Introduction to Essay Writing

Essays are my hood!

Introductions

• Introductions should be a general synopsis for the reader to gain a superficial understanding of the topic.

Introductions should…

• Present a clear thesis.• Have an organized topic sentence, that maps out

the course of your entire essay. (organization)• Use academic vocabulary and introduce

important literary devices. • Stay focused on the topic

Introductions should not…

• Waste examples or textual evidence. You should SAVE good examples for your body paragraphs.

• Use contractions• Include any extraneous information.

You’ve got 1 min to switch into your groups!• Read the following sample introduction. Discuss it with you

group members and determine if it meets the standards expressed in this presentation.

Upon analyzing Sandra Cisneros’ excerpt from The House on Mango Street, the reader is able to make several inferences about the speaker. By evaluating the narrator’s use of diction and syntax, one can determine an accurate age and the ethnic background for the speaker. Cisneros utilizes these literary devices to effectively create the youthful voice of Esperanza.