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INTHINKING
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PAPER 2

INTRODUCING
YOUR ESSAY:
THE VITAL
FIRST
PARAGRAPH
David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Consider the following question. It is a

typical Paper 2 type question:

Discuss the significance of setting in

both the works you have studied.

If you chose this question, what would be the

first things you would do with it before
writing?

© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Possibly, you would (or should!) do

some of the following:

Unpack the question.

That is, underline or highlight the key

words. What are you being asked to do?
What are the command terms?

Whilst you cannot write during your 5

minutes of ‘reading time’, you can begin
to think about what the question is
asking you.

© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

You should also plan your response.

Not planning is a very poor strategy!

Your plan should aim to discuss both

texts in a balanced, more or less equal
way. You should plan to directly address
the question. In planning, consider how
you will show understanding of your
texts, any relevant contexts, and literary
and stylistic features.

© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

After planning, you should write

your introductory paragraph.

This paragraph introduces and

signposts your discussion or
argument. Keep it brief, simple,
and direct. It should contain a
thesis statement. A thesis
statement isn’t something
complex; rather, it’s your main
idea or argument, clearly
expressed.
© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Here’s one attempt: What do

you think?

© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

There have been men and women since the

dawn of time. And they have always been
different. In my English class, I’ve been
reading a couple of decent books that are
both about men and women. The first one,
which happens in the 1960s is called Bell jar.
It is written by Sylvia Plath and she
committed suicide. The other book was
written before bell Jar and is the
magnificent, highly respected book about
France called Madame Bovary. I’m going to
talk about these books in my essay and why
setting is important.

© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Is this introductory
paragraph better?

If so, why?

© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Unable to find an authentic identity in the patriarchal

society of 1950’s America, Esther Greenwood goes
‘mad’. Entrapped by her provincial existence in rural
1850’s Normandy, Emma Bovary expresses her desires
in a series of passionate extra-marital affairs. Both
Esther, the protagonist of Sylvia Plath’s
bildungsroman The Bell Jar, and Emma, the
protagonist of Gustave Flaubert’s eponymous, realist
novel Madame Bovary are female characters who
struggle to adapt in repressive, androcentric societies
that thwart their attempts to establish an authentic
identity. Esther becomes depressed, attempts suicide,
but eventually recovers. Emma, by contrast,
successfully commits suicide, repressed and
dissatisfied with life. Both women struggle to conform
to societal norms, and in each literary text, their
problems are frequently expressed in the physical,
cultural, and historical setting of each text.
© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Consider this:

Unable to find an authentic identity in the

patriarchal society of 1950’s America, Esther
Greenwood goes ‘mad’.

What is the clause structure of this sentence?

Describe it. Why is it effective do you think?

© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Consider this:

Unable to find an authentic identity in the

patriarchal society of 1950’s America, Esther
Greenwood goes ‘mad’. Entrapped by her provincial
existence in rural 1850’s Normandy, Emma Bovary
expresses her desires in a series of passionate
extra-marital affairs.

What rhetorical strategy is used in these two

sentences? What effect is established?

What is the grammatical tense? What is the effect of

the tense?

These are the two introductory sentences of the

introduction; discuss their effectiveness?
© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Consider this:

Unable to find an authentic identity in

the patriarchal society of 1950’s
America, Esther Greenwood goes
‘mad’. Entrapped by her provincial
existence in rural 1850’s Normandy,
Emma Bovary expresses her desires in
a series of passionate extra-marital
affairs.

What kind of grammatical phrase

dominates the sentences? What is the
effect of this?
© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Consider this:

Both Esther, the protagonist of Sylvia

Plath’s bildungsroman The Bell Jar, and
Emma, the protagonist of Gustave
Flaubert’s eponymous, realist novel
Madame Bovary are female characters
who struggle to adapt in repressive,
androcentric societies that thwart their
attempts to establish an authentic
identity.

