Thursday, November 14, 2019
First Paragraphs in Short Stories :: essays research papers
FIRST PARAGRAPHS First paragraphs are fundamental to the story and need to ââ¬Å"hookâ⬠the reader in. If the first paragraph doesnââ¬â¢t grab you, then why would you read further? The first paragraph is where you are introduced to the tone of the story and sets the stage by introducing the main character(s) and giving information to entice us to continue reading. Three stories that have strong first paragraphs that draw us in and help us understand the character and story are: ââ¬Å"A Sick Callâ⬠by Morley Callaghan, ââ¬Å"A Bird In The Houseâ⬠by Margaret Laurence, and ââ¬Å"One Eveningâ⬠by David Helwig. In the first paragraph of ââ¬Å"A Sick Callâ⬠we are introduced to Father Macdowell, a ââ¬Å"huge, old priestâ⬠who ââ¬Å"was a bit deaf in one earâ⬠. We are also told that ââ¬Å"nothing seemed to shock or excite him, or make him really angryâ⬠. Thus, it appears that something later on in the story may test Father Macdowellââ¬â¢s fortitude and we are drawn to read on. When we do, we discover why his size and deafness are important. In ââ¬Å"A Bird In The Houseâ⬠, the first paragraph introduces us to Vanessa, the main character, and tells us that she has skipped an important parade. The time of year is also pinpointed by mentioning the Remembrance Day parade and the ââ¬Å"snowy windâ⬠. This makes us want to read on to discover why Vanessa missed the parade and what made it, and the time of year, so important to her family. Miss Machry, in ââ¬Å"One Eveningâ⬠, is described to us right away in the first paragraph. We get the sense of her character in the way she ââ¬Å"waved the old Japanese fanâ⬠, because the fan was delicate and it could only be preserved by ââ¬Å"the gentlest of handlingâ⬠. The fan is the link to her mother and father and how she had come to this moment. Miss Machry is looking out the window and waiting on someone ââ¬Å"there was no sign of him yet.
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