Writing the Introduction

The introduction needs to accomplish three objectives. It needs to:

  1. Interest your reader in the paper,
  2. Place your subject in context, and
  3. Introduce your thesis.

Tip: Don't start writing the introduction first. Begin writing the body of your paper, and leave your introduction to a later time when you feel ready to write it.

Some strategies for drawing the readers into the essay:

  • Begin with a relevant and attention-getting quotation. For film topics, quotations from or about the film work very well.
  • Pose an important question.
  • Begin with a brief descriptive or narrative passage.
  • Begin with a paraphrase of a commonly held view that you immediately question.

Tip: Avoid "dawn of time" introductions. The introduction should be natural to the scope of your paper.

When you place your subject in context, you need to give the minimal amount of information for the reader to understand the thesis. You need to take into account:

  1. What information is absolutely necessary for understanding the thesis and what information can be explained later in the essay.
  2. What the reader can already be expected to know. You don't need to include background information that would be evident to the reader.

Tip: Starting your paper with a sting of commonplaces, information obvious to all but the most ignorant of viewers, is not likely to encourage the reader to continue reading your paper.

The thesis statement usually comes at the end of the introduction. It's a single sentence (usually) that sums up the main point of the paper. If you choose to put the thesis somewhere else in the introduction, make sure it's easily identifiable as the thesis, so the reader can clearly understand where you're going in your paper.