Discuss the ways in which nouns are

stacked in these sentences. What is the
effect? © David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Consider this:

Unable to find an authentic identity in the

patriarchal society of 1950’s America, Esther
Greenwood goes ‘mad’. Entrapped by her provincial
existence in rural 1850’s Normandy, Emma Bovary
expresses her desires in a series of passionate
extra-marital affairs. Both Esther, the protagonist
of Sylvia Plath’s bildungsroman The Bell Jar, and
Emma, the protagonist of Gustave Flaubert’s
eponymous, realist novel Madame Bovary are
female characters who struggle to adapt in
repressive, androcentric societies that thwart their
attempts to establish an authentic identity.

Discuss the rhetorical patterning in these sentences.

How does the third sentence build on the first two
and with what effect?
© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Consider this:

Esther becomes depressed, attempts

suicide, but eventually recovers. Emma,
by contrast, successfully commits
suicide, repressed and dissatisfied with
life. Both women struggle to conform to
societal norms, and in each literary text,
their problems are frequently expressed
in the physical, cultural, and historical
setting of each text.

Discuss the rhetorical patterning in this

section of the introduction. How does it
work, and how does it build towards a
thesis that signposts the argument to © David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Consider this:

Unable to find an authentic identity in the patriarchal society

of 1950’s America, Esther Greenwood goes ‘mad’. Entrapped
by her provincial existence in rural 1850’s Normandy, Emma
Bovary expresses her desires in a series of passionate
extra-marital affairs. Both Esther, the protagonist of Sylvia
Plath’s bildungsroman The Bell Jar, and Emma, the
protagonist of Gustave Flaubert’s eponymous, realist novel
Madame Bovary are female characters who struggle to adapt
in repressive, androcentric societies that thwart their
attempts to establish an authentic identity. Esther becomes
depressed, attempts suicide, but eventually recovers. Emma,
by contrast, successfully commits suicide, repressed and
dissatisfied with life. Both women struggle to conform to
societal norms, and in each literary text, their problems are
frequently expressed in the physical, cultural, and historical
setting of each text.

What is the modality of the introduction? What is the

effect? © David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Consider this:

Unable to find an authentic identity in the patriarchal society

of 1950’s America, Esther Greenwood goes ‘mad’. Entrapped
by her provincial existence in rural 1850’s Normandy, Emma
Bovary expresses her desires in a series of passionate
extra-marital affairs. Both Esther, the protagonist of Sylvia
Plath’s bildungsroman The Bell Jar, and Emma, the
protagonist of Gustave Flaubert’s eponymous, realist novel
Madame Bovary are female characters who struggle to adapt
in repressive, androcentric societies that thwart their
attempts to establish an authentic identity. Esther becomes
depressed, attempts suicide, but eventually recovers. Emma,
by contrast, successfully commits suicide, repressed and
dissatisfied with life. Both women struggle to conform to
societal norms, and in each literary text, their problems are
frequently expressed in the physical, cultural, and historical
setting of each text.

Does the introduction build logically? Is it coherent? Is

anything vague? Is the punctuation and spelling accurate? © David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Unable to find an authentic identity in the patriarchal

society of 1950’s America, Esther Greenwood goes ‘mad’.
Entrapped by her provincial existence in rural 1850’s
Normandy, Emma Bovary expresses her desires in a
series of passionate extra-marital affairs. Both Esther,
the protagonist of Sylvia Plath’s bildungsroman The Bell
Jar, and Emma, the protagonist of Gustave Flaubert’s
eponymous, realist novel Madame Bovary are female
characters who struggle to adapt in repressive,
androcentric societies that thwart their attempts to
establish an authentic identity. Esther becomes
depressed, attempts suicide, but eventually recovers.
Emma, by contrast, successfully commits suicide,
repressed and dissatisfied with life. Both women struggle
to conform to societal norms, and in each literary text,
their problems are frequently expressed in the physical,
cultural, and historical setting of each text.

Work with a partner. Try to provide a general formula for

this introduction. List its qualities.
© David McIntyre
 - Independent, International, Innovative

Now, it’s your turn: Plan a response

and write the introduction to the
following question:

Discuss the ways in which money is a

central concern in both works you
have studied.

Follow the steps in planning and

writing introduced in this
presentation.

© David McIntyre