2015-07-14
574
Presenting some interesting facts or statistics on your subject establishes credibility.
ANALYZING INTRODUCTIONS
Reread the introduction for the John Lennon essay. Notice that the author used several techniques to get the reader interested in the subject. She began with a quote from one of Lennon's most famous songs. She also asked a provocative question to get the reader actively thinking about her topic: How can one envision a world without the melodies and lyrics of the man who transformed the way people feel about popular music?
Now read the following sample introductions. Then, in small groups, identify the technique or techniques used in each one. Remember that authors often use a combination of techniques to write an introduction.
1. Karate, which literally means “the art оf empty hands,” is the most widely practiced of all the martial arts. It is primarily a means of self-defense that uses the body as a weapon for striking, kicking, and blocking. Originating in the ancient Orient, the art of karate is more than 1.000 years old. It developed first as a form of monastic training and later became a method of self-defense. During the seventeenth century, karate became highly developed as an art on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Over the years, this ancient art has gained much popularity, and today karate is practiced throughout the world. More than a method of combat, karate emphasizes self-discipline, positive attitude, and high moral purpose.
Technique(s): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. One student looks at his neighbor's exam paper and quickly copies the answers. Another student finds out the questions on a test before her class takes it and tells her friends. Still another student sneaks asheet of paper with formulas written on it into the test room. What about you? Would you be tempted to cheat оn an exam if you knew you wouldn't get caught? According to a recent national survey, 40 percent of American teenagers would cheat under that condition. What is causing this epidemic of cheating in our schools? Most students cheat on tests because they feel pressure to get into a good college, because they want to avoid the hours of studying they need in order to get high grades, or simply because they are not concerned with honesty.
Technique(s): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Homicides cause the deaths of more children in Washington, D.C, than any other single type of injury, including car accidents, house fires, or drowning. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not exclusive to Washington. The overcrowded neighborhoods of many big American cities, such as New York, Detroit, Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles, are all plagued with senseless violent crime. Types of violent crime range from arson and burglary to assault, rape, and murder. The solution to this growing problem is not to build more and bigger prisons, but rather to examine and deal with the causes: easy access to guns, drug use, and overwhelming poverty.
Technique(s): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. “Misty, a five-month-old German shepherd puppy, goes to the hospital twice a week, but not to see a veterinarian. At this Veteran's Administration Hospital, Misty is helping doctors - not the other way around. In what may seem like a role reversal, animals like Misty are visiting the halls of human illness to relieve a type of pain doctors cannot treat. Their therapy is love, both giving it and helping others return it to them.” Pets ranging from dogs to tropical fish are showing up as therapists in hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and other institutions.
Technique(s): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Experience, not theory, has taught me the truth of the popular saying “two heads are better than one.” For the past two years, the job of secretary in my office has been shared very successfully by two people. This “job-sharing” arrangement has worked out quite well for all involved. All over the business world, the interest in flexible employment arrangements, like job-sharing, is growing. Employers are beginning to realize that there are many talented people out there who are looking for alternatives to traditional patterns of employment. In a job-sharing arrangement, a full-time job is shared by two people. As an executive in a multinational firm, I feel that job-sharing is one way that organizations can meet the growing diversity of employees’ needs. Not only is job-sharing helpful to employees, it also offers several advantages to employers. With two people working together, tasks tend to be completed more quickly, a wider range of skills is brought to the job, and most importantly, production is increased.
Technique(s): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
