PART ONE: Writing the Introduction

The introduction is one of the most important parts of your essay, so it's a good idea to spend a little time on it. The introduction paragraph contains your thesis/claim, and you can't do any other writing without that. In fact, you might find that you spend more time on your thesis and introduction than you do on the rest of the essay, because once you have your ideas solidified in your introduction, the rest of the essay comes naturally.

The introduction is composed of four parts:

HOOK

BRIDGE

SUMMARY OF THE TOPIC

THESIS + PROJECTED PLAN

The introduction starts really broad with the hook and gradually gets more specific until you finally arrive at the thesis. It funnels or flows towards your thesis. The image of the triangle helps reinforce this idea of a funnel.

The Thesis

The thesis is critical so we are going to start there, even though it will be the last sentence of the intro paragraph. Let me say that again: THE THESIS IS CRITICAL. This is the claim or argument you are going to make in your essay. Click here for a podcast on writing your thesis or click here to read more about it, complete with examples. Your thesis should be specific, valid, bold, powerful, unique, supportable, and something two reasonable people could have a discussion about.

Needs improvement: There are always alternatives to illegal drug use.

Better thesis example: The most effective treatment plan for methamphetamine addiction may be a combination of pharmacological and cognitive therapy.

Needs improvement: I'm going to talk about Doodle and Brother.

Better thesis example: Ultimately, Hurst uses the complicated relationship between Doodle and Brother to show that love always contains some drops of poison.

The Hook + Bridge

Now that you have your thesis, you can begin the rest of your introduction, starting with the hook. The hook grabs the reader's attention and makes them want to read on. It is on topic but broad. Hooks can be an analogy, a metaphor, a famous quote (with your wording to introduce), a surprising statement, or a refreshed cliche.

The bridge is your way to get into the actual topic. If you're writing literary analysis, the bridge contains the name of the author and story you're writing about. The bridge uses a connecting word like "this" or "so" or "that" to transition from the hook into your topic. The bridge can flow into the summary.

Shocking statement hook + bridge: Losing the big game, failing a tough class, or having a broken heart might be the best thing to ever happen to a person. Author XYZ certainly thinks so, as he presents the character Sally in his well-known short story, “ABC.”

Famous quote hook + bridge: “Failure is the tuition you pay for success,” the famed author Walter Brunell once wrote. Indeed, the reader finds the truthfulness of this statement illustrated in XYZ’s short story, “ABC.”

Metaphor hook + bridge: Forest fires are terrifying, destructive forces. Flames devour ancient groves of trees and force defenseless animals to flee from their burrows. Yet, much good comes from the blackened earth such fires leave behind. Nutrients are cycled back into the old soil, new species of flora sprout seemingly overnight, and the wrecked remains of the tree stumps become homes for numerous grateful species. In the short story, “ABC,” author XYZ reveals the surprising truth that nature knows but man forgets: success often begins with the ashes of a failure.

Summary of the Topic

Here, you provide a very brief summary of the topic you're discussing, just enough for someone who is familiar with the topic but hasn't recently read up on it to get up to speed. Your summary should be no longer than four sentences. If you find yourself going on and on, you're probably providing too much summary. Pull back, revise, and say just the basics.

Introduction Paragraph Examples

Here's an example of an introduction paragraph about the short story "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst:

Love is a toxic medicine, holding the ability to both heal and harm. In James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator known only as Brother discovers this painful truth as he fails in his attempt to help his little brother, Doodle. Since birth, Doodle has been weak and disabled, unable to perform normal daily functions such as walking, running, and swimming. Dissatisfied with this situation, his older brother decides to teach him all of these physical activities, pushing Doodle further and further until, one day, he dies as a result of the physical strain. Ultimately, Hurst uses the complicated relationship between Doodle and Brother to show that love always contains some drops of poison.

Hook

Bridge

Summary

Thesis

Here's another example about the movie Hidden Figures and growth mindset:

Basketball legend Michael Jordan once said, “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” Overcoming obstacles is the main message of Theodore Melfi’s Hidden Figures. In this movie, three African-American women work at NASA during the space race in the 1960s. They encounter obstacles to their careers because of their gender and race. These obstacles also stand in the way of America getting a manned rocket into space. The movie demonstrates that using a growth mindset can help anyone overcome obstacles. This is shown by Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Paul Stafford.

