MODEL INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPHS

• Here is an introduction to a commentary on a poem:

"The Man He Killed" is a short poem in which the poet has chosen to create a
character, an average foot soldier in World War One, to serve as his speaker.
Although the exact setting is never specified, we come upon this character as he is
thinking out loud about his wartime experiences--especially about the crucial one
mentioned in the title--and trying, not too successfully, to make sense out of them. In
five short stanzas, Hardy has managed to portray the reaction, not of historians and
generals, but of the common man who is called upon to do the real fighting in every
war.
In the first two stanzas we learn about the soldier's central wartime experience.”

• Here is another:
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” is a love sonnet by William
Shakespeare in which the speaker, usually assumed to be Shakespeare himself,
finds many similarities and not a few differences between a lovely day in summer and
his perfect lover. He finds that even summer has its shortcomings and that every bit
of beauty in the world eventually, inevitably fades. Yet he concludes that his lover is
far superior to even the finest summer’s day because she and her beauty will live
forever. How this seemingly impossible feat is to be accomplished he reveals in the
concluding couplet.

• A third:

In his poem “The Heron,” Vernon Watkins describes the simple sight of a heron
standing on a rock by the sea. Using such stylistic devices as connotation, imagery,
metaphor, alliteration, and a complex rhyme scheme, Watkins elevates this simple
occurrence into a presentation bordering on the epic. He not only describes the
contrasting powers of the timeless heron and the ever-changing confusion of earth,
sky, and water, but also touches on elements of Greek mythology and the Bible,
suggesting a universal meaning beyond what is normally inspired by the simple sight
of a bird.

• Here is an introduction to a prose commentary:

This passage from Anthony Trollope’s The Way We Live Now, set in London
during Victorian times, shows us a disturbing scene from the Melmottes’ tense family
life. The author has chosen to make use of an omniscient narrator, who portrays the
conflict within the Melmotte family by presenting us not only with sharp dialogue that
focuses on the financial and family issues involved but also with sardonic
commentary that reveals various hidden thoughts and intentions unavailable to the
other characters. Mr. Melmotte emerges as an authoritarian patriarch who, with the
encouragement of his passive wife, uses manipulation, lies, and even violence to get
certain legal papers signed; while Marie, his daughter, remains calm and firm in
refusing to sign them, showing her strong will despite her father’s relentless attack.

Notice that in these introductory paragraphs of just over 100 words, nowhere
do you find such wordy and unnecessary phrases as "In this essay, I will
discuss..." or "I am going to talk about.…" They do more than just tell what the
topic is; they say something meaningful about the topic, with no padding, and
introduce the direction that the rest of the essay will take.
COMPARATIVE ESSAYS

• One on Huck Finn and Things Fall Apart based on a past IB exam question. What do you
suppose the question was?

In Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, opposite
narrative techniques are used in order for the authors to achieve their particular purposes in
the most effective way. Twain has chosen to use first person narrative, describing events from
the point of view of his main character. With this narrative style, Twain provides himself with
the opportunity to use dramatic irony in his devastating criticism of Southern society and to
use an intimate, personal tone in his portrayal of Jim and Huck's difficult quest for freedom.
Achebe, on the other hand, has decided on an omniscient narrator; one who sometimes
appears to be a wise elder reminiscing over memories from his youth. This narrative choice
enables Achebe to depict life in the Ibo civilization and the effects of colonization, including its
effect on Okonkwo, the protagonist, in a non-biased, objective manner. It also allows the
readers to gaze into the minds of many different characters.

• Another one based on another past IB question. What do you suppose the question was?

Most playwrights attempt to portray their tragic figures in a sympathetic light, and
Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams are no exception to this. Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar
Named Desire and Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman both come to tragic ends, but how
successful have the playwrights been in engaging the audience's sympathy for their
characters' plights? Although neither Willy nor Blanche is blameless--indeed they are to a
greater or lesser extent responsible for their own downfalls--on balance, both are actually
"more sinned against than sinning" and therefore do deserve our compassion.

• One on Huck Finn and Red Badge of Courage:

There comes a time in all our lives when we reach a major crossroad and must
choose a direction that will affect us for a long time to come. In The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn and The Red Badge of Courage, Mark Twain and Stephen Crane create
two characters, Huck and Henry, who reach such a crossroad, and their stories reveal the
effects of their choices. Both novels contain a time at which the protagonist decides to run:
Huck from his drunken father and Henry from his first major battle. Huck’s decision to run
leads to mixed adventures along the Mississippi and a growing respect for his traveling
partner, Jim. Henry’s decision, on the other hand, leads to fear, anger, and constant
uncertainty.

Finally:

Most children, no matter what their personal or family situations, lead more or less
controlled lives. As they grow, they begin to sense the pressure of controlling factors in their
lives and start struggling to take control themselves, a difficult process. In Native Son and
Equus, Richard Wright and Peter Shaffer create two characters who must deal with this
struggle. Bigger in Native Son and Alan in Equus are both entering adulthood and have come
to realize that they are controlled by their work, by religion, and by the media. In the midst of
these characters’ efforts to gain control, each falls into a tragic situation.