We are Learning...
How to write an effective
introduction.
The three-step formula
• 1. Identify the name of the text and the
author. Use words from part 1 of the question.
• 2. Briefly summarise the text and explain why
the chosen text is suitable for the question.
• 3. Explain what you are going to be writing
about in the rest of your essay. Refer to words
in part 2 of the question.
Example Introduction
• Poem: Revelation by Liz Lochhead
• Essay Question:
Choose a poem which is mainly about one
person’s experience.
Describe the experience and show how the poet
uses particular words and phrases to help to
make it clear to you how the person feels about
the experience.
A poem that is mainly about one person’s
experience is Revelation by Liz Lochhead. In
the poem, the poet describes how a young girl
has an encounter with a frightening bull, and
this experience changes her life forever. In my
essay, I will discuss how the poet’s use of
techniques such as metaphor, juxtaposition
and symbolism help to create a vivid
impression of the encounter and convey how
the young girl feels about her life-changing
experience.
Remember!!
• Your introduction should be so closely related
to the words of the question that you should
be able to work out what the question is just
by reading it.
Essay Question 1
Choose a poem in which the speaker’s
personality is gradually revealed.
Show how, through the content and
language of the poem, aspects of the
character gradually emerge.
Essay Question 2
• Choose a poem in which the poet explores
one of the following emotions: anguish,
dissatisfaction, regret, loss.
Show how the poet explores the emotion and
discuss to what extent he or she is successful
in deepening your understanding of it.
Essay Question 3
Choose a play in which a central character is
heroic yet vulnerable.
Show how the dramatist makes you aware of
both qualities and discuss how they affect
your response to the character’s fate in the
play as a whole.
• A play in which a central character is heroic yet
vulnerable is “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. The
play is set during the Salem witch-trials in the late
17th century and centres around John Proctor, a man
whose adultery leads him to make decisions on his
quest for redemption which illustrate both his heroic
and vulnerable qualities as a man. In my essay I will
discuss the dramatic techniques used by Miller, such
as character, setting and turning point, to depict the
heroism and vulnerability of Proctor as he strives to
gain redemption and forgiveness for his sins, while
also trying to maintain his reputation as a good
Christian. I will also explain how Proctor’s fate in the
play is a direct result of this duality in his character.
Essay Question 4
• Choose a play in which a central character
behaves in an obsessive manner.
• Describe the nature of the character’s
obsessive behaviour and discuss the influence
this behaviour has on your understanding of
the character in the play as a whole.
• A play in which a central character behaves in an
obsessive manner is “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller.
The play is set in the strictly theocratic society of
Salem during the witch-trials in the late 17th century,
and centres around John Proctor and his obsession
with regaining the self-respect and goodness he lost
by betraying his wife and family through adultery. In
my essay I will discuss the dramatic techniques used
by Miller to depict Proctor’s obsessive quest for
redemption, such as character, setting, and turning
point, and I will show how Proctor’s obsession
enables me to understand the decisions he makes
that ultimately lead to his death.