Essay Introductions And Thesis (1 Viewer)

[miss-smexy]

I hate english essays. Anyway, I normally spend like 7 whole minutes writing my intro - such a waste of time in exams! My friend who is near the top of our advanced course spends onli 3 minutes or something.

She answers the question, explains it and has her thesis - but does NOT introduce her texts in the intro.

Is this okay to do?

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Also, is the thesis SEPARATE from answering the question?

My tutor said to write a thesis, then answer the question and I thought that:

answering the question + general statement of what you know = thesis?

i.e. answering the question was part of the thesis?

 

[Season]

she never says the texts... umm... weird

I make a point to mention the texts in the first sentence, and I usually get good marks. I'd probably be hurting myself markwise if I didn't. But there are different structures, but I strongly advise you mention texts in your thesis

Look the thing is that the introduction and conlusion, in my opinion, is the most important part of the essay. So you should spend time on it, in fact many teachers have told me that if they're rushing through marking then introduction is the part they read its the first impression they get.

HSC markers in particular often have hundreds of papers to read, so they'll read the intro and skim the body, read the conclusion. Plus the introduction is the first impression.

Mr. W. "A good introduction is always an indication of a good essay, if I read a good one I'll know that its a good essay"

>>and I know what you're thinking... how the hell can she quote her teachers, is she a freak? and the answer is yes, I ace english essays cos I can quote the book without looking... freaky Hell Yes!


Look- with all my essays my structure of introduction is the same, usually made up of five sentences

1)mention text and briefly mention both sides of question
2)pick a point of view and argue it while saying other side is "worthy"
3) say how it relates to social context (sometimes not applicable... but usually is)
4)state argument ie 1, 2, 3
5)something along the lines of the book is so relevent today because it contains messages that transcend the setting to provide lessons we can benefit from today **(this will always apply, no matter what book, what play, anything from HSC was chosen because it has messages about how we live)

For me the hardest part is trying to rewrite my awesome introduction in my conclusion without actually saying the same words... its a challenge for me.

 

[zingerburger]

You can try to prepare a general thesis before the exam that defines the topic you're doing, even though it doesn't necessarily address the question. Addressing the question can later be tacked on easily during the introduction.

Reiterating the introduction in the conclusion is always hard. Sometimes I feel really silly just writing what I've already written before.

 

[miss-smexy]

Ohh I see. No wonder my essays are so crap:

The thesis and answering the question are BOTH different things...!!

 

[rachelm]

I don't agree that the thesis and the answer are different things. Your thesis is the argument for THAT question. Building a structure with potentially useful ideas is not a thesis - that's just sound preparation.

OK, intros: I would definitely include the texts BUT I think what your friend was trying to get at was that in an essay that refers to a number of different texts she doesn't explain each's relevance to the question. I would introduce them briefly.... . Eg. A physical journey is characterised by travel to another place. On the way, the traveller experiences many challenges which ultimately affect them psychologically. The positive and negative consequences of a physical journey are not dependent on the destination but are a result of overcoming the hardships faced. Many different consequences can be seen in a number of texts including poems from the anthology "Immigrant Chronicle", an extract from "The Wind in the Willows" from the stimulus booklet, the Australian film Somersault and the biography "Touching the Void" by Joe Simpson.

So it is possible to list them quickly.

And although it is true that a good intro often leads to a good essay, it isn't always the case. All HSC exminers are obligated to read every word of an essay - no speed reading or browsing allowed. You have to write a good essay throughout. Don't spend 7 minutes on an intor when 3 is possible.