ACTIVITY 4.1: WRITING THE HOOK FOR YOUR OPINION ESSAY
The HOOK is what catches your readers' attention.
A hook is typically the first one or two sentences of an essay or article that is designed to grab the reader’s attention. Much like a fish gets literally hooked by bait, the hook of an essay should captivate your audience and make them want to read more. A HOOK CAN BE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
(1) a FACT or STATISTIC HOOK that relates to the topic of your essay---- ex. Scientists believe that 90% of the planet will be underwater by the end of this decade. [ESSAY TOPIC: CLIMATE CHANGE]
(2) a QUOTATION HOOKS: (a) from a research source-------ex. According to Shakespearean scholar, Harold Bloom, "All villains seem to be adept at manipulating others for their own ends." [ESSAY TOPIC: HAMLET]
(b) from the text your essay is based on--------- ex. With the words "Never make known what you have seen tonight," Hamlet starts on a path to avenging his father's death by manipulating others. [ESSAY TOPIC: HAMLET]
(3) an ANECDOTAL (personal) HOOK------When I first saw a performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet, I thought that this was the best portrayal of a madman that I had ever seen or read. [ESSAY TOPIC: HAMLET]
(4) A QUESTION HOOK...... ex. Is Hamlet really insane, or is his irrational behaviour just a coverup so that he can manipulate others? [ESSAY TOPIC: HAMLET]