and Graetz (1999), Onorato and Turner (2004) and many others all disagree with each other. <This recognises that there are different perspectives but gives no sense of direction. It’s like asking for directions and being told some of the places on the way in no particular order. You are left wondering how they relate – what leads to what. This sentence also leaves you wondering who the ‘many others’ are and whether or not you’ll ever get to find out.>
This essay will examine the claim by Gaertner, Sedikes and Graetz that self-schemas are ‘monuments of stability’ and Onorato and Turner’s critique of it. <This sentence could have been written by anyone who can even partly comprehend the essay question. There is no knowledge here that isn’t entirely contained in the essay title itself. This is like a bogus psychic practitioner repackaging information that a sitter has already revealed to them as if it was evidence of their own psychic powers. A stronger alternative would display an understanding of Gaertner et al.’s position and the critique developed by Onorato and Turner – as well as other relevant perspectives – without being limited to the words of the title itself.>
Reflecting on the chapter: The end of the beginning
Introductions can be tough. But they are most tough when we start our essays right there, before we really know what we are trying to introduce. Imagine you were asked to give directions to a place you only vaguely knew and had perhaps been to once when you were half asleep. How much easier, if you had another chance, would it be to give those directions after you had been there with your eyes wide open. That’s the great thing about writing essays. Although they are highly directional in terms of how they are supposed to be read, we can write them in any order we choose. Let’s stay with that thought a moment longer. We can write our essays from the middle, end or beginning, or any mixture of the above. It may well make sense, therefore, to switch off some misquoted voice that tells us to ‘start at the beginning’. Why should we? It probably makes sense, at the very least, to edit our introduction in the light of where we get to in our essay itself. That way we at least have a clearer sense of the destination and the route we took.
Take away points from this chapter
Your introduction conveys your thinking to the reader straight away, so it is worth making a good impression from the start.
Finding your academic voice can take time, so read good academic writing and keep writing – don’t expect the first version to be the best that you can do.
Drafting a good introduction encourages you to do the sort of thinking that really strengthens your essay, especially its structure.
A strong introduction conveys a clarity of thinking to your reader.
An appropriate orientating sentence is a real kindness to your reader, drawing them to the essay and the essay to them.
A clear outline of your essay (a statement of intent) should convey a sense of what you will address, when you will address it and why it is relevant for the essay title.
It is often worth editing your introduction once you have completed your essay.
Linking to other chapters
This chapter addresses a specific section of your essay which performs a very specific task – introducing your reader and essay to one another and outlining how your essay will address the specific essay title. A strong introduction addresses the specific essay title given and Chapter 4 provides more detail on how to keep that direct orientation to the title present throughout your essay. Crucial to our thinking about the statement of intent in this chapter was the way in which it should convey a clarity of structure. Chapter 5 outlines how you can ensure a smooth interconnection throughout your essay both between and within each paragraph that you write. The current chapter also noted that a strong statement of intent may convey how and where the evaluation of relevant ideas is tackled in your essay. Chapter 6 addresses how our essays can be more deeply evaluative throughout. Finally, the introduction, as the first paragraph in your essay, has a special relationship with the last paragraph in your essay. Both, in different ways, highlight the key issues at stake for your essay. Chapter 8 addresses how you can create a truly effective conclusion, an ideal bookend to your incisive introduction.
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