The Lead-In
A good lead--in immediately engages the reader in your topic and leaves them wanting more. It should also convey as sense of where your paper will lead them. Examine the opening paragraphs of the academic papers below. Notice how the leads function within them.
Here are a few good examples:
Taken from : "Does this Prison Jumpsuit Make Me Look Fat?:
The popularity of Court-based TV" by Jennifer Story
Silence and tension fill the courtroom making the air heavy. A door opens allowing twelve citizens to file into the courtroom. Onlookers study their faces for a hint of the impending verdict. As they make their way to the jury box they glance at the man whose fate is in their hands. His eyes plead with them for reason and mercy. After the verdict is read, it is clear that his pleadings were to no avail. The courtroom erupts in joyful clapping and shocked gasps. Hugs and handshakes are exchanged and the jury dismissed. The convicted felon is taken away to pay his debt to society. Justice has been neatly packaged and delivered in true Hollywood style. One only needs to look at a ratings chart to see that Americans have a voracious appetite for this kind of television. From works of pure fiction like NBC's Law and Order franchise to Court TV's total devotion to real life trials, statistics show that Americans simply can not get enough. The deeper and more complex question is why. What makes court-based television so appealing? The general consensus for its appeal is that court TV demystifies the judicial system, confirms society's ideals and values and placates our need for voyeuristic theater.
Taken from: "You Are What You Watch: Media Induced Aggression In Youth Has Skeptics Pointing The Finger At Parents"
by Kat Belopolskaya
Mike Hudis of Adweek.com reports that in 1993 a five year old boy set his house on fire after imitating a scene that involved and aerosol can and a lighter in a cartoon show. The boy's mother suggested that Beavis and Butt-Head, the main characters of the MTV adult cartoon show by the same name, were to blame for the tragedy that killed her two year old daughter, due to the irresponsible antics performed in the program. Consequently, media violence and its effect on young children became an issue up for reevaluation by executives and parents alike (Hudis). Studies have illustrated, using controlled experiments and specific findings, that life, indeed, imitates art and vice versa. In addition, however many wonder what new lengths society must go to, as begetters of the next generation, to diminish such unfortunate accidents as the one mentioned above. Some might argue that monitoring child activities, while controlling media influence in the home, is definitely an aspect of the famous proverb “all good things in moderation.” However, taking into consideration that as children grow and evolve, so too does television, many feel its getting harder for parents to distinguish which programs have positive, negative or long term effects on their offspring. Some believe the family unit is being infiltrated by a cunning, baffling culprit, disturbing the unblemished image of child behavior. Many also feel that as the child grows, he or she will perpetuate their elder’s actions or react toward them by incorporating the responses they learn from important sources like television. Critics point out that unless something or someone intervene to change their pattern of behavior, young viewers will retain that aspect of childhood in their adult responses to the world they live in. They feel parental involvement is the most influential factor in raising the next generation, with studies supporting efforts of scholars and experts alike.
Taken from: "Realism in War Movies: The Effect on Viewers"
by Adrian Kroger
A hand rocks nervously. The sky is grey and grown men tremble and some wet themselves. The landing craft they are on is flimsy and even small waves rock it back and forth. The sound of machine gun fire echoes over every thing but the thoughts in their heads. Soon the craft hits land. The flap goes down and bullets penetrate the soft cloth and flesh. Some puke while others spill their entrails into the water from gaping holes in what used to be stomachs. A small few make it onto the beach to press onward, onward to more horrors untold. This opening scene from Saving Private Ryan is heralded by many as the most realistic war movie ever made. These same critics have commented that movies have sought to be more realistic in both the visual aspects as well as dialogue and plot development since their inception many years ago without a thought as to how they would affect the people who watch them. Many believe that movies and especially movies based on war or about war have a profound and decided effect on those who watch them. From John Wayne’s clinical treatment of battle in the European theater of WWII to the ferocious reality of that same conflict in Saving Private Ryan pundits argue that movies give many different viewpoints on wars and what happens in them.
