1. Argumentative Writing Creating a Strong Introduction Grades 11 - 12 Copyright © 2014 Write Score LLC

2. Introductions In an argumentative paper, your introduction is very important. Often beginning writers will write the introduction first and then work through their message. In reality, the introduction might be the last thing you write. Or, it might need considerable revision. The introduction should capture the essence of the remainder of the paper.

3. Introductions An argumentative introduction should include:  A direct connection to your assignment (if given)  A narrow, well-defined thesis statement. A thesis statement is the main idea of your essay or research with an arguable idea that can be backed by facts. In argumentative writing, let your reader know your point of view right from the start.

4. Introductions Not only must you include your thesis but you must grab the reader’s attention. Here are just a few methods for starting your paper: start with the opposition imagery anecdotequotations shocking fact or statistic a controversial opinion

5. Introductions You also want to avoid some common pitfalls with writing the introduction the “definition” introduction the “announcement” introduction the “I must have a grabber” introduction

6. Sample introduction: Quotation Andy Warhol, a famous mid-century American artist, once predicted that "[i]n the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” (Warhol Was Right About '15 Minutes Of Fame'). “Fifteen minutes of fame” has manifested into a defining characteristic of a generation ruled by the popular culture media. A combination of a deepening cultural worship for the celebrity lifestyle and a widening influence of technology in our daily lives has created both the desire and the opportunity to seek one’s “fifteen minutes of fame.” How has this shift in the American aspiration changed our national ideals? And, more importantly, what are the consequences of this change? The American Dream was once a unifying and patriotic idea that through hard work and perseverance, all Americans could achieve a stable, middle-class existence. This national aspiration has shifted, however, and today represents an ideal of fame, fortune, and excess. The new American Dream is promoted by the media, and has quickly devolved into a cultural norm that accepts the sacrifice of dignity, stability, and reality as necessary to feel one has achieved a fulfilling existence. In creating a culture that confuses consumerism with productive ambition, we have changed into a nation that has trouble finding happiness in the present and turns a blind eye to the environmental degradation that supports its consumption. (Julie Apffel: http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works)http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works

7. It takes the most desperate kind of hope to compel a mother to walk with her family across the great unknown and into an alien nation. The American Dream lingers like a question mark on the lips of the thousands who have fallen between the cracks of a corrupt bureaucracy that awards rights not because of a human being’s intrinsic value, but by the country of their birth and the monetary potential in their suffering. Ours is a nation recovering from recession, and it is this downturn that prompts many to regard immigration in terms of economic frugality while omitting all else. There is a frantic terror amongst the ranks of America’s unemployed that our government will accept responsibility for this wave of displaced persons before establishing a comprehensive plan to care for “our own.” The sound-bite partisan battle that holds Congress in deadlock has greatly polarized and over-simplified the issue, and somewhere lost in the debate are the people themselves. The violence and corruption that specifically characterize the pre-deportation detention process is an issue that has been largely ignored in today’s society, and thus the foundation for effective change in this area must stem from human rights as opposed to a purely economic and politically driven bottom line. (Lena Gavenas, Age 16: http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works )http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works Sample introduction: Controversial Opinion Sample introduction: Controversial Opinion

8. Sample introduction: Imagery Sample introduction: Imagery Darkness engulfed Charles Williams as an eyeless hood was placed over his head. With his arms bound behind his back precluding him from moving freely, escape was futile. Williams was but a helpless child. After being led down a narrow corridor and into a cramped eight-by-twelve foot long cell which reeked of a disgusting yet implacable odor, the guard finally removed William's hood and unchained him. Sound ceased to exist, and even the crickets observed this strange rule of silence. Locking the small door on his way out, Williams was left all alone––the guard had succeeded in secluding his prisoner from society for over two years. Charles Williams was the first of the many prisoners forced to reside in Eastern State Penitentiary, notorious for being one of the harshest prisons in existence during the nineteenth century (Walsh). Construction for the Eastern State Penitentiary began in 1821 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It originally intended to house 250 prisoners at once, but ended up holding over 900 prisoners when it shut down in 1971 (Philips). Designed to rehabilitate criminals through use of total solitary confinement, the Eastern State Penitentiary only truly succeeded in pushing inmates into the depths of insanity and despair. The unnecessary use of solitary confinement in the Eastern State Penitentiary was ineffective in reforming its inmates; instead, the prison should have used education as a means of rehabilitation. (Juliana Algava: http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works )http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works

