Introductions, Theses, and Conclusions WRITING INTRODUCTIONS [al writers must face the task of writing theis paper's ints cot and concla- “Son. How to start? What's the best way to approach Your topic? With a serious some, a ight touch, an anecdote? Flow to end? How best to make the connection from your work back to the reader’s world? ‘Mny writers avoid such decisions by putting thers off—and productively so, Bypassing careful planning, for the introduction one conclusion, they begin vuriting the body of the piece; only after they've finished the body do they 60 wring Ute the opening, and closing paragraphs. There's 0 10 bbe said for This approach; Because you have presumably spent more Te thinking and tinting about the topic itself than about how you'ze going 10 introduce of con Shae f, you are ina better position to set out your ideas rand often it’s not until Gou've actully even the piece on paper anc read it over FS twice that a nat- Weal way of introducing or concluding it becomes apparent ‘You ate generally in better paychological shape to write both the intzoeuction and the conclusion pee ee major task of writing is behind you and you know exactly what your major points are “Het panpose of an introduction is to prepare the reades 10 enter the world of your papet. The introduction makes the connection ‘between the more familiar Your Pafeabited by the reader and the less familiar world of the writer's topic; it Places a discussion in a context thatthe reader oy ‘understand. If you find your: rit getting stuck on an introduction atthe begins cof a first draft, skip over it se Bete rent, State your working thesis directly andl move on to the body of the paper “There are many strategies for opening mon ones. a paper; we'll consider the most comWriting introductions ‘Quotation Here are the two introductory paragraphs to an article titled “The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love,” from Stephanie Coonta’s Marriage: A History. George Benard Shaw described marrage as an institution that brings together two people “under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, They are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part.” Shaw's comment was amusing when he wrote tat the beginning of the {svenkieth century, and it still makes us smile today, because it pokes fan at the unrealistic expectations that spring from a dearly held cultural ideal that marriage should be based on intense, profound love and a couple should maintain their ardor unl death do them part. But for thousands of years the joke would have fallen flat” ‘The provocative quotation by Shaw is intended by Coontz to puncture out romantic assumptions about the role of love and passion in marriage. She follows the quota- tion with an explanation of why Shaw's statement “makes us smile” before setting i out on her main undertaking in this article—as indicated in the final sentence of the ; second paragraph—a historical survey demonstrating that for most of the last few thousand years, love and marriage have had little to do with one another. Quoting the words of others offers you many points of departure for your paper: You can agree with the quotation. You can agrée and expand. You can sharply disagree. You can use the quotation to seta context or tone. i Historical Review i In many cases, the reader will be unprepared to follow the issue you discuss unless you provide some historical background. Consider this introduction to a paper on the film-rating system: Sox and violence on the screen are not new issues. In the Roaring Twenties there was increasing pressure from civic and religious groups to ban depic. tions of “immorality” from the screen, Faced with the threat of federal censorship, the film producers decided to clean their own house. In 1930, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America established the Pro- duction Code. Al first, adherence to the Code was voluntary; but in 1934 Joseph Breen, newly appointed head of the MPPDA, gave the Code teeth. ‘Henceforth all newly produced films had to be submitted for approval to the Production Code Administration, which had the power to award or withhold Tie Radical Kea of Manying for Love,” from Mariage History by Stephanie Coontz, copyright 2005 by ‘he SJ, Coontz Company Viking Penguin, division of Penguin Groap (USA), nc.marten _Invoauclons, Theses and cones the Code seal Without a Code sea Wes sirtually impossible fora film tobe ape rn anyoehere in the United States, ince nhibitors would not acceptit At sown Ae ame ime, the Catolc Legion of OOTY ‘was formed to advise aartias were and were nok objectionable, FOF several decades spd powerful control over what nln ie. By the 1960s, Bawever anes eabened the Code's grip. 18 1968, stanatuction Code was replaced