Remember from our Notes
Your introduction paragraph should act just as it sounds. It is the first aspect of your writing that people will read, and you want to grab your reader’s interest.
Start with a lead in or hook statement. Hook statements can be statistics, definitions, questions, or anything related to your topic that you use to grab your reader’s attention.
An example of a hook for this paper:
One of Dictionary.com’s definitions of identity is “the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another,” though for some people our identity can be a murky concept or idea because it is so vague.
This hook has a definition, and some tension already. As a reader, I want to read on—as a writer, I have attempted to draw my audience in--- hopefully you are having the same reaction.
Next, you will need a thesis statement. Your thesis statement is the whole purpose of your paper, and presents your argument to your readers. In a humanities paper, your thesis statement can really go anywhere in your introduction paragraph, but you should always check with your professors to see if they have any preferences. It should build off your hook statement.
Thesis build EXAMPLE for a CLOSE READING
Essay of Focus: Marie Arana’s essay, “Ghosts / Pishtacos (in The Writer’s Presence) 2
Start with a question: How does Arana identify?
Turn your question into a declarative statement: Marie Arana distinctly identifies herself as “deeply Peruvian” (25).
Add a claim if you have not already done so, or work on your existing claim:
Although Marie Arana is half Peruvian and half American, she distinctly identifies herself as “deeply Peruvian” (25).
Add your author and essay you are focusing on: Although Marie Arana is half
Peruvian and half American, in her essay, “Ghosts / Pistachos,” she distinctly identifies herself as “deeply Peruvian” (25).
Add in tension: Contrary to the idea that many younger people struggle to define who they are, half Peruvian and half American Marie Arana distinctly identifies herself as
“deeply Peruvian” (25) in her essay, “Ghosts / Pistachos.”
Completed thesis (this should combine everything from above, but you can tweak or change your ideas here also) Contrary to the idea that younger people struggle to define who they are, half Peruvian and half American Marie Arana distinctly identifies herself as “deeply Peruvian” (25) in her essay, “Ghosts / Pistachos.”

So far, this is what we have:
One of Dictionary.com’s definitions of identity is “the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another,” though for some people our identity can be a murky concept or idea because it is so vague. However, contrary to the idea that younger people struggle to define who they are, half Peruvian and half American Marie Arana distinctly identifies herself as “deeply Peruvian” (25) in her essay, “Ghosts / Pistachos.”
Now we need to add in an overview so that as writers we can have a planned, structured paper, and so that our readers know where we are going.
Building your overview
The overview of your introduction is also an important part of your paper as it explains and shows your readers what you will be focusing on in your body paragraph sections. Your overview should give readers a clear idea of what they will be reading about in each body paragraph. You can put your overview in any order you like, but whatever order you choose in your intro, you should follow in your body section. This will keep you organized and easy to follow. This is the easiest part of the paper once you have a clear thesis. We know we want to report on
Arana’s identity as “deeply” Peruvian, but to what end? You have freedom to choose how you want to approach this: you can discuss a variety of ideas from her essay. You could focus on how Arana romanticizes being upper class Peruvian and therefore identifies this way; you could focus on her parents, her strange relationship with her mother, her love for her father, etc. Or, you could consider the final aspect of