Ahhhh, the dreaded hook. I know you've heard this before, but it's true. Every essay, from the analytical to the persuasive to the personal, can indeed benefit from a strong hook. A great hook will catch the reader's attention and inspire them to continue reading your essay. That said, I can't tell you how many times over the past twenty five years (yes, it's been that long) I've witnessed students struggling to come up with a decent hook. Indeed, most student essays just forego a hook altogether and stick with something dry and pretty much routine. So, how do you come up with an effective hook? Well, first things first: You need to have a solid understanding of the main idea or argument of your essay. What are you trying to say or communicate? This understanding is crucial because your hook should be connected to your main idea. For example, if your essay is about the futility of the American Dream, you can't start with an unrelated idea, no matter how catchy or interesting it happens to be. The hook has a direct relationship in some way to your main argument or idea. Ok, so you have a solid grasp of the theme of your essay, great. Now comes the fun part. Yes, conjuring up a killer hook can actually be fun! I use the word "conjure" because there is a bit of magical thinking that comes along with this part of the process. Start with your understanding of the theme and then let your creativity and imagination run wild a little bit. Take your time and be patient. Don't get frustrated if you can't come up with something right away. So, using my earlier example of the "American Dream" essay, you may ask yourself," what does the American Dream look like, sound like, feel like, taste like?" Define it, question it, make a statement about it. What would people do to get it, or keep it? You don't need to address the futility part yet, because you'll address that in your thesis statement, which should be the last sentence in the introduction. If you are writing a personal essay, start with a specific moment in your story that will connect back to your main idea later in the essay. BE SPECIFIC! Describe how the moment in detail. Describe the setting, the sights, the sounds, the smells, and the feelings. Then you can pull back out to where the story begins and go from there. Now, these are just a few ideas, but the choices are endless. If you're writing a persuasive essay, you can start with some startling data or facts related to your main idea that you know will surprise or interest the reader. I guess what I'm saying is that there are no rules, just possibilities. Lastly, go ahead and take a big swing. Even if you're little off, teachers and readers will appreciate your effort!
