hook in english essay

hook in english essay

The Power of a Strong Hook in English Essays

1. Importance of a Hook

In High School and College, teachers taught us that a good essay should follow a clear and almost perfect structure, where we present a problem or question (Introduction) and then we show the reader the way to overcome this problem or question, presenting our thesis (Development) and finally we explain to the reader how to put our solution into practice (Conclusion). The big problem is that, after reading many essays that start, develop and finish in the same way, the reader ends up developing a certain blindness and the essay, no matter how good the content, no longer attracts the reader’s attention, as teachers know what will be presented. This is where “hook” entered the story. The notion of “hook” is not new, it has been used for centuries in English literature to captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning of a work, whether it is a novel, a short story or a play.

In a world where the attention span is getting shorter and we are constantly being bombarded with new information, it is very important to keep the reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading. It is especially important when writing essays for school or college. After all, the reader, who in this case is going to be a teacher or a teacher, has thousands of other essays to read, which makes them even less willing to sacrifice their time by reading an essay with a weak beginning. The key, then, is to “hook” the reader with a “hook.” But how to do it? To get to the answers we need to go back to the past. I promise we’ll come back in time, no Marty McFly and Doc Brown delicacies.

2. Types of Effective Hooks

An essay on historical facts, on a social, economic, political or intellectual phenomenon or event: A hook on such a theme can include a personal story, a probing question, a surprising statistic, a metaphor, etc. Just do your part correctly, showing its relationship with the rest of the text. An essay on a scientific or technical topic when starting with an anecdote or personal story: This will bring a modest human face to the readers. You, as a writer, are showing, in an incontestable manner, everything related to science and its branches. Presenting a personal story suitable for the topic will appeal to many who share their own experiences related to the theme. In addition, integrating this element into the reports is also important. The personal present is essential to connect past, present and future. Indeed, in each argumentative and persuasive construction, emotions can work in the most efficient way. A good way to achieve this is by sharing a personal story in which you learned something from what you are discussing. This will make readers feel honored and attached to you.

A critical essay on a piece of literature or an article from an academic journal: Start with a quote that is related to your essay topic. You can use quotes from the text, quotes from experts, etc. It is always good to create a critical starting point, as in this scenario you are opening the field of discussion for everyone who reads. That the conversations are powerful! Another effective hook would also include a compelling story related to such a literary work or poem. Most likely your essay will be more appreciable and meaningful. Affecting your target audience positively. What about starting with a relevant question? This is another technique that is widely used in different textual segments. Starting with a significant question will establish the readers’ expectation to answer in the development. Act concretely and invite the reader to reflect on the problem you are going to address. Some good ideas of questions are the following: Why is this book considered a classic in the literary field? What message does this story bring? To avoid informative blindness, consider using the rhetorical question as a resource to drive the reader to develop their position on the subject in the body of the essay. Put yourself in the reader’s place and let him see the answers to these questions – turn the text into an interactive and participative narrative. However, you need to use this technique consciously and sparingly.

3. Crafting a Compelling Hook

Why are you writing? What is the main reason? What do you want to achieve? That’s another hook. If you don’t have a hook, think about it and show it. Give to your audience something impressive, so that you capture the novelty that gives another interest in the subject. Using some news or a short story or personal project could be an important way to gain the attention of the reader. Alternatively, you may use a statistic and try to show your audience how the concept is extremely spread, which, if you believe, it is. This is also important to let people be convinced by the opinion that, in part, you are exposing. That is, you seem, initially, to be convinced by what you intend to say.

Begin your essay with a compelling introduction. A compelling introduction should have a hook, a statement with an interesting, unique and impressive meaning. However, even if it was a block of ice or an asteroid, you should start your text with some kind of an engaging idea. The most important part of the introduction is the thesis statement, which should match the story you are telling. Another very significant part of the introductory paragraph is a valid defense of the thesis statement, which in other words should sound like: ‘I am starting my essay with some general ideas because my basic idea is too understandable and trivial to start the text with it.’ It goes without saying that the introduction should be ended with a conclusive paragraph, disclosing your intention about the whole thing you are writing.

4. Examples of Successful Hooks

While you are writing the college essay for a specific school, be sure you identify the qualities of a college’s unique culture and community. Are you happy with the opportunity to learn with people of Harvard College? If you were not accepted to a particular program or specific instruction, tell your reader that you are actively interested in the program and this is the college for you. Regarding the first element, a college admissions officer may not know a sumer from Pomona College. The college looks pretty good according to the brochure. That is why they look so good in the pictures. So colleges are essentially the same in the brochures. Here, paying attention to small nuances is the essay writer’s most powerful weapon. Further identifying the luxury college school provides is a process that takes more than visiting a website or reading a pamphlet. Knowing what it is about the college that makes it desirable, either conceptually or academically, makes a good college application.

Last week’s lesson dealt with clear 3-point thesis statements and topic sentences. The idea was that the thesis statement: a) tells the reader what the paper is going to be about, and b) dumbs down the message to the lowest common denominator by predicting a point for each paragraph. By dumbing your message down to 3 sentences, you guarantee, provided your thesis and topic sentences are well written, that the paper will be well organized. The great hook sets things up in the first place. There are a number of good hooks, all of them well known to the average college English student. 1. Quoting someone famous in the opening line of the essay. This technique is effective because famous quotes impart wisdom. 2. Telling a good story. 3. “Anecdotage”. 4. Falling torches to a partner golden; we look like castaways on a moon planet. The warm air lingers with a taste salad and horseradish. The biscuits! Pulchritude made by ocean hands. 5. Putting you in the essay. “Five score years ago” – This may sound stupid, but the reason so many people know King’s speech is this: members of the audience felt like he was talking directly to them. And when a speaker tells a listener that the listener has a problem, it’s like magic: the speaker and listener bond in a special way – the speaker becomes the listener’s champion. Use the advice of the professionals, and you’ll be in a great position to write a great college essay. Assuming you are given the chance.

5. Impact of a Well-Crafted Hook

Still, the facts stand. The hook is very important and extensive. A hook is basically something that captivates the reader’s mind. The purpose of a hook is to lead the reader into the rest of the essay, to make them want to continue reading. They are upset if indeed the essay were to end abruptly, without them having come to “The End”. The poem only gets played for most songs by a lead single, this presentation in the essay, and it is the song that inspires you to press play for the rest of the album. Yet, not all hooks have the same impact, nor carry the same weight. A charming kiss on a woman’s hand stirs greater emotions than does an ongoing wave that she has grown tired of. A chorus that stands above you in a musical piece will live in your heart even when the songwriter was not cut out. These hooks in one piece make it more evident of hooks’ impact; it has inspired a formulation: “Based on your lead paragraph, the reader can forecast what you will say.”

The power of a strong hook in English essays. There is nothing worse than essays with dull introductions. Introductions that make or break an essay, and the main determinant of an introduction that is effective is the hook that the writer possesses. An essay crafted by the most creative mind will be rendered unremarkable if, before anything else, it has an ineffective hook. Often students ignore the skills that they possess, writing weak hooks. Others might be scared to be criticized for their creativity, as if there are any right or wrong answers.