Pre-Writing and the Introduction of a Thesis Essay

By: Sean Savoie 

In our development of writing effective sentences and paragraphs, we must examine their function and form and organize them into a clear idea. I say ‘idea’ and not ‘ideas’ because an essay is a single idea, the extended ideas of which are in the form of support and evidence. Before able to compose a fine essay in 25 minutes as required on the new SAT and some college essay tests, one must see the whole idea as some form of map, which, if the writer is not a genius, requires development in writing. Practicing effective organization by pre-writing eventually becomes faster and more automatic, enabling the writer to become less dependent on it.

Pre-writing techniques depend on the type of essay. There are, among others, comparison and contrast, process analysis (how-to)…  (as is this essay), argumentation, narration, description, research, definition, classification and division, and thesis essays, which all require slightly different pre-writing considerations. The most important for college or university entrance is the ‘position paper’, which is most likely either a thesis essay or an argument that expresses an opinion. The thesis is most standard for the SAT (so SAT-takers take note). Remember, five paragraphs (though the College Board says that they do not strictly require this); introduction, body 1, 2, 3, and conclusion. No rush. The goal is to make the thesis (main point, a strong, controversial opinion) the center, and even purpose, of the entire writing. Anything not serving this purpose must have another specific goal, such as in an argumentative essay, which uses many more manipulative tactics. The thesis essay, however, remains academically dry and scientifically focused.

Sometimes writers encounter “writer’s block”, which is the inability to form a cohesive idea based on the topic assigned by a teacher. “Brainstorming”, the rapid listing of every word or notion that comes into one’s head, helps to solve this problem. Simply write everything that you can think of without considering if it is relevant or important at all. Usually correlations between seemingly random ideas begin to surface, allowing the writer to discover a specific connection around which the thesis may develop. Again, the key here is to list as much as possible without making any judgments. After this process, examine which words and ideas may be grouped together into one category. The basis for a strong opinion should become clearer. Professors often read the same opinions hundreds of times; therefore, exploring a less common idea may result in a higher grade.

With my students, I have found it most effective to first write out the thesis statement (main opinion) and three topic sentences (factual supportive sentences introducing each paragraph in the body). Using this method, a writer develops the skeleton of the whole essay and has the best overview for writing a beautiful introduction. Before writing a strong thesis, one must consider how it will be supported. Therefore, write a very basic thesis statement and then revise it after writing out the topic sentences by using key words and ideas from these topic sentences.

An extremely timely and controversial topic around the world is the use of torture by U.S. government agencies to extract information from suspected or proven terrorists. I will use this topic to further illustrate how to effectively pre-write. I am completely against the use of torture and have already considered the topic thoroughly; however, if I had not considered it so carefully, I would certainly brainstorm, which may look something like this:

Truth, pain, danger, pressure, policy, effectiveness, precedent, cruelty, human rights, legal process, U.S. Constitution, John McCain, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, terrorists, emergency, imminent threat, justice, responsibility, reliability, limits, legitimacy, policy, totalitarian regime, repercussions, truth, democracy, fear, the Inquisition, long-term goals, global image, American freedom, war, Supreme Court, benefits and deficits, …..

Eventually, a way to approach the issue will surface. Take a look at the thesis statement and three topic sentences that I may write, keeping in mind that the thesis is in a very simple form. 

Thesis:  The United States must never engage in the use of torture. 

Topic sentence 1:  The use of torture has been proven to yield faulty, inconsistent, and unreliable information. 

Topic sentence 2:   In a democratic society that promotes human rights, the use of torture lowers the governmental system to that of any unjust totalitarian regime. 

Topic sentence 3:   Torturing our enemies not only further endangers U.S. troops and civilians, but also legitimizes the attacks on the United States in the minds terrorists and their sympathizers. 

After deciding upon the topic sentences that will support the main idea, return to the simple thesis and consider how it may be developed into a more specific expression. Many possibilities exist. Providing reasons in a thesis statement is not recommended because that is the function of the body of an essay. Using participial phrases, as we have studied in a previous lesson, is extremely effective. This allows you to capture the ideas that will support the opinion and makes the essay more cohesive. One possible revision of the thesis statement is below: 

Thesis:   Protecting its citizens at home and abroad by strengthening reliable intelligence, the United States, which upholds the ideals of human dignity, must never engage in the use of torture. 