9. Sample introduction: Shocking Fact or Statistic Last year more Americans died from legally obtained prescription painkillers than from cocaine and heroin combined. Does this make doctors more criminal than drug dealers? Do these pills actually do more harm than good? Where do we draw the line? Well, over the past decade, narcotic painkillers have claimed an average of 15,000 American lives per year. In addition, American insurance companies have been cashing out over 70 billion dollars on these pills, with 50 billion dollars’ worth being used recreationally (Center For Disease Control). Thirdly, we already have more effective and safer alternatives for narcotics at our disposal such as medical cannabis and holistic healing. With this said, we can clearly see that narcotic painkillers actually do more harm than good for America as a nation. They should be outlawed altogether before one of the 15,000 innocent Americans who die each year is one of your loved ones, or mine. (Patrick Fahey: http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works )http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works

10. Sample introduction: Anecdote In 1997, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, two young animators, unleashed a cultural phenomenon upon America with the release of the animated television series South Park. In today’s culture, the show is synonymous with satire and humor, along with demonstrating the creators’ political points. One of the aspects of society in the crosshairs of South Park is religion. Faith is often lampooned in a number of episodes, with various religions being scrutinized for their teachings, shortcomings, or scandals; even atheism and agnosticism. Though it’s hard to believe, Stone and Parker aren’t the hateful heathens that the parent watchdog and religious organizations label. They just paint how they see religion and its practices in a twisted light. South Park isn’t about hating religion or faith, it merely reflects those religions and how their practices influence people, while also lamenting on how the various groups could better themselves. (Alexander Pelham http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works )http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works

11. Sample introduction: Start with Opposition The pursuit of an optimal drug policy is often beset by baseless dogma and unquestioned assumptions. Many hold deep-seeded beliefs, and assert (often, only half-jokingly) that their critics must be smoking-something-if they don’t share the same views. Yet despite polarized political rhetoric, a consensus is gradually developing among experts in the field: the war on drugs has failed. There is a growing amount of evidence and literature which demonstrates the pitfalls of treating drug abuse as an issue of criminal justice. In light of new findings, it is unsurprising that as nations around the world experiment with the liberalization of drug policy, they experience great success. Decriminalization, or the abolition of criminal penalties for drug abuse, is undoubtedly the best drug policy option available to us. (Zachary Plyam: http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works)http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works

12. Introductions to AVOID The “Definition” introduction Webster defines a martyr as “a person who willingly suffers on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause.” The “Announcement” introduction —don’t be explicit in announcing your goals In this essay I will…. I’m going to show you how… The example that shows this is… The support for the idea is… The “I Must Have A Grabber” introduction Any introduction that is too purposely designed to grab the reader’s attention and then does not connect to the topic or is not revisited again in the paper.

13. Which technique? The neighborhood of Tiribi in San Alajuelita, Costa Rica is a mass of brightly colored, tin roofed huts juxtaposed against a wide river that winds around the town like a thick brown snake. Cinnamon colored children run barefoot and naked through the muddy earthen paths. Their mothers, nearly all of them pregnant and none older than twenty, watch from the doorways. I am a gringa, a white foreigner in a land strikingly unfamiliar to me. The magnitude of the poverty I am witnessing hits me with sudden and unmistakable force. I am especially drawn to the women in their silent doorway vigil. Like many Costa Rican women, they are devastatingly poor, uneducated, and destined to spend the rest of their lives caring for their multiple children without assistance. Burdened by the needs of their offspring, the women tell me that for them it is too late to break the cycle of ignorance and poverty. For their children, the war is just beginning. (Noele Rutland http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works)http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works

14. Which technique? Answer: Imagery and/or Anecdote The neighborhood of Tiribi in San Alajuelita, Costa Rica is a mass of brightly colored, tin roofed huts juxtaposed against a wide river that winds around the town like a thick brown snake. Cinnamon colored children run barefoot and naked through the muddy earthen paths. Their mothers, nearly all of them pregnant and none older than twenty, watch from the doorways. I am a gringa, a white foreigner in a land strikingly unfamiliar to me. The magnitude of the poverty I am witnessing hits me with sudden and unmistakable force. I am especially drawn to the women in their silent doorway vigil. Like many Costa Rican women, they are devastatingly poor, uneducated, and destined to spend the rest of their lives caring for their multiple children without assistance. Burdened by the needs of their offspring, the women tell me that for them it is too late to break the cycle of ignorance and poverty. For their children, the war is just beginning. (Noele Rutland http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works)http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works