wit & FSS ‘system designed 10 Kee? Sounger audiences away from Ss with high levels of sex oF violence: De* ie imperfections, i ating SSO Gas proved more beneficial sit Sl than did the oe censorship SF ‘The paper examines the relative penefits ofthe rating system. By beginning with donne ieatorical background on the ran System, the writer helps readews wRGeE T development of details.) som i arguments. (Notice te chron} standards of Review of a Controversy ‘A particular type of historical reve prov ordebate. Consider this introduction: des the background om a controversy fgobedience is rather sition of vil dis ‘unjust, usually DY ‘The American Heritage Dictionary’ de that are regarded 2s he refusal to obey civil ws employing methods of Pas wHlowever, despite such famous (eu beloved) amples of ci dischesDer fhe movements of Mahatma (onan im India and the Reverend Mat ather King, Je, in the United Sane the question of whether or not nijgobedience should be considered seareet vo eonety isha coar cut es Tastance, Hannah Arendt, in ber a= ae aciuil Disobedience” holds that "0 “Gf disobedient minorities 28 ok ater and spit of a constivrion whe, of unbridled majority rule” framers er hand, a moved lawyer, Lewis Van Do Join his aticle “Civil On te Sece: Destroyer of Demarracy” sites vejul disobedience, what: i st on our democratic society a Hoy eck on oa consstaiona govern ” det incomapatbe. believe though that N° ‘Dusen’s incom alacbecence is dangerous 10203887" rather than Van Dusen's essay are ie ohio introduce this topic, the writer has ‘provided quotations isobedience, as well ing at the outset on. .P gualiies ofthe topic, the writes HOPE to the controversy that forms “The negative aspe topic of this paper that represent oppos! as brief references the particular rather secure the attention of her the subject of her paper fica os" Diesbedience: Van Doten “= ‘rendu unpublished papet 1998, 1 Died HY permission.Writing introductions From the General to the Specific “Another way of providing a transition from the reader’s world to the less familiar “world of the paper is to work from a general subject to a specific one. The follow- ing introduction begins a paper on improving our aix quality by urging people to trade the use of their cars for public transportation, ‘While generalizations are risky, it seems pretty safe to say that most human ‘beings are selfish, Seinterest may be part of our nature, and probably aids the survival of our species, since self-interested pursuits increase the likeli- hood of individual survival and genetic reproduction. Ironically, however, cour selfishness has caused us to abuse the natural environment upon which wwe depend, We have polluted, deforested, depleted, deformed, and endan- gered our earth, water, and air to such an extent that now our species’ sur- vival is gravely threatened. In America, air pollution is one of our most pressing environmental problems, and itis cur selfish use of the automobile that poses the greatest threat to clean air, as well asthe greatest challenge to efforts to stop air pollution. Very few of us seem walling to give up our cars, let alone use them less. We are spoiled by the individual freedom afforded tus when we can hop into our gas-guzzling vehicles and go where we want, when we want, Somehow, we as @ nation will have to wean ourselves from. this addiction fo the automobile, and we can do this by designing alterna- tive forms of transportation that serve our selfish interests. to the General ‘The following two paragraphs offer an anecdote in order to move from the spe- ‘ific to a general subject: ‘The night of March 24, 1989, was cold and calm, the air crystalline, as the giant Exxon Valdez oil tanker pulled out of Valdez, Alaska, into the tranquil Waters of Prince William Sound. In these clearest of possible conditions the ship made a planned turn out of the shipping channel and didn’t turn back in dime, The huge tanker ran agzound, spilling millions of gallons of crude oil into the sound. The cost of the cleanup effort was over $2 billion. The ultimate cast of continuing environmental damage is incalculable. Further- ‘more, when the civil trial was finally over in the summer of 1995, the Bxcon Corporation was assessed an additional $5 billion in punitive damages, Everyone I query in my travels vividly recalls the accident, and most have the impression that it had something to do with the master’s alcohol consumption. No one is aware of the true cause of the tragedy. In its final report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that sleep deprivation and sleep debt were direct causes of the accident. This stunning result got a brief mention in the back pages of the newspapers. i Knight, “Reducing Air Pollution with Alternative Transportation.” unpublished