Introduction to personal essay

Question

Hi, my personal essay needs a introduction. I am writing about the current virus, (Covid-19). I need to include a hook, some background information about my cause, and a thesis or claim. I’m not sure what my hook or thesis should be like. Can someone put my in the right direction? Thanks.

Answer 1

A good way to create a hook is to think of the problem you are trying to explore/solve in the paper and articulate it. So, you're writing about the virus, what problem are you exploring? Why should your reader care? If you can't answer those questions, you're in trouble. You need to generate interest in the subject and angle that you are exploring, if you can't do that, your professor will hate you. If your paper isn't interesting enough to you to explain why someone else should read your paper, then imagine how your professor feels about it. Hope this helps. I tried to keep it simple.

Answer 2

Hello Kalise, below is the basic definition of things along with some examples and questions you can ask yourself to get started!

 

Hook: Catches the attention of the writer

1. Usually one to three sentences (depending on the length of your paper)
2. Could be: a short story, a terrifying statistic, a ethical/logical/philosophical/legal/medical question that launches the reader into the essay response

 

Thesis: Typically a single sentence that focuses the reader on the issue at hand

1. You can narrow down your topic by asking yourself questions like the following:
2. "Do I want to tell a story, draw attention to an under-recognized aspect of my subject, or dispute a widely held viewpoint?"
3. "What are some controversial issues regarding my subject?"
4. "What would my audience want to know about my subject"
5. "What aspect of my subject interests/fascinates/is meaningful to me?"
6. Your thesis will be the summary of your response to the above WH questions. It should also answer the question, "What is the main point I want my reader to take away from this essay?" 
7. Here are some format examples for your thesis (depending on what type of essay you are writing):
8. "Although some people/sources claim [disputed perspective], this cannot be so because [summary of your perspective]"
9. "This paper will seek to clarify/draw attention to/summarize [specific aspect of your topic]"
10. "It is important that people [whatever you want them to understand/do etc.]"

 

Also, don't be afraid to temporarily just put something down for your hook and background info. You can always come back and change it up. Sometimes it's actually easier that way! Writing is a recursive process, meaning "finishing" a part of your paper often doesn't mean its actually done. As an example, when I write, my "placeholder" intros usually become my conclusion, and as a result, my hook and intro statements usually end up being one of the last things I compose!

 

Anyway, good luck with your paper, and feel free to reach out if you have anymore questions!

Answer 3

Typically for an essay, a hook is a sentence or two at the very beginning of the paper that will draw a reader in. It may highlight a particularly interesting point about what you will be discussing or a reason as to why what you are writing about is relevant. Given that this is an essay about remarkable current events, there are probably many different hooks to choose from based on what your thesis will be. Your thesis is the point you will argue throughout the essay using supportive, factual and persuasive evidence from reliable sources. It may argue that this is a moment in history that could change how we view human interaction or maybe that it's an event that has made us reconsider what businesses are considered essential. The thesis should avoid extremes such as "the biggest" or "the most" since those are hard statements to prove. You should choose a thesis you can prove with the facts you have researched.