Literary Essay
The Book of Negroes
Writing the Introduction
English 12 African Heritage
Purpose of an Introduction:
 1.
To get the reader's attention.
 2. To lead the reader into your paper
and to establish your thesis.
 3. To control your essay by moving
from a general discussion of the
subject to the specific thesis that your
paper will prove.
Elements of Introduction
 Title
and author
 Brief summary of novel (1-2
sentences)
 Thesis (what are you going to
prove?)
 Discussion of three main ideas
Basic Introduction Example:
Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes depicts the
early life, kidnapping, enslavement, escape
and triumph of an African woman during the
era of slavery. The novel’s main character,
Aminata Diallo, is able to succeed in the face
of great hardship, largely due to her ability to
read and write.
Her achievements as a
servant in Charlestown, a teacher in Canvas
Town, and a djeli in Africa and later in
London, make her an abolitionist’s dream. It
is due to her literacy that she survives and
thrives.
How else could I begin?
 You
could begin with an attention
grabber. This information must be true
and verifiable, and it doesn't need to be
totally new to your readers. It could
simply be a pertinent fact that explicitly
illustrates the point you wish to make. If
you begin with a piece of startling
information, follow it with a sentence or
two of elaboration.
Begin with an Attention Grabber

From the 1400s to the 1800s, over twelve
million Africans were kidnapped and sold into
slavery in the Americas. Lawrence Hill’s
historical novel The Book of Negroes
explores the life of one such slave, a woman
by the name of Aminata Diallo. Through her
tragic experiences on either side of the
Atlantic, Hill explores the Middle Passage,
plantation life, and the betrayal of Black
Loyalists in Nova Scotia. The novel offers
the reader a first-hand look at the hardships
experienced by slaves in America.
How do I begin?

You could begin with a quotation from the
novel that reflects your thesis. Follow this
quote with a sentence or two of elaboration.
Begin with a Quotation

"Unrolling a map of the world, I would put one
finger on a dot I had drawn to represent my village
of Bayo, put another finger on London and say: ‘I
was born there, and we are here now, and I'm
going to tell you all about what happened in
between.’“ (469) The heroine of Lawrence Hill’s
novel The Book of Negroes wished her whole life to
become a djeli, or storyteller. Aminata Diallo’s
powers of observation as a child, her role as a
storyteller in an African village as well as a London
Academy, and her re-telling of her heroic story for
the abolitionist cause allowed her to realize her
dream. She was a rare, unusual and effective djeli.
How do I begin?

If you tread carefully, you can begin with an
anecdote. An anecdote is a story that illustrates
a point. Be sure your anecdote is short, to the
point, and relevant to your topic. This can be a
very effective opener for your essay, but use it
cautiously, as it could sound either hokey or
irrelevant.
Anecdote Example

Like most African Nova Scotians, my
grandfather knew very little of his heritage.
He did not know where in Africa his
ancestors came from, nor did he know how
his people arrived in Nova Scotia. Lawrence
Hill’s novel The Book of Negroes is a
thorough exploration of the kidnapping,
enslavement, and northward migration of
African American slaves. Through Aminata
Diallo’s story, African Nova Scotians can see
a part of their own history represented.
How do I begin?

Summary Information: A few sentences
explaining your topic in general terms can lead
the reader gently to your thesis. Each sentence
can become gradually more specific, until you
reach your thesis. This is called the “funneled”
form of introduction, and it is quite popular.
Funnelled Introduction

Lawrence Hill’s novel The Book of Negroes
explores the life of an African woman who
was kidnapped and sold into slavery as a
child.
Aminata Diallo shows a flair for
languages early on, as she is a fluent speaker
of both of her parents’ tribal tongues. She
begins to learn “the King’s English” during her
crossing of the Middle Passage, and picks up
the slave language of Gullah on an indigo
plantation in South Carolina. It is Aminata’s
facility for languages that allows her to
survive and even thrive in the face of danger.
How NOT to Begin!

“Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘survival’ as: ‘a
natural process resulting in the evolution of
organisms best adapted to the environment.’”
EEK! English teachers see this all the time, and
it HURTS!

“In this essay I will…” Argh! That’s about as
subtle as a train wreck. The passive voice is
appropriate for formal, persuasive literary
essays.
Introduction Activity
Groups of 5-6
 Read each exemplar
 Assess each, using the Provincial Exam
scoring rubric for writing introductions
 There are no half points
 You must come to consensus as a group
 Share your score with the class