paper, 19951 Used by peemission.cnapren.s._wvoduotions, Theses, end Conclusions ‘Out of the vast ocean of knowledge are go important that Lill are se armportant than the topic of Heep indebtedness and manage sree any inure, ory dsnished ‘The previous introduction wert 0% the general (the staternent that Ruse telings are sesh) to the speciic (hows © Beoace air pollution). This one BOS pena ae specific (a calamitous ol sil PY 8 ant oil tanker in Alaskon waters) to the general (the enosmovs Sima costs of “sleep debt,” OF not getting enough sleep). The ances The most effective means at YOU Siepoedl for capturing and holding Btention. Its also one of the sweet commonly used, types of int Jes. For decades, Speakers have begun thelr remane i otherwise appro" Friate story. (In fact, plenty of Poo Cc s of such stories, arranged by subject) Question oquently you can provoke the ends attention by posing a question oF a SeHieS of questions which of the following people would 30 0 fs the most admirable: Mother Teresa, Bll Gates, or Norman SFerug? And which do you Tink S Motes miable? For most people #1" 02) question. Mother Teresi or the poor in Calcutta, Ras been ‘beatified by the Vatican, aan 7 a and ranked in an American Pa sees admired person of the 20:8 oT Bill Gates, infamous for gS themes promot ancing pape: HP aN Due soreen of death, has beer ‘ecapitated in ef clip oa ies and hit with pe in he face. As for Norman Bet ‘Yet a deeper look {ather of the "Green ‘world unger has ‘ne else in history. Gates, he mumbers and determined 3, Mother gad ran her wellfinanced Siered plenty of prayer but hers usly primitive medical care ay Pepa eo aee why the moral ropuation? of this trio should be #° ut of ine with the good they have done. ‘ Teen” egy 99 am Dene EM permsin oF “Fo The Ftp of Random Howe 1 Pang ee vn Tn Msn 2awriting introductions In this introduction to “The Moral Instinct,” Steven Pinker asks a question that appears to be eaay; but the answer turns out to be more complex than the average reader would have suspected. Pinker uses the rest of the first para- graph to explain why the question appears to be so easy. (Afterall, no one was tore widely admired than Mother Teresa; and for many people—especially ‘Apple partisans!—former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was an emblem of capital- jst greed.) In the second paragraph, Pinker overturns these assumptions as he begins his exploration of the moral sense. Opening your paper with a question can be provocative because it places the reader in an active role. Put on the spot by the author, he or she must consider answers—in this case, Who is the most admirable? What kind of qualities or activities should we admire? ‘An opening question, chosen well, will engage readers and launch them into your paper. Statement of Thesis Perhaps the most direct method of introduction is to begin immediately with the thesis: ‘The contemporary American shopping mall is the formal garden of late ‘twenticth-century culture, a commodified version of the great garden styles of Weatern history with which it shares fundamental characteristics. Set apart from the rest of the world as a place of earthly delight like the medieval walled garden; filled with fountains, statuary, and ingeniously devised machinery like the Italian Renaissance garden; designed on grandiose and symmetrical principles like the seventeenth-century French garden; made up ofthe fragments of cultural and architectural history like the eighteenth-century irregular English garden; and set aside for the pub- lic like the nineteenth-century American park, the mall is the next phase of this garcen history, a eynthesis ofall these styles that have come before. But it is now joined with the shopping street, or at least a sanitized and standardized version of one, someting that never before has been allowed within the garden.” ‘This selection begins with a general assertion—that the American shopping mall is analogous to the great formal gardens of Western history. This idea is Richard Keller Simon's thesis, for an article titled “The Formal Garden in the Age of Consumer Culture,” which he begins to develop in his second sentence with com- parisons between the modem shopping mall and various types of gardens throughout history. In the paragraphs following this introduction, Simon draws correspondences between contemporary shopping malls in Houston, Philadel- hia, and Palo Alto and such classic formal gardens as Henry VII's Hampton cerpted from “The Formal Garden in the Age of Consumer Culture: A Reading of the Twentieth Century Shopping Mall,” copyright 1992 by Richard Keller Simon. Reprint from Mapping the America: Cultura ed, Wayne Franklin ahd Michal Steiner, by permission ofthe University of Towa Press.