This introduction to a literary analysis essay, about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.
Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.
When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion, you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.
Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.
Well done!
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.
The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction. It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.
The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement, a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.
Example: Signposting This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.
- A good essay introduction should not begin with a dictionary meaning or the like. It's a cliché and does not impress the reader. Beginning an introduction with a famous quote or an anecdote or a small story which is witty as well as pertaining to the subject of the essay is always welcome by the readers. It makes the introduction interesting which immediately adds flair to the essay.
- The introduction should introduce the essay in few lines and explain any keywords which are essential to know about. This is usually done so words are not wasted in the body of the essay.
- Essay introductions should not include any thorough discussion of the topic. Only in the end of the introductory paragraph, the author should start off the essay.
- If it is an argumentative essay, the introduction should not begin with the author's opinion on the subject of the essay. Instead, he should present the issue and then talk about the different opinions, finally presenting his own. It is only in the body where he should substantiate his views with adequate proof, citing examples and statistics.
- Introduction examples for essays can be: a line from any novel, a line from a poem, a famous saying of an author/ poet, an example, an anecdote which can be real-life or taken from any source.
- The introduction should first address the basics of the subject such as "what", "why", "how". Making the reader familiar with these answers helps them to evaluate the essay better.
Examples of introduction for essays can be found all over the internet as well as in many guide books widely available in the market. Below is one of sample essay introductions for the convenience of students:
In school life, when a student is given to write as essay, it usually intimidates him because writing an essay is considered one of the toughest things of any language. An essay can be on a number of topics such as oneself, one's family, pets, a season, the country, a festival, a tour. These essays are assigned to students in their formative years. Ever since then, the first thing they are taught is how to write a good introduction. Many grammar and language books provide with the introduction essay examples. These essay introduction samples are of much help to students who are learning how to write an essay. The teachers also tutor them on the subject. However, no teacher or book is more important than individual writing practise. The more one practises writing and reads more books, the more expert can he be in the field of writing essays. This habit comes in very handy in later years when one is pursuing his master degree or a PhD where thesis writing is the main area of getting marked and a thesis with an exceptional introduction is viewed more favourably than the others. Thus, writing an essay introduction is probably one of the most important things in an essay because it is the first thing which the reader goes through. A catchy essay introduction will attract the reader and capture his attention for the rest of the piece. The introduction to an essay should be in proportion to the length of the essay. This piece will explain the meaning, construction of introductions to essays as well as provide some examples of essay introductions.
“The best things in life are free, but the second best are very expensive" - Coco Chanel
WHAT IS AN INTRODUCTION IN AN ESSAY?
Introduction to essays can be generated by essay introduction generator, usually online services, which provide an introduction for an essay for a charge. However, it is always to the credit of the author if the introduction is written by the author himself. Any good essay written for a thesis is checked for plagiarism which can be penalized if the work is not original. To be on the safe side, one should attempt writing a good introduction for his essay
The above essay introduction sample is informative about the author, the subject of the drama and the main elements of the play. By this, the reader already has a brief idea about the play and knows what to expect in the forthcoming essay. It is neither too long nor too short for an essay of approximate 1000 words, which is the normal word-length for school or college level essays. Providing too much information will also make the reader skip parts of the essay. Thus, the introduction should be concise but precise, introducing the topic but leaving a question in the mind of the reader to induce him to read the rest of the essay with interest. Given below is another introduction essay example.
One of the best pieces of tragedy written by the greatest playwright ever, William Shakespeare, was Macbeth. Concerning a war hero, whose ascend to the throne was predicted by the witches he had met by chance and his journey towards his demise is what Macbeth is all about. An equal important character is Lady Macbeth, his wife, whose dilemma is unravelled throughout the play which brings to light her debatable character. Macbeth is best read in original by Shakespeare as abridged versions distort the actual essence of the drama.
The informative essay outline is written in the standard essay style. Usually speaking, it will consist of:
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It is always worth referring to informative essay examples to see exactly how a thesis statement for this style of writing should be written.
After defining your claim, you must introduce the evidence. This is your physical proof that validates your claim.
How to Write an Informative Essay
- By elaborating the purpose of the paper, without expressing any opinions or views on the subject
First of all, each body paragraph must start with a topic sentence. Create a smooth transition from your intro by creating a topic sentence that links the thesis to your first main point. (A smooth transition should also be created for the second and third body paragraph!)
Bottom line: No matter the field chosen as a topic or the level of knowledge required, an informative essay should present in-depth knowledge and basic facts regarding the chosen topic at hand.
An introductory paragraph is a single paragraph at the start of your essay that prepares your reader for the argument you are going to make in your body paragraphs.
Once you have provided historical context for your essay in your background sentences, you need to state your hypothesis.
Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery.
A hypothesis is a single sentence that clearly states the argument that your essay will be proving in your body paragraphs.
What is an ‘introduction paragraph’?
A good hypothesis contains both the argument and the reasons in support of your argument.
The political activity of key aboriginal figures and the formation of activism organisations focused on indigenous resulted in a wider spread of messages to the general Australian public. The generation of powerful images and speeches has been frequently cited by modern historians as crucial to the referendum results.
Castles were an important component of Medieval Britain from the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 until they were phased out in the 15th and 16th centuries. Initially introduced as wooden motte and bailey structures on geographical strongpoints, they were rapidly replaced by stone fortresses which incorporated sophisticated defensive designs to improve the defenders’ chances of surviving prolonged sieges. Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies, but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery. By the height of the Middle Ages, feudal lords were investing significant sums of money by incorporating concentric walls and guard towers to maximise their defensive potential. These developments were so successful that many medieval armies avoided sieges in the late period. The early development of castles is best understood when examining their military purpose.
Background sentences explain the important historical period, dates, people, places, events and concepts that will be mentioned later in your essay. This information should be drawn from your background research.
Castles were an important component of Medieval Britain from the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 until they were phased out in the 15th and 16th centuries. Initially introduced as wooden motte and bailey structures on geographical strongpoints, they were rapidly replaced by stone fortresses which incorporated sophisticated defensive designs to improve the defenders’ chances of surviving prolonged sieges. Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies, but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery. By the height of the Middle Ages, feudal lords were investing significant sums of money by incorporating concentric walls and guard towers to maximise their defensive potential. These developments were so successful that many medieval armies avoided sieges in the late period. The early development of castles is best understood when examining their military purpose.
Once you have written all four parts of the BHES structure, you should have a completed introduction paragraph. In the examples above, we have shown each part separately. Below you will see the completed paragraphs so that you can appreciate what an introduction should look like.
While your introduction paragraph does not have to be as long as your body paragraphs, it does have a specific purpose, which you must fulfil.
Introduction paragraph structure
You might also briefly summarise two or three of your main points.
Once you have stated your argument in your hypothesis, you need to provide particular information about how you’re going to prove your argument.
The first two or three sentences of your introduction should provide a general introduction to the historical topic which your essay is about. This is done so that when you state your hypothesis, your reader understands the specific point you are arguing about.