15. Which technique? What medical phenomenon is 16,400% more deadly than terrorist attacks? What health problem claims or severely endangers the lives of more than 1.5 million Americans every year? Most people would guess cancer, but there is another silent killer on the rise––ADRs, or adverse reactions to prescription drugs. ADRs are quite common, for more than 48% of Americans take at least one prescription drug, and more than 11% take at least five. Drugs are intended to relieve human suffering, so why do so many patients suffer such dangerous side effects? The danger stems largely because a great portion of health professionals mass-prescribe particular drugs and dosages of these drugs to a variety of patients, who exhibit vastly different responses to the drugs based on their genetic makeups. Because of the sequencing of the human genome and the discovery of certain genetic mutations known as SNPs, or single nucleotide polymorphisms, the majority of ADRs can easily be prevented by having patients undergo simple gene chip tests. These tests usually require a small blood sample and can determine whether patients have SNPs that will predispose them to a high risk of ADRs with certain prescription drugs. Medical professionals can use then use this information to select appropriate prescriptions and dosages that are safe for each individual patient. I believe that health care providers should actively promote and implement live-saving genetic testing for patients who are to be prescribed long-term medications. (Kanchana Raja http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works )http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works

16. Which technique? Answer: Significant fact or Statistic What medical phenomenon is 16,400% more deadly than terrorist attacks? What health problem claims or severely endangers the lives of more than 1.5 million Americans every year? Most people would guess cancer, but there is another silent killer on the rise––ADRs, or adverse reactions to prescription drugs. ADRs are quite common, for more than 48% of Americans take at least one prescription drug, and more than 11% take at least five. Drugs are intended to relieve human suffering, so why do so many patients suffer such dangerous side effects? The danger stems largely because a great portion of health professionals mass-prescribe particular drugs and dosages of these drugs to a variety of patients, who exhibit vastly different responses to the drugs based on their genetic makeups. Because of the sequencing of the human genome and the discovery of certain genetic mutations known as SNPs, or single nucleotide polymorphisms, the majority of ADRs can easily be prevented by having patients undergo simple gene chip tests. These tests usually require a small blood sample and can determine whether patients have SNPs that will predispose them to a high risk of ADRs with certain prescription drugs. Medical professionals can use then use this information to select appropriate prescriptions and dosages that are safe for each individual patient. I believe that health care providers should actively promote and implement live-saving genetic testing for patients who are to be prescribed long-term medications. (Kanchana Raja http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works )http://www.artandwriting.org/student-showcase/award-winning-works

17. Chosen topic: Should students have the use of tablets in our schools? Thesis: Technology tools such as tablets provide differentiated instruction and are a necessity if we want our students to be prepared for the technology-centered working world they will enter. Modeled instruction Does my thesis statement include: A narrow main idea which shares my point of view of an arguable idea that can be backed by facts Does my thesis statement include: A narrow main idea which shares my point of view of an arguable idea that can be backed by facts

18. Modeled instruction Chosen topic: Should students have the use of tablets in our schools? Thesis statement: Technology tools such as tablets provide differentiated instruction and are a necessity if we want our students to be prepared for the technology-centered working world they will enter. Introduction style: Quotation Cushing Academy in Ashburnham Mass. has installed an interactive whiteboard in every classroom and wifi access across campus for students to use laptops and tablets. Headmaster Jim Tracy believes that educators who are against the implementation of technology in the classroom are fighting a losing battle. "Students inhabit a 21st century world for 18 hours a day," Tracy says. "And, all too often, educators put them in a 19th century classroom for six hours of that day, and the students feel a tremendous disconnect. We have a responsibility to teach them the skills to optimize these tools.“ Technology tools such as tablets provide differentiated instruction and are a necessity in today’s classroom if we want our students to be prepared for the technology-centered working world they will enter.

19. ◦Choose one of the following topics or choose a piece you are already working on. Is smoking still a problem among teenagers? Do bystanders have a responsibility to intervene when there is trouble? Which is more important, talent or hard work? Should students have the use of tablets in our schools? Should charity groups focus more on the United States? How much does your neighborhood define who you are? Your Turn

20. Write two separate introductions (from list) using the same thesis statement. An authoritative quotation Controversial opinion Use of imagery Shocking fact or statistic Anecdote or brief story Start with opposition Your Turn The “definition” intro The “announcement” intro The “must-have- a-grabber” intro Not all writing fits neatly into these categories. Do not force an introduction. Authenticity is very important.