Funnel Introductory Essay Example

general statements. In other words, try to avoid beginning with such sweeping phrases as, "Since the beginning of time" or "Man has always".

Instead, a relevant and pithy (I. E. , brief but well-expressed and meaningful) quotation or proverb, or a thought-provoking point that relates to your thesis in an original way can help pull the reader into the essay. 2. Elaboration After you have grabbed your reader's attention, you must elaborate on this first sentence. Explain your point more fully, all the while leading the reader closer to your essays main focus (the thesis). This section of the introduction is the longest. It should consist of a few sentences. 3. Transition into Thesis and Introduction to Text

After you have elaborated on your GAG you must make it clear how these ideas relate to your thesis. Transition smoothly into a mention of the thesis by explaining that these ideas are evident in the text you are discussing. This is where you introduce the author(s), title(s) and genre(s) of the text(s) you are discussing in the essay. 4. Thesis and subtopics State the thesis and its subtopics. This should be the last sentence or two of your introductory paragraph. Figure 1: The Funnel Approach Introduction Conclusion The conclusion can be compared to a reverse or upside-down funnel.

It should begin restatement". You don't want to sound repetitive, and it is always helpful to express your main argument in a different way to help your reader better grasp it. After rewording the thesis, you can remind your reader of the main sub-points of your argument, again rewording rather than simply restating them. Finally, you can relate

the argument to life in general. What are the implications of the argument? Are there any interesting insights which analyzing the text has given you? Cab you offer any predictions or, if your essay addressed a problem, a solution?

One should avoid introducing new arguments or claims about the text(s) analyzed in a conclusion, because your reader will simply want proof of these new claims and a conclusion is not the place to begin analyzing the text all over again. Instead, you are summing up your argument, Just as a lawyer will offer a final summation of his case for a Jury. A good lawyer will try to end his summation with a thought-provoking or insightful comment that helps highlight the main argument. This thought-provoking point should be the final sentence or two in your conclusion.