{"id":145,"date":"2018-03-19T15:32:43","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T15:32:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.berea.edu\/bereawritingguide\/?page_id=145"},"modified":"2018-06-06T09:36:57","modified_gmt":"2018-06-06T13:36:57","slug":"introductions-workshop","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/legacy.berea.edu\/bereawritingguide\/writingworkshops\/introductions-workshop\/","title":{"rendered":"Introductions Workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]INTRODUCTIONS, a rough guide**<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think about hors d\u2019oeuvres, those bite-sized nuggets of savory goodness that launch a four-course meal at the fancy French restaurant in town (in Berea, the Tavern thinks of spoon bread this way, but it\u2019s not the same!). They arrive with little fanfare, on a plain white plate, but as soon as you lift one morsel to your mouth, smelling the parsley and sage, you know it\u2019s going to be a transcendent meal. And you\u2019re right, it will be.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what an introduction should be: a sublime bite of your argument that suggests the magnificence of the meal essay to come. Your introduction should announce your topic, of course, but it should also engage our taste buds interest and focus our attention on what is to come.<\/p>\n

The most basic\u2014and probably most effective\u2014strategy is to move from general to specific in the course of the introduction. You can think about this as a funnel that narrows all the way to your thesis statement at the end of the paragraph. Once you master this format, you can try opening your essays with a quotation, an anecdote, even a provocative question, or a strong opinion. All of these possibilities are outlined in your\u00a0St. Martin\u2019s Handbook,<\/em> pg. 130-32. Go there. Study them.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that your introduction and conclusion act as bridges that transport your readers from their own lives into the \u201cplace\u201d of your analysis. If your readers pick up your paper about education and agency in the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, for example, they need a transition to help them leave behind the world of Berea, television, Facebook, and the latest album by Beyonc\u00e9, and to help them temporarily enter the world of nineteenth-century American slavery. By providing an introduction that helps your readers make a transition between their own world and the issues you will be writing about, you give your readers the tools they need to get into your topic and care about what you are saying. Similarly, once you\u2019ve hooked your reader with the introduction and offered evidence to prove your thesis, your conclusion can provide a bridge to help your readers make the transition back to their daily lives.<\/p>\n

INTRODUCTIONS, a workshop \u2014 Adapted for\u00a0New Yorker\u00a0<\/em>assignment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read your partner\u2019s draft ALOUD and then silently.<\/p>\n

Consider the very first sentence. Does it provoke your interest? Do you want to keep reading? Has the writer captured your attention?<\/p>\n

Make sure that it is NOT a place holder opening<\/p>\n

Make sure that it does NOT simply restate the essay prompt.<\/p>\n

Make sure that it is NOT a dictionary opening [e.g. Webster\u2019s dictionary defines a formula as \u201ca fixed form of words, especially one used in particular contexts or as a conventional usage.\u201d]<\/p>\n

Make sure that it is NOT a dawn of man opening [ e.g. Since the beginning of time, The New Yorker<\/em> has been educating readers on the issues of the day.]<\/p>\n

Make sure that it does NOT sound like a 5th grade book report [e.g. Since 1925, The New Yorker<\/em> has been running. It publishes many kinds of stories. They all follow some basic rules. The rules are\u2026.]<\/p>\n

Draft<\/strong> a revision of that first sentence right here:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is your revision more interesting? More compelling? More accurate?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Assess<\/strong> the sentences that follow the first one:<\/p>\n

Do they broadly introduce the reader to the world of essay?<\/p>\n

Do they show what the The New Yorker<\/em> \u201cformula\u201d looks like in a complex way?<\/p>\n

Do they explain that there are complicated exceptions to this \u201cformula\u201d ?<\/p>\n

Do they suggest an awareness of the AUDIENCE (David Remnick!)<\/p>\n

Dwell on the thesis statement. Underline it. Star it. Bracket it. Mark it.<\/p>\n

Does it strongly assert an argument that answers the question of the prompt?<\/p>\n

Is that argument too broad? [e.g. The New Yorker<\/em> features stories that have an unusual perspective.]<\/p>\n

Is that argument too narrow? [e.g. The New Yorker<\/em> publishes stories that deploy pared-down sentences and a liberal bias.]<\/p>\n

Is the thesis debatable? Will it take some work to prove? These are the characteristics of a strong, compelling thesis.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sample Introductions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. It\u2019s a normal day and you get a call from the local police department telling you that your child has just shot and wounded several students in his school. How would you react? What would cause your child to act this way? Would you consider your child to be \u201cnormal\u201d?\u00a0 After all, he was raised in a good home. In his recent article, \u201cThresholds of Violence,\u201d The New Yorker\u2019s<\/em> Malcolm Gladwell describes the devastating reality that even children who appear normal can cause traumatic events.\u00a0 He does not blame the individuals who commit these acts but blames the disordered society in which these individuals dwell. He describes the entire landscape of school shootings from a slanted viewpoint that grabs the audience\u2019s attention through his use of unexpected language and style, a formula typical of The New Yorker<\/em> stories. This article reveals a school of writing that The New Yorker<\/em> has published for nearly the last century. We can see uniformity within the magazine, revealed through its authors\u2019 use of distinct structures, variety in attitudes, and their rhetorical strategies; there are, however, some exceptions to these rules that we must consider.<\/p>\n

2. The eggs have been beaten, the oil poured, and the water added. After hours of preparation you have finally completed your famous cake. You place your batter into the oven and wait for the amazing fulfillment you know will come from devouring the cake. There seems to be something missing but you can\u2019t place your finger on it. Twenty five minutes have passed and you go to remove your product, to your surprise you find that you still possess a raw batter. That missing aspect was the act of turning the oven on. Like baking a great cake, writing an article for The New Yorker<\/em> has to have certain ingredients before it can be deemed inspiring enough to be published. Although the articles published in The New Yorker<\/em> are very diverse, they all create meaning with their intellectual audience in similar ways. The typical New Yorker article creates this meaning by using a cautionary and colloquial tone, a relaxed structure, and an emotionally appealing argument that is then supported by factual evidence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

** Courtesy of Josh Guthman[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This website is a collaboration between Berea College professors Anne Bruder and Jason Cohen. As you will notice throughout these webpages, our work here has been more about aggregation than original invention. We have made every attempt to give credit to other instructors and friends of other instructors. One of the joys of teaching is the generosity we all seem to show one another in sharing materials. This webpage is a product of that spirit.<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]INTRODUCTIONS, a rough guide** Think about hors d\u2019oeuvres, those bite-sized nuggets of savory goodness that launch a four-course meal at the fancy French restaurant in town (in Berea, the Tavern thinks of spoon bread this way, but it\u2019s not the same!). 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