

Objective: After this class you will be able to use your outline to write an introductory paragraph to your essay that hooks readers attention, states and clarifies your claim.

EXPECTATIONS ON YOUR DESK1. Place proper materials on your desk 1. Your English binder2. Fill in MLA heading 2. Two sharpened writing utensils3. Sit at SLANT 3. This Packet4. Silently and immediately begin the “Do Now”

Do NowChoose one of these advertisements and explain why it draws you in:

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Tobin/McGeady

The “Inverted Triangle” Introduction

The introduction is undeniably important. It gives you an opportunity to arouse your reader’s interest,

present your topic of discussion, and provide necessary background or explanatory information. Its

structure often parallels an INVERTED TRIANGLE because it moves from the broad base of the topic to

the background information to the focused claim to the narrowed clarification. Putting the claim and

clarification at the end of the paragraph is effective because it leads the reader right from the central

argument of the paper to the supporting premises in the body paragraphs.

1. Hook the reader

2. Offer background information about your topic

3. Establish your claim

4. Offer clarification

Now, let’s look at the following sample introduction. As we read through the passage, pay close

attention to the use of the inverted triangle model.

Hook: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.” This quote, which appears on a plaque

adorning the Statue of Liberty, promotes the message of accepting others regardless of background or

belief, but historically, Americans have not always followed that message, even the earliest founders of

the nation.

Background: The Puritans left England in a time of religious persecution and fled to a

country they believed would offer the freedom to worship as they liked. The irony in

this situation is that they denied others that same liberty. William Bradford's Of

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Tobin/McGeadyPlymouth Plantation offers insight to the struggles faced by the Pilgrims while trying

to sustain a community based on Puritan piety.

Claim: Bradford shows the colony's demise through the citizens'

adherence to a moral and religious code.

Clarification: By holding fast to a strict

religious code, the colonist shunned

others who could have potentially

offered them aid.

I Do/We Do – Three Strategies for Hooking your Reader

1. “Make it Real” – Draw the reader in by discussing a related problem or issue the world is facing today. It should be able to be connected to your claim with a few sentences of background info.

Hook: There is a town in Kenya where the women were raped so often that their husbands left them, saying they brought shame to their families. In 2002, those women left and formed their own village, Umoja, which means unity in Swahili, and it had one rule: no men.

Connect the hook to Claim (background info): ______________________________________________

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Claim/Clarification : Anne Bradstreet challenged her Puritan society’s gender roles. She did so by becoming a published female author and voicing her emotions publically.

2. “Make it Imaginary” – Draw the reader in by helping them imagine an unusual or fictional scenario or some aspect of your topic they are unfamiliar with.

Hook: Picture the traditional first Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims and Indians are sitting side by side, sharing their feast on a chilly autumn day with a cornucopia on the table. Now imagine a story in which the author re-tells that fateful day as

Connect the hook to Claim (background info): ______________________________________________

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Claim/Clarification : Hawthorne and Miller portrayed the ugly side of Puritanism. They did so by showing the extreme need to assign blame in their culture.

3. “Make it Similar” – Draw the reader in by creating an analogy, metaphor, or simile between your topic and something similar.

I Do: We all know we are supposed to brush our teeth. But imagine that your dentist threatened you by describing in detail the worst consequences imaginable—gum disease, mouth cancer, a toothless smile—every time you were supposed to brush your teeth. Would that motivate or discourage you?

Connect the hook to Claim (background info): ______________________________________________

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Claim/Clarification : Jonathan Edwards used scare tactics to persuade his congregation to be saved but today’s preachers use love and acceptance as a motivator.

You Do – Developing Your Own Hook

Pick one of the above strategies to use to write your own hook. Remember to consider which will most effectively set up the claim you drafted in your outline.

Hook Strategy # _____:

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Exit TicketHW: Draft the introductory paragraph for your essay (due tomorrow).

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Tobin/McGeady________________________________ American Literature, Fall 2012 ________________________________ Unit 1________________________________ 1 October 2012________________________________

Homework: Draft the Introduction for Your Essay

Now it’s your turn create your draft of an introduction. Use your Outline to help you.

Hook (1-2 sentences): __________________________________________________________________

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Background Information: (2-3 sentences)___________________________________________________

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Claim:_____________________

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Clarification: __________________________________________________________________________

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