5.2 Titles and Introductions

Titles

Titles should be specific and clear, and the quickest path to this is composing a title that states your exact subject. If you can also hint at your thesis in the title, it becomes that much more effective. Examples:

• The Extinction of Bees
• Peer Review in Writing Classes
• Why We Need Fantasy Literature
• Video Games and Art
• Video Games Can Never Be Art

In academic writing, it is also common to have a two-part title that consists of (1) a vivid or curious glimpse of some aspect of the subject and (2) a straightforward statement of the subject. This is generally used for longer essays, such as those comprising more than 2,000 words.  Examples:

• Hashtag I’m Fired: Employment in the Era of Social Media
• Sanity in the Eye of the Beholder: The Dynamics of the Unreliable Narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart”

Remember that titles are an opportunity to control the interpretation of your essay. Consider how the titles of films do this: What is the film Forrest Gump about? Most would agree it’s about the life of Forrest Gump. But what would the common answers be if the title had been Me and Jenny? It would probably be called a love story, which it kind of is given that title. Or what if it had been titled Me and Lieutenant Dan? Then it would probably be a buddy picture about friendship, which would be given that title. Use this quality of titles to guide your readers’ interpretations.

Introductions

Audiences want a clear idea of what they’re about to get into, what to expect, and what is so interesting about it, so use the introduction to give all of this to them. The biggest issue seen in introductions is that they don’t say anything substantive. As a result, students frequently write introductions for college papers in which the first two or three (or more) sentences are obvious or overly broad.

The most common strategy in an introduction is to move from the general context to a specific point. This often feels natural for writers and readers, so much so that we even see this kind of strategy in movies and shows: visuals of the whole city first, then of the one building, then of the specific room with the focal characters. In an essay, this works by first stating general facts or ideas about the subject. Then, as you move deeper into your introduction, you gradually narrow the focus, moving closer to your thesis. Moving smoothly and logically from your introductory remarks to your thesis statement can be visualized as a funnel-like structure, as illustrated in the diagram below:

Watch closely for the excellent use of this strategy in this example:

Notice that the first sentence isn’t about Stengel’s point directly but is instead a way to generally contextualize what she is about to say. Then each sentence gets more and more specific until we are left with an exact notion of what her position is and what she plans to explore about it.

Another strategy is to add something of specific and immediate interest right before this general context. This is done by employing the Classical advice of beginning in medias res, which means to start in the middle of things. Immediately offer a glimpse at a specific idea, example, or scenario that delves deep into a fascinating aspect of your subject, even if the meaning of it is not yet clear. In choosing this glimpse, consider that which is surprising, counter-intuitive, or vivid. This is often called “the attention grabber,” but that phrase is often misunderstood, for multitudes of student writers have written statements and questions that they find extremely boring yet have told themselves they are doing so for the benefit of readers to “grab their attention.” The problem stems from assuming that readers are boring. They aren’t; they’re interesting, and they want to read interesting ideas. So bring up the interesting ideas. Don’t use false questions, such as those about the reader’s personal experience, those that have obvious answers, and those for which you won’t attempt specific or compelling answers.

Bad Example:

After establishing this by beginning in medias res, you can then move to the first strategy noted above, moving from general context to a specific point, which in this case means explaining the subject you just introduced. Essentially, this is giving a larger understanding of what you mentioned above, such as what the important issue is, or why it is significant. Don’t get detailed here; save details for the body paragraphs.

Building an Introduction Paragraph

Your first sentence should act as a hook. This sentence should pique the reader’s interest. This could be a memorable quotation, a relevant statistic, or making a strong statement. As seen above, starting with a question can be seen as redundant and cliche.

Next, it’s important to give context that will help your reader understand your argument. This might involve providing background information, giving an overview of important academic work or debates on the topic, and explaining difficult terms.

One of your last sentences should make your main idea clear. That would be your thesis statement. Your claim should take a position or make a point about the subject, often by confirming or denying a proposition. Remember not to use a question or a fragment as a thesis, for those do not state points. Also make sure to state your exact position on the subject, which is what a claim or thesis is, rather than simply stating the subject.

After you have made your claim or thesis clear, offer an essay map or a road map. This is the strategy of briefly naming the main points of the paragraphs to come, stating them in the same order that they will be used in the body of the essay. Avoid referencing your essay or your assignment, as with phrases such as, “in this essay,” or, “for my assignment,” or, “I will discuss.” Instead, state your main points by discussing the subject itself rather than by discussing yourself writing it or the essay that contains it. Remember not to get detailed here either; save the details for the body paragraphs.