Hook

Bridge

Summary

Thesis

Tips for Writing Introduction Paragraphs

1. If you're stuck thinking of a good hook, it's okay to write the body paragraphs first. As long as you have a thesis, you can build your body paragraphs off of this. Then, you can come back later in the writing process and complete the introduction.

2. Keep in mind the purpose of the introduction: Everything "funnels" into the thesis. The summary is there to provide enough background information for the reader.

Resources for Writing Introduction Paragraphs

Handout -- This visual handout uses the triangle to visually demonstrate how the hook/bridge/summary/thesis format narrows at the end. It also provides notes for each part of the introduction paragraph.

Podcast -- This podcast from WriteCast (part of Walden University's Online Writing Center) covers how to write a good thesis statement.

Podcast Transcript -- This the transcript of the podcast above.

PART TWO: Writing the Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of an essay are very similar to the stand-alone paragraphs in that they state the topic of the paragraph, provide evidence, and explain the evidence in your own words or provide elaboration. In stand-alone paragraphs, we sometimes call this the ACE format. We are going to use a different acronym when we talk about body paragraphs in an essay. We are going to use the acronym MEAL (sometimes referred to as "The MEAL Plan"). This podcast provides a really good breakdown of the types of body paragraphs NOT to write as well as a good explanation of the MEAL Plan, or you can read the transcript here. This video also might help explain the MEAL Plan for you.

MEAL stands for:

MAIN IDEA

EVIDENCE

ANALYSIS OF THE EVIDENCE

LEAD OUT

The Main Idea

This is a sentence that simply states the topic of this particular body paragraph. This sentence generally uses a transition word to ease the reader into this new (or first) topic. Sometimes this might require more than one sentence, as in the example below.

The Evidence

This is the textual evidence, quotes, or data that support your thesis.

Analysis of the Evidence

This part is equally as important as the textual evidence and/or data itself. You need to completely and thoroughly make the connections for the reader between the evidence and your thesis. You also need to provide your own spin on this evidence and show the reader something that they may not have thought of before.

NOTE: Often, your support will require you to provide multiple pieces of evidence or bits of data, which will require you to cycle through Evidence and Analysis until you've given all of the evidence for that body paragraph topic.

Lead Out

Conclude the paragraph by summing up the facts in this paragraph. Prepare the reader to move on to the next paragraph.

Body Paragraph Examples

Here is an example of a body paragraph about the movie Hidden Figures and growth mindset:

One of the characteristics of someone who has a growth mindset is perseverance. This trait is shown by Katherine Johnson in the movie. Johnson is hired to check the calculations on rocket trajectories, a job she does well. However, because she’s black, she often has to leave her desk during the day and run a mile across NASA’s campus to use the only colored restroom. She takes her work with her and moves as quickly as she can because the job is not only important to her, but to the nation as well. She continues on with this impossible situation, though, until one day, the situation reaches a breaking point. When confronted by her boss, Al Harrison, who wonders where she goes all day, she replies, “I work like a dog day and night, living on coffee from a pot NONE OF YOU WANNA TOUCH! So, excuse me if I have to go to the restroom a few times a day.” Her perseverance in the face of segregation results in Harrison integrating the restrooms on campus. Ultimately, she also perseveres with her calculations, and the first manned rocket is launched successfully.

MAIN IDEA

EVIDENCE

ANALYSIS

LEAD OUT

Here is another example, this one about The Great Gatsby:

In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Myrtle Wilson demonstrates how members of the lower class cannot achieve the American Dream. Myrtle, a working class citizen, associates herself with the wealthy in order to appear rich. During her apartment party, Myrtle changes into a party dress and, “with the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted to impressive hauteur…until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air” (Fitzgerald 39-40). Myrtle strives to be someone she is not by changing into an outfit she thinks implies she is wealthy. She tries to be rich by dressing the part, but the poor side of Myrtle still lurks within her, as displayed through the term, “smoky air.” “Smoky air” relates to the Valley of Ashes, yet at this point in the novel, Myrtle is in New York. By revealing that the “smoky air” of the Valley of Ashes follows Myrtle to New York, a wealthier location, Fitzgerald demonstrates how simply associating with the wealthy is not enough for Myrtle to actually obtain the American Dream. Her attempt to transcend class structures ultimately leads to her death, which reveals that the working class cannot grasp the American Dream.

