1. Research Paper Introductions and Reminders for the Rough Draft English IV Monteith

2. “Following the Triangle” (Writing the Introduction) Everyone has problems writing the introduction. You stare at the blank screen and struggle to come up with that first sentence. Overall, your introduction should move from a very general area to a more specific area, to finally, your thesis. Your introduction should be written using the triangle method.

3. The Triangle Method A broad/general statement about a topic similar to your thesis Introduce connection between that broad topic and your work Your thesis statement 3-4 sentences 1 or more sentences This is where you will introduce the title of your work and the author

4. Last thoughts about the Intro. Your introduction should not give away too much information. You don’t want to summarize the entire work, list all of the characters, discuss the author, etc. You want the reader to feel a connection to the topic, to be intrigued enough to keep reading, and not to know everything in the first paragraph There is no set length for your introduction. Regardless of length, your thesis statement MUST BE the last sentence of your introduction. You will transition into your body paragraphs with the first few sentences of your first body paragraph.

5. Sample Othello Intro Jealousy is a dangerous thing. With the power of love, it makes people do crazy things. A covetous mind brings nothing but destruction. It is rooted in hate and has no intentions of doing anyone any good. The effects of jealousy can spread like an epidemic. In Shakespeare’s “Othello”, Iago’s jealousy ends many lives. He weaves a web of deception entangling Othello and his friends, as well as his enemies, in his villainous plot to destroy the reputation of Othello and Cassio. At the end, Iago’s jealousy takes the lives of Roderigo, Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello. In the play “Othello”, Shakespeare portrays the theme of jealousy through death and destruction, which was caused by Iago’s covetous mind.

6. Sample Othello Introduction Envy, more plainly jealousy, is one of the seven deadly sins. It can tear friendships apart and divide families. Perhaps worst of all, it can be the root cause of a person committing the more regrettable sin of all, which is murder. William Shakespeare’s Othello explores this theme widely throughout the plot and his main character’s weakness ends up being his vulnerability and jealousy. Othello gets caught up in his own wrath and loses all good sense. Loss of common sense and good judgment eventually becomes the downfall for the protagonist and antagonist. In the play, Othello, William Shakespeare portrays the theme of jealousy through the deaths of Roderigo, Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello, which was caused by Iago’s manipulation.

7. Sample Othello Introduction Honesty can be very good or very bad. Even with a good friend, someone can be lying when he or she seems completely honest. Even in Othello, a play by William Shakespeare, Iago weaves a web of dishonesty hurting people and even killing some other throughout the play. Emilia, Rodergio, Desdemona, and lastly Othello are killed due to Iago’s dastardly plan. Through Roderigo, he sets everything up and poor Desdemona is subject to a horrible rumor to get at Othello. Emilia, sadly, is murdered for her honesty. In the play, Othello, William Shakespeare ortrays the theme of honesty in a negative light through the tragic deaths of Desdemona, and Othello which was caused by Iago’s dishonesty.

8. More Reminders… Refer to/support your thesis often throughout your paragraphs Set up your quotes with sentences that offer some background information (T.I.). These sentences will come from the first column of your themes worksheet. Get out of your quotes with a sentence or two of analysis (T.O.) that support your thesis. This information will also come from the second column of your themes worksheet.

9. Last minute reminders about the rough draft… Put all verbs in present tense, unless part of a direct quote (ex. Not: Henry Fleming went but: Henry Fleming goes Do not start two sentences in a row with the same word. Add transitions (don’t just switch the order of the sentence around) Do not end a paragraph with parenthesis. Add a sentence (your T.O.) that connects back to your thesis (CTT=connection to thesis)

10. Final reminder about “be” verbs Be verbs create wordy and, sometimes, awkward sentences. Many of these “be” verbs can be eliminated. Some will need to stay. Keep all “be” verbs found within direct quotes. Examples: Esther is sitting… Esther sits Huck has been thinking about…Huck thinks about Bigger is put on trial for…The state puts Bigger on trial for… The Joads had lived in Oklahoma…The Joads live in Oklahoma… (also changed verb tense) The color red is often used in Crane’s works… Crane often uses red in his works…