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Write the opening sentences.

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You might want to review your invention writing to see whether you have already written something that would work to launch your essay, or you could try out one or two ways of beginning your essay from the list that follows. But do not agonize over the first sentences, because you are likely to discover the best way to begin only as you revise your rough draft.

The following opening strategies may help to engage your readers’ interest:

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An interesting and relevant quotation (like Bernard)
An assertion of the topic’s larger cultural relevance (like Bernard and Samson)
An assertion of the issue’s significance (like Mae)
An anecdote or statistic to show how the issue affects readers