MAIN IDEA

EVIDENCE

ANALYSIS

LEAD OUT

Tips for Writing Body Paragraphs

1. Textual evidence needs to be incorporated smoothly into your own writing. You cannot just "drop" a quote in and have it hang out on its own without some explanation or introduction in your writing voice.

2. Transition words help add a smooth flow to your writing. They can be used to transition between paragraphs, but they can also be used to add cohesion and flow between sentences within a paragraph. If you feel yourself getting stuck, or feel yourself going on and on and not getting where you want to go in your paragraph, it's probably because you need a transition.

Resources for Writing Body Paragraphs

Podcast -- This podcast from WriteCast gives examples of not-so-good body paragraphs and then goes into how to write a MEAL plan body paragraph.

Handout -- This two-page handout lists several transition words, separated into helpful categories.

Video -- This video from mistersoto411 provides a few great examples of how to use transitions in your writing.

Part Three: The Conclusion

The conclusion is a mirror reflection of the introduction. Remember that in the introduction, you began broad with a generalized statement about the topic and then became specific at the end with your thesis. The conclusion does the opposite: It begins specific with a restatement of your thesis and then become general as you apply the lessons of your essay to the world.

The conclusion is composed of three parts:

RESTATEMENT OF THE THESIS

SO WHAT? WHY DOES ANY OF THIS MATTER?

MIC DROP

Restatement of the Thesis

Remember your thesis? Rephrase it. Don't just reuse the same wording of your thesis you used in the intro. Repeating yourself in this way just sounds weird to your reader. So, instead, use synonyms in place of key words, or entirely change the structure of the sentence. If you get stuck trying to figure out a way to rephrase your thesis, use this template:

When one considers _____________, _____________, and ______________ (body paragraph topics), it is clear that ____________________________ (topic of your thesis).

So What? Why does this matter?

The reason people write in the first place is to explain something important or show us something important about the world. What does your essay teach us? What are we supposed to be gaining from having read your take on this story or your explanation of this process or your experiment? Tell the reader in a few sentences.

Mic Drop

Just like any good slam poetry, comedy show, or rap performance ends with a mic drop, that really satisfying feeling of having said everything that needs to be said, your essay needs to end in a way that makes the reader nod their head in agreement. Just like the hook grabs the reader's attention, the mic drop lets them feel like their time reading your essay was worth it.

Conclusion Paragraph Examples

When one considers the obstacles that Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson had to overcome, it is clear that having a growth mindset was a benefit to them. If we each stay in a fixed mindset, we’ll never achieve our full potential. If we each stay in a fixed mindset, we’ll never find the strength to work together as a society to move past our differences. Hidden Figures shows us how to keep our eyes on the stars.

Tips for Writing Conclusion Paragraphs

1. The same ways you hook your audience can be the same ways you mic drop. However, you need to change it up. If you used a quote as your hook, don't use a quote as your mic drop.

2. Using a clever metaphor that fits in with your topic and thesis can work wonders. See the mic drop in the example above. This was used in an essay about growth mindset helping people achieve their dreams during the Space Race of the 1960s, so "keep our eyes on the stars" is a fitting metaphor.

Resources for Writing Conclusion Paragraphs

Handout -- This visual handout uses the triangle to visually demonstrate how the restate thesis/so what?/mic drop format starts narrowly with the thesis and grows broader at the end. It also provides notes for each part of the conclusion paragraph.

Video -- This video from mistersato411 provides a detailed discussion of different ways to conclude your essay. Note that he uses different words to describe some of the same ideas discussed in this section.