Including supporting ideas in the thesis statement accomplishes two important goals. First, it gives the reader a very clear idea of how the issue will be supported as well as how broadly the opinion will be examined. Second, it allows the writer more freedom to work into the issue from the very beginning of the introduction. Remember that the thesis statement is typically the last sentence in the introduction.

The skeleton of the essay now complete, the writer may start crafting a more focused and meaningful introduction.  

Students often have a difficult time writing an introduction. My students feel the introduction and conclusion are equally difficult. Keep in mind that the thesis statement comes at or near the end of the introductory paragraph. Do not attempt to explain your opinion in the introduction. This common mistake not only causes you to jump into the position (opinion) too quickly, but also gives you less of an opportunity to attract the reader by creating some background information and a tone for the whole essay. The introductory paragraph is the most important paragraph in almost any essay. If the reader is not attracted by the first paragraph, he or she will probably not read it. Even in the academic world, a professor, often required to read 200 or more student essays, is more likely to pay attention to an essay that grabs his or her attention.

            So, what are some techniques for attracting the interest of the reader? You might start by thinking about what gets your own attention. Stimulating writers often use sarcasm, quotes, shocking information, humor, vivid description, personal experiences, and questions to the reader. It is essential to consider what is appropriate to the topic; for example, use of humor would be completely inappropriate in an essay about torture but may be fine in one about students cutting class. Also, remember that personal examples bring the first person point of view into the essay, which may not be the most effective point of view. If you ask a question in the introduction, make sure to address and preferably answer this question at some point in the essay. Editorial writers often answer their questions in the conclusion. Developing the introduction, you should move from general to specific, with the most specific idea being the thesis statement itself. Therefore, examine the topic sentences repeatedly while devising the introduction. The concept and general guidelines for writing a strong introduction are simple; the actual writing of this paragraph, however, should always continue to challenge the developing writer.

            We should take a look at one possible way to introduce the position about the use of torture that we have created above. Always think for yourself whether or not the writing is effective because this is not mathematics; it is not a question of right or wrong, but of effective or ineffective. Read the introduction below: 

Again, here is the skeleton of the thesis essay: 

Thesis:  The United States must never engage in the use of torture. 

Topic sentence 1:  The use of torture has been proven to yield faulty, inconsistent, and unreliable information. 

Topic sentence 2:   In a democratic society that promotes human rights, the use of torture lowers the governmental system to that of any unjust totalitarian regime. 

Topic sentence 3:   Torturing our enemies not only further endangers U.S. troops and civilians, but also legitimizes the attacks on the United States in the minds terrorists and their sympathizers. 

And here is one possible introductory paragraph with the extended thesis as the last sentence. 

Example:

            The current war on terror, waged since 9/11, presents some extremely serious and controversial issues, the most pressing of which is the policy of using torture to extract potentially life-saving information. The United States again must go to war over a fundamental principle, the difference now being that the enemy is not fighting from a specific location. The stakes are high. Terrorists threaten to completely destroy our way of life. What do we seek to defend? Senator John McCain, in his powerful article published in the November 21, 2005 issue of Newsweek states, “This is a war of ideas, a struggle to advance freedom in the face of terror in places where oppressive rule has bred the malevolence that creates terrorists.” He recently opined that the use of coercion is “killing us around the world.” When tortured by the North Vietnamese, Sen. McCain gave his inquisitors “the names of the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line” to ease his suffering. A country that resorts to torture does not represent the America that other countries around the world have come to emulate. While protecting its citizens at home and abroad by strengthening reliable intelligence, the United States, which upholds the ideals of human dignity, must never engage in the use of torture. 

            Notice how the above paragraph does not start in a very general way yet gives background information about the topic. One would expect the essay to continue with a great deal of supporting information in the form of statistics and quotations because these elements are already presented in the introduction. In other words, the real meat of the essay has not yet been presented. An introduction may, of course, begin more generally; however, the writer must be aware that beginning an essay in an overly-general manner may create a less focused development. As a basic rule, the longer the essay, the more space is allotted to the introduction.