Introduction of the Sample Essay

How Good Is This Introduction?

typehand.gif (8738 bytes) A good introduction should (1) capture readers' interests, (2) set the general tone of the essay, and (3) perhaps preview the essay's main topics. How does this
introduction do on each of those three tasks? If you were the editor for this essay, what praise would you give for this introduction while leaving it as is, or what changes would you suggest to the author?

For a sample answer to this question, click here.

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One way to make your essay look organized is to preview the topics you will take up one by one, as this student did. In terms of tone, she seems to like the poem even though it is complex--maybe she likes the fact that it is complex enough to reward rereading. The opening paragraph is enthusiastic about the poem and hints at its theme, which might be enough to capture a reader's interest; but helping readers to identify with one image from the poem might be more direct and interesting. For instance, how is "life . . . like a pathless wood"? Is a traffic jam a "pathless wood"? Is not getting the job you want or the date you want like a twig scratching your eye? What remedy does this poet suggest for such times, and how is that a likely choice for a poet?

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