1. How to write your introduction and concluding paragraphs

2.  A good essay should: Begin broadly Set a focus (THESIS) at the end of the first paragraph Examine each point closely (BODY) Remember 1E:2A! Summarize conclusions Explain why the finding is important

3.  Broad opening statement  May be a quote or question  Name the book and author  Give a short summary (1-2 sentences)  Narrow your focus to transition to thesis  Thesis statement outlines your body paragraphs

4. ExampleReason Women have often get the short shrift in popular American culture. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is an interesting example of this truth. Though the book’s main focus is on a friendship between canny George and dull Lennie, a major theme emerges in how loneliness effects people, often leading to…  Broad opening statement  Name the book and author  Give a short summary (1-2 sentences)

5. ExampleReason how loneliness effects people, often leading to madness or destruction. Many characters struggle with the adverse effects of loneliness, but none so much as Curley’s wife. Steinbeck does not present her as a sympathetic character, but she echoes the novel’s theme in her…  Narrow your focus to transition to thesis  Thesis statement outlines your body paragraphs

6. Steinbeck presents her as an unsympathetic character, but she echoes the novel’s theme in her interactions with (----), the way (----) is revealed about her, and in the gruesome end that results from her search for companionship. Your thesis statement will vary based on your chosen examples

7.  Reverse the introduction!  Start with a specific summary of what you demonstrated in your body paragraphs  Summarize it’s importance to the overall novel  End with a broader statement about the world. In the case of my example, something like “The treatment of women has advanced far since the writing of Of Mice and Men, but loneliness is still a struggle for us all.

8. End your paper with: Works Cited Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Viking Penguin, 1994. Print.