Earlier, I've discussed the metaphor of comparing an essay to a trip. The thesis
statement is a roadmap, and the body paragraph are specific destinations you, the
writer, are taking the reader on this trip.
So how do introduction and conclusion fit into this metaphor?
Before you decide firmly on your route for the trip, you explore the general idea. You
think about the trip, or the topic, in more general terms. Why is it important to go on
this trip? What do you hope to experience or learn? What do you need to know
before you leave? These ideas all relate to the introduction, the sentences in the first
paragraph that end with the thesis statement.
When we are headed home from a trip, on that final stretch after all the sight seeing
and experiencing is over, we naturally reflect on our experience. Where did we go?
What did we learn? What would we do differently? Again, these can all be applied to
the final paragraph, or the conclusion.
Any questions? Please ask here.
