The Ways In feature on pp. 480–81 suggests several ways to present an arguable thesis. In writing your introduction, avoid creating a “funnel paragraph,” which begins with a broad generalization and then becomes more and more focused and narrow, culminating in what is usually the essay’s thesis. The problem with this kind of paragraph structure is that broad generalizations are not very interesting and add nothing to the essay. Look, for example, at the italicized sentences in this modified version of Isabella Wright’s opening paragraph:
As all of us know, being the subject of a medical examination, especially if you are a child, is rarely fun. Patients can be nervous and uncooperative, and in the worst cases, doctors can act like real jerks. William Carlos Williams’s story “The Use of Force” is surprising in that it does not completely condemn the doctor for doing just that.
It is best to get rid of sentences like these and simply begin by presenting your ideas about the story.