HOOK, LINE, OR STINKER? OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS IN YOUR WRITING

WARM-UP Draft a tentative/practice thesis that completes ONE of the following sentences: 1.“Thanksgiving is a bogus holiday because…” 2.“Thanksgiving is an important holiday to celebrate because…”

TODAY YOU SHOULD… …draft effective introductions and conclusions. Warm-Up Right Hook: Strategies and Purposes Closing Bell: Strategies and Purposes HW Heads-Up

QUICK-WRITE On your own paper, list 2-3 EACH of the best AND worst openings or introductions you have seen in books, stories, poems, movies, speeches, songs, music videos, etc. Briefly explain what makes each opening so effective or ineffective. Effective OpeningsNot-So-Effective Openings “Lost”: how did this happen and how will they survive?Lost “Manners to Be Observed…”: dry and demanding

RIGHT HOOK: STRATEGIES AND PURPOSES Effective OpeningsNot-So-Effective Openings Lead smoothly to thesis Hook the reader’s attention with Specific details/ideas that Make the reader curious about what will happen Don’t really connect to the thesis Use generalizations and flat facts Seem generic Telegraph their points/punches Shocking or paradoxical stance/statement Surprising statistic/fact and interpretation Vivid example, description, or image Thought-provoking question or scenario Historical context Important or misunderstood definition/analogy

YOU TRY IT! 1.What strategy would best lead into your practice thesis (about Thanksgiving)? Draft an introductory paragraph for an essay that would explore this topic. 1.What strategy would best lead into your thesis for Essay #4? Draft an introductory paragraph that: Hooks the reader’s attention with specific, original ideas or details Logically and quickly leads to your thesis

QUICK-WRITE On your own paper, list 2-3 EACH of the best AND worst endings or conclusions you have seen in books, stories, poems, movies, speeches, songs, music videos, etc. Briefly explain what makes each closing so effective or ineffective. Effective ClosingsNot-So-Effective Closings “Lost”: returns to opening image; like cycle of lifeLost “The Boys of My Youth”: narrator makes no progress; invalidates all we’ve read

CLOSING BELL: STRATEGIES AND PURPOSES Effective ConclusionsNot-So-Effective Conclusions Show why this argument matters Show how all the points or ideas come together Leave the reader with food for thought Merely repeat ideas or facts List points without showing relationships Leave the reader abruptly and anxiously Circle/loop (reference and extend the opening) Implications (what can we learn?) Suggestion or solution Thought-provoking question or scenario Historical connection (quote, event, example, etc.) New definition of a term or concept Limitations and response (emphasize thesis)

YOU TRY IT! 1.What strategy would best end your practice essay (about Thanksgiving)? Draft a closing paragraph that connects your points to each other connects your thesis to the world or reader 2.What strategy would best conclude your argument for Essay #4? Draft a closing paragraph for your essay. Make sure this paragraph gives your argument a sense of closure, but does not pretend to have definitive answers to the problem/idea.

FOR NEXT CLASS… Don’t forget! Submit Essay #4 on TRACS by 11:59 pm tomorrow, November 6 th. If you need an extension, ask me TONIGHT! Read a LOT over the weekend: “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” ( RW*), “Nobel Lecture” ( RW), “The World of Doublespeak” (TR). Preview “A Red, Red Rose” and “Her Lips Are Copper Wire” if you can Think about what language means to you and when/if language can be harmful. We will discuss on Monday. New schedule of readings and assignments out on Monday. *A longer reading. I suggest you start this one FIRST or break it up over a few days.