Supporting
Information (Background): in an Introduction
When you are working on the
background/supporting information for your introduction paragraph, there are a
few things you must keep in mind:
What writing
style am I required to use?
How can
I transition from my captivating “Hook” to my thesis using this background
information?
Why can’t
I use sources in the background section of the Introduction?
What
writing style am I required to use?
The writing style for an essay
will determine the flow, feel, and function of the essay. If you have been assigned an ethical argument
essay, you will need to focus on the argument writing style (which means you
will be required to include at least one counter-argument body-paragraph prior
to your conclusion paragraph of the essay).
You will also need to make sure that your argument is focused on ethics
of the topic with relationship to an ethical standard. Ethical standards come in a few different
forms, but typically, ethical standards are based on religion. Therefore, when your writing assignment calls
for an ethical argument, the writing style is an argument paper that has a
strong ethical basis in relation to an ethical standard (Christianity, Judaism,
Buddhism, etc.). Your instructor will
let you know the required content for the paper, thus resulting in a
well-focused argument based on her assigned ethical topic and your chosen
ethical standard.
How
can I transition from my captivating “Hook” to my thesis using this background
information?
After you have drafted your
Thesis statement, you will go back and develop your “Hook” and background
content.
Without a clear Thesis
statement, you will not be able to craft a “Hook” that relates to your topic,
your writing style, and your viewpoint.
Therefore, your steps here would be to create your thesis, develop your “Hook,”
and then
assess the necessary information your audience would find intriguing on the
topic to lead into your Thesis on the topic.
While students often begin
trying to prove their argument in this section of the Introduction, that is a
rookie error. You will only prove your argument in the body-paragraphs. Therefore, this section of the Introduction
needs to serve as a bridge to lull the reader toward your Thesis statement.
You can approach the background
section from global, local, or personal viewpoint; however, it is imperative
that you remain in 3rd person voice.
After all, this is not a narrative.
Academic writing is typically argument writing, and so you write in 3rd-person
voice as you provide the reader with 2-3 sentences of context on the
topic.
Finally, remember that an
Introduction is not highly-developed.
While it is highly-crafted—meaning that you will need to take some time
to plot out how to capture your audience in an elegant way—it is not
overly-developed: it is not very long.
An introduction can be as short as 3-sentences (“Hook,” background, and
Thesis Statement), yet it is typically 5 or 6.
Why
can’t I use sources in the background section of the Introduction?
While this rule may seem
strange to some, it is really quite logical in nature.
In an Introduction, you are
setting the stage for the reader. You
are not proving anything yet. To
capture your reader long enough to get him to the persuasive content in your
body-paragraphs, you have to be present
in the content of the Introduction. You
have to assert yourself. You have to
establish a presence. You have to use
your own voice to create an atmosphere of trust and professionalism. However, if
you have a 3-sentence Introduction that begins with a famous quote (not
your content since it comes from someone else), followed by source
materials to establish the background (again, not your voice since it is coming
from an outside source), and then end the Introduction with a Thesis statement
(your voice, finally), the reader is going to wonder how prepared you are for
this topic. How credible are you as a
writer if in 3-sentences you were ‘really’ only present for one of them? This is why you do not use source materials
in any other location in an Introduction except for the “Hook” sentence, and
that is only optional.
Think of it this way…
You are at a doctor’s office,
and a nurse calls you to the back to take your vital signs. This person is going to spend a few minutes
with you and get personal. She will take
your weight, height, blood pressure, etc.
A certain level of trust and professionalism must be established for you
to be willing to let her lead you through these stages and finally into a
private room. But what if she never
looks at you directly and reads everything she says from someone else’s
script?
“Dr. Baynard states that your weight should be
taken first since you are already standing.
Office manager Tonya wants to know if you have been experiencing any
serious issues that the doctor should be made aware of immediately. Nurse Lola indicates, here, that I should ask
you to sit down so your blood pressure and temperature can be taken at the same
time…” and she looks up at you for a moment and says, “I will take you to the
room once these steps are complete.”
Hmmm. I do not know about you, but I would not be
very comfortable letting this nurse strap things to my arm, poke plastic into
my mouth, and so on. I would begin to question
her ability to think on her own, let alone complete these tasks properly and
sanitarily. After all, only one sentence she said came from her own brain: “I
will take you to the room once these steps are complete.”
This is the same with your Introduction.
Do not rely on others’ words and ideas to
complete your task of introducing your topic.
Assert yourself from the first line of the
introduction.
Take pride in your suave steps toward the Thesis
statement, and then whammy!
Present your thesis statement as if there is no
other logical belief on the planet!
You want your reader to know
that you are in control, that you have confidence in your view, and that you
are going to persuade him to hold the same view by the end of the writing.
© 2018 by
Jeanette L. H. Dick
Background (Support) in the Introduction
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