The Creative

Hook

THE INVERTED TRIANGLE: 3 Elements of Every Introduction

Introductions should satisfy three requirements: usually students will begin with a “hook” (general , creative statements that slowly move toward a specific topic) and lead into the thesis and its sub-points (the blue print):

Ways of Hooking Readers In

The following are six popular methods for adding creativity to your introduction:

a) Immediate Announcementb) Delayed Announcementc) Jokes and Anecdotesd) Personal and World Narrativese) Attention-grabbing scenariosf) Startling Statistics

Immediate Announcement:

Begin with a witty or concise statement:

i.e. “All men are snobs about something.”

i.e. “Having good credit may not open the doors to El Dorado but it can make an impact on a consumers’ living standards.”

–to use immediacy, the statement must be startling or provocative, it must be eye-catching and CLEAR.

Delayed Announcement:

Begin with a broad statement and narrow until you get to the main thesis (in blue below). Advantage: Getting the reader’s curiosity—they are drawn to read and see where you are headed.

i.e. “The human brain is composed of a jelly-like mass of fat and protein, and weighs about three pounds. It is difficult to understand how this seemingly small organ can contain billions of nerve cells, and is one of the most complex organs in the human body. Since humans have the most complex brain among organisms, they are able to speak, and decide between right and wrong, good and evil. The human body is physical and earthly in essence, yet can be elevated through the use of the mind to a more spiritual and pure existence, by allowing the force of good to prevail. As observed in William Blake’s poem, “The Human Abstract” there is a constant struggle between the forces of good and evil in the human mind, yet both forces are necessary for human survival…”

Jokes and Anecdotes:

Begin with a short, witty joke or amusing biographical statement. Cultural references do help!

I.e. “There are times when emotions cannot be harnessed, they just run wild taking different dimensions with each reflection of experience.”

i.e. “Reading Baudelaire’s work, a scene from Full Metal Jacket comes to mind. When Private Joker is asked why he is wearing a ‘peace sign’ button on his helmet along with a ‘born to kill’ sticker, he responds “it suggests the duality of man sir.” this is precisely what two versions of Her Hair illustrate, this duality of man.” reference to contemporary culture, amusing, and allows for a casual way to introduce the writer’s main approach to the reading—the ‘duality’ of man.”

Personal Story or World Narratives:

Historical or autobiographical events can create intimacy with your reader and “paint a picture” that sets your paper’s tone.

i.e. In today’s world there is a lot of information that masquerades as truth. It comes in the forms of blogs, newspapers, and television news. There are logical fallacies at every turn, and if one isn’t careful it’s easy to believe these untruths as gospel . In the story In a Grove by Ryunosuke Akutagawa there are many conflicting testimonies and a number of logical fallacies regarding the death of Takejiro.

i.e. From our origins as hunter-gatherers to our evolution as technology-savvy cosmopolitans, humankind has always possessed a basic need for self-defense. Fighting, though now more for sport, was at one time interwoven into the everyday fabric of life. Man fought wild beasts to protect his home during the Ice Age and even during colonial times of America, men and women defended themselves from Native-American raids with fists, sticks, and muskets. A constant in every society, fighting has been studied, regulated, categorized, styled, promoted, taught, and just about every other action verb thinkable. Many people took to the study of fighting and hypothesized which technique worked best. They in turn promoted and polished their style, branded it, named it and exported it to the world in the form of human discipleship. But a simple question with a complex answer evolved: which style is the best? Modern businessmen have found a way to answer this question while turning a pretty penny in the process. It is known as mixed martial arts (MMA) or simply ultimate fighting.

Create an interesting, attention grabbing scenario (an imaginative projection of the future, or some hypothetical

moment you want to create to make a point)

FROM "{a jammers guide to} RECLAIMING URBAN SPACE" (Sidebar) in ADBUSTERS (No.29, Spring 2000)

You're standing on the corner, waiting for the light to change. A car brakes and comes to rest six feet beyond the stop-line, blocking your path. Normally, you'd eat your frustration and just walk around. But today you're feeling rambunctious. You decide to risk a statement of personal sovereignty. To the great surprise of everyone-including yourself-you hop up onto that car, walk over it, and continue on your merry way. Spontaneous gestures are a pie in the face of civil society. Often motivated by a powerful, personal impulse, they tend to provoke equally strong reactions, from delight to outrage. In other words, they're liberating but fraught. Illegal or highly confrontational acts may bring some heavy lumber down on the head of the jammer, who had better be ready to accept the consequences….

Startling Statistics:

Present a startling statistic-shock readers out of their ho-hum complacency. It's up to the writer to make readers care!

Four billion people will be diagnosed with HIV this year. As if this number weren't staggering enough, consider this: In any given college classroom, statistically one in every four students will be diagnosed with HIV.

Weak and Weary! Try to Avoid:

1. Opening Questions: “In what ways do college and high school differ?” –too mechanical, puts the reader on the spot before s/he has any foundation information or comfort with your style

2. Implicit Statements: “The purpose of this paper is…”—clumsy and boring, unoriginal

3. Dictionary Definitions: “The Webster Dictionary defines Experience as…” –too cliché

4. Beginning with someone else’s quote or an epigram—too cliché, and makes the other person your paper’s authority. Be sure always to get the first and last words in when it comes to your writing!

5. Restating the Question: Do not restate the professor’s question as part of the hook (i.e. ““Does Beowulf make the correct decision when he elects to fight the dragon? Yes, he does. The reason why is that he does indeed know, like all mortals, that he must die, and so he meets his fate heroically.”)