"Introductions"

Introductions

Standard types of lead-in sentences; thesis statements appear in red*.

A: Discuss the general subject; then narrow it to the specific subject area of this paper.

Example:

The earth has a population of billions of people, and each of those has her or her own unique personality. Yet those personality types can be described and classified. One instrument that tries to assess personality type is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which narrows an individual's preferences from four categories. Specifically, the indicator measures whether a person is an introvert or extrovert (I or E), processes by intuition or sensing (N or S), uses thinking or feeling (T or F), and is judging or perceiving (J or P). Based on the results, personalities are classified into sixteen different types. Each type carries the initials of the preferences: INTJ, ESFP, and so forth. Examining the characteristics of each type can also allow one to classify the personalities of characters from literature. Consequently, Shakespeare's Hamlet appears to be an Introverted Intuitive type with Thinking Judgment or an INTJ.

Note that sometimes a reverse of this type works well too. In other words, start with specific details and expand those to the specific area of the paper.

Example:

Joe is a problem-solver, an engineer; Katie manages a large corporation; Brian is a molecular biology researcher; Sue is a professor of philosophy. What do these individuals have in common? All are INTJs--Introverted Intuitive types with Thinking Judgment. The INTJ type is just one of sixteen that result from the results a person may receive on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test. Learning about one's personality is a common interest because it can help in understanding the self and others. It can also help in understanding characters from literature. Based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Shakespeare's Hamlet appears to be an INTJ.

B: Start with an anecdote or brief story. Relate it to your thesis. Your story may have dialogue or may not. This particular example does and, as a result, becomes more than a single paragraph.

Example:

One day I had a bit of an argument with my husband, Joe, as we discussed what to do for our weekend.

Joe commented, "I am looking forward to spending the whole weekend in the city. We'll visit all of our friends and perhaps go somewhere like Grand Central Station and just hang out watching the people."

My reaction was, "Oh, my gosh! No way! I have had such a tiring week that all I want to do is veg out reading or watching television. If I feel rested I might try some gardening. But the city? No, I just can't."

Our differences on what to do on our weekend actually reflect our different personalities. Joe is an extrovert, and I am an introvert. These are two of several parameters that are measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). In fact there are sixteen types including ESTP, INFJ, and fourteen other combinations, based on a person's preferences such as sensing or intuition, thinking or feeling, perceiving or judging. Based on this instrument, Shakespeare's Hamlet appears to be an INTJ.

Note that use of first person may not be appropriate in all situations; therefore, a narrative told in third person might work better.

Example of one of these without dialogue:

Joe and Mary are a happy couple, at least most of the time. However, sometimes as a weekend is coming they have vastly different ideas of what they would like to do. Joe leans toward traveling to urban centers where he can be surrounded by people. He is energized by that sort of energy. Mary, especially if she has had a stressful week, is just the opposite. All she can think of doing is relaxing at home, curling up on the couch with a book or watching television. If she feels more energetic, she likes to garden. She recovers her energy in a more solitary atmosphere or in the company of a few intimates. Mary is an introvert. One instrument that reveals the degree of introversion or extroversion is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. It also discloses whether a person is more intuitive or sensing, thinking or feeling, judging or perceiving. The results yield four-letter acronyms such as ESTP, INFJ, and so forth. When the Myers-Briggs theory is applied to characters from literature, they, too, can be labeled in such a manner. Based on this instrument, Shakespeare's Hamlet appears to be an INTJ.

C: Give a definition of one of the key terms related to your topic. Relate it to your thesis.

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, personality is, " 1 : the complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual especially in relationships with others 2 a : the totality of an individual's behavioral and emotional tendencies b : the organization of the individual's distinguishing character traits, attitudes, or habits." While it seems that personalities would be unique to each individual, there have always been attempts to name, label, and qualify personality into types. Myers-Briggs is probably the most famous of these type indicators. It identifies sixteen different types and labels those with initials of certain parameters: I for introversion, S for sensing, F for feeling, P for perceiving, and so forth. The result are names such as ISFP or ENTJ. Using this personality theory, Shakespeare's Hamlet appears to be an INTJ.

D: Use a famous or familiar quotation. Relate it to your thesis.

"To be, or not to be," is the beginning of a famous soliloquy uttered by Hamlet. It is one of many pieces of evidence that helps identify his personality. What Hamlet says and does as well as what others say about him--all help reveal Hamlet's type, which can then be labeled based on established indicators such as the Myers-Briggs. Based on this instrument, Shakespeare's Hamlet appears to be an INTJ.

E: Ask one question or several, but make sure your thesis is not a question.

Do characters in stories possess personalities just like real people? Can those personalities be identified? The answers to these questions are yes; furthermore, using renown personality theories such as Myers-Briggs, can reveal the personality of a character. Based on this instrument, Shakespeare's Hamlet appears to be an INTJ.

F: Combination of any two or more of the above.

"To be, or not to be," is the beginning of a famous soliloquy uttered by Hamlet. It is one of many pieces of evidence that helps identify his personality. Just what is a personality? According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, personality is, " 1 : the complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual especially in relationships with others
2 a : the totality of an individual's behavioral and emotional tendencies b : the organization of the individual's distinguishing character traits, attitudes, or habits." While it seems that personalities would be unique to each individual, there have always been attempts to name, label, and qualify personality into types. Myers-Briggs is probably the most famous of these type indicators. It identifies sixteen different types and labels those with initials of certain parameters: I for introversion, S for sensing, F for feeling, P for perceiving, and so forth. The result are names such as ISFP or ENTJ. Using this personality theory, Shakespeare's Hamlet appears to be an INTJ.

In courtesy of Prof. Clifford, director of Writing Center for offering me this resource.