Intro Paragraph

1
Intro Paragraph

• Your introduction should
• Catch readers attention (anecdote, quote,
  provocative statement, etc.)
• Set the stage for your reading audience by
• Establishing right away your central focus
  (power struggle, appeal to audiences from
  different social classes, gender dynamic, etc.)
• Defining key terminology
• Providing only necessary and relevant historical
  and social information
• Move from this general introduction of central
  focus to specific and arguable thesis.

2
Thesis Building/Evaluation Tips

• Your Thesis should
• Make arguable claim about specific rhetorical
  features of the passage
• Establish a specific connection to some larger
  theme/issue of the play
• For example, the somewhat tense relationship
  between Titania and Oberon
• Use qualifiers to add specificity (ex reluctant
  union)
• Express Why it is important - an implicit or
  explicit because statement functions as the
  important so what element in your thesis
  statement
• Begin with your interpretation of the TEXT and
  THEN (maybe) stage it - You may or may not choose
  to express HOW specific staging choices will make
  that interpretation clear in your thesis.

3
Things to Check/Avoid/Test

• Is the thesis arguable (not making obvious claim)
• Is the thesis descriptive, normative, or
  analytical/interpretive?
• Is the thesis specific or does it refer to other
  characters or the play in general?
• Underline the thesis subject and circle the
  thesis verb
• If you see multiple subjects you have created a
  List Thesis (connection between list items
  becomes thesis list items become intermediate
  claims)
• If you direct your focus to the author (W.S.) or
  the reader (we one) then you might be
  falling prey to a fallacy of intention
• Is the verb active? Is it interpretive? (rate
  these)
• What is the difference between is, shows,
  uses, demonstrates, underscores,
  undermines, implies

4
CEW Paragraphs Claims/Evidence/Warrants

• Every paragraph should have a transitional bridge
• Each body paragraph asserts a specific Claim
  (mini-thesis)
• Introduce the Evidence (integrate rich bites of
  textual evidence stylistically into your writing)
• The Warrant is the interpretive meat of your
  supporting paragraph. It connects the claim to
  the evidence through explication You explain
  HOW the words you quote SHOW your claim (in other
  wordsyou identify and explain the metaphor, how
  the diction functions elicits anger, reluctance)
• HOW
• Close read based on imagery (pay attention to
  words that evoke the senses or connote sensory
  experience)
• Close read based on sound (pay attention to
  rhythm, rhyme and meter)
• Close read based on figures of speech (how do
  similes function, what do metaphors represent)
• Close read based on diction
• Looking for more? On-line searchable AMSND