1. Introductions

2. Why Bother?
In the world of education, most teachers have determined the grade a student’s essay will receive after reading the first paragraph.
In the real world, the reader gives the writer 20 seconds of his time. If he is not impressed, the reader moves on to other pursuits.

3. What is an effective introduction?
Grabs your reader by the throat, pulls them into your paper and says, “read this.”
Earns applause
Stops traffic
Blows your reader’s mind

4. Prompt:
What is the theme in Percy Jackson and how is it developed through the novel?

5. Rhetorical Question
What would you do if your father, who happened to be a Greek god, asked you to go on a quest? Some might refuse because the journey would be too dangerous. Others might eagerly take on the challenge. Percy Jackson is one of those who never backs down from a challenge. In Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan demonstrates that a hero is someone who takes on a challenge no matter how dangerous it may be.

6. Vivid description
The sky was positively electric. Percy could feel the lightning in the air as the hairs on his arm stood straight up. Thunder boomed in the distance and the smell of fire filled his nose. Percy was in big trouble now, but that didn’t stop him from facing the biggest test of his life. In Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan demonstrates that a hero is someone who takes on a challenge no matter how dangerous it may be.

7. Anecdote
I thought I was just a normal kid. I went to school, had friends, got in trouble, you know, the usual kid stuff. Then my world turned upside down when my father showed up. Maybe you’ve heard of him, his name’s Poseidon? He sent me on this quest and I wanted nothing more than to refuse, but I knew that if I did that, I would never be a hero in my dad’s eyes. In Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan demonstrates that a hero is someone who takes on a challenge no matter how dangerous it may be.

8. Quotation from a Famous Person
Joseph Campbell once said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Someone who has done exactly that is Percy Jackson. He dedicated himself to keep the peace of the Olympian gods in order to protect all humans on Earth. Though he could have been killed many times, he stuck to his mission to keep mankind safe. In Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan demonstrates that a hero is someone who takes on a challenge no matter how dangerous it may be.

9. Shocking Statistic or Fact
The Greek empire fell over 2,000 years ago (Dunn). However, their influence is still felt today, sometimes in unlikely ways. Percy Jackson is one of those characters trying to preserve the Greek legacy by maintaining the peace between the Greek gods in the modern day. In Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan demonstrates that a hero is someone who takes on a challenge no matter how dangerous it may be.