7 Chapter 7: Introductions

An academic essay’s purpose is to convince the audience that the thesis is the only reasonable position to take. You get to write your thesis, so make sure you can build a convincing argument for the thesis you write.

Short essays will have short introductions of one paragraph, but longer essays can have introductions that are multiple paragraphs long.

Introduction and Thesis

The introduction of an essay introduces the topic and enough context to introduce the thesis, and then it states the essay’s thesis. When setting up the context, the introduction to an academic essay alerts the reader to the conversation it is joining.

Here is step-by-step instructions for writing an effective introduction with a hook, contextualization, and the thesis.

Hook

A ‘hook’ grabs the readers attention and gets them thinking about the topic. A hook can be anything from an anecdote (illustrative story), to a surprising quote or statistic, to a question that gets your thinking going.

Contextualization

Show what “conversation” you are joining by acknowledging where your ideas come from. Here you are using your sources as a departure for your own thinking. You can quote, paraphrase, or summarize your source or sources. You don’t need to bring every source your essay uses in here. Just acknowledge the conversation you are joining.

Indicate where you are going. You might agree with the authors point and extend it in a new way. You might disagree with the point based on a question or worry you have. Maybe you think something has been overlooked.

Thesis

A strong thesis is a direct statement of your position. Your thesis is usually 1-2 sentences long. In your thesis, you assert your major claim about the topic or issue. Then, the rest of your essay is built around and focused on that thesis statement. (See Chapter 5 for more on Thesis Statements.)

The thesis should be stated toward the end of your introduction. Often, it is the last sentence or within the last couple of sentences of the introduction.

Although the thesis statement is often the last sentence in the introduction, you can add a sentence that serves as a transition and preview of the rest of the essay. To do this kind of preview, you would mention, very briefly, the several main points that will support your thesis.

Revising Thesis Statements

Often, we write what seems like a great thesis statement at first. Then, when we write the first draft of our essay, the body of the essay doesn’t match the thesis statement we wrote. In these cases, we either need to refocus the body of the essay, or revise the thesis statement to match what the essay actually supports.

Examples

The thesis statement is underlined in each example.

Introduction #1

I admit I was surprised the first time a professor in college included a hashtag for our course on the syllabus. Social media and the classroom seemed to me like two very distant worlds, but Rey Junco argues that “Twitter is more relevant in the classroom than you might think” (as cited in Celeste Headlee, 2013, para. 8). And if we think about the rise in online education, it seems schools should be trying to tap into the engagement so many have with social media. Social media takes hold of our attention and doesn’t let go. Wouldn’t it be great if school could do that too?

But just because we spend endless hours engaging with social media, that does not mean we are thoughtful about it. Peggy Orenstein (2014), in an article where she steps back to ponder the effect of Twitter on her life, asks, “when every thought is externalized, what becomes of insight?” (348). Orenstein is worried about the casual way many use social media to document every aspect of their lives. She points out that we may lose our filter for good ideas if we constantly post whatever pops into our minds. So how should schools use social media in the classroom? I will argue that if students are encouraged to build their attention stamina, schools can tap into the draw of social media by making learning social. If schools can value student contribution of ideas, increase instructor participation in the online environment, and build meaningful relationships offline, they will see increased engagement from students.

Introduction #2

Stephen Marche (2014) makes the bold claim that “class now determines Americans’ fates” more than any other factor (p. 255). Even worse, he argues that the American people are completely blind to this rigid class system and he calls it “the most dangerous lie the country tells itself” (Marche, 2014, p. 255). Frankly, Marche believes the American Dream is dead and most don’t realize it. In fact, he claims, most Americans continue to tell themselves and each other that the American Dream is alive and well. Marche might think this farce is so dangerous because stories are powerful. The stories we hear and tell shape our view of the world. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2009) explains how powerful stories can be. She demonstrates the power of a single narrative thread that limits our ability to imagine anything outside of that narrative. It is true, the story of the American Dream has been told over and over again. But what if those stories are so remarkable because they are the exception and not the rule? For those living in poverty and at the bottom of the class hierarchy, the problem of “a single story” (Adicie, 2009) gives false hope and prevents a much needed conversation about changing our class system.