A Man for All Seasons essay question

[TrueTears]

How would one begin the intro for an essay topic such as "A Man for All Seasons suggests that corruption and dishonesty are often rewarded."

Thanks in advance.

[Survivor]

Do you like starting your essays with quotes? I actually think it quite effectively captures the attention of the marker which is especially impressive in contrast to the generic phrases that they get. I don't remember too many quotes now since it's been almost 6 months since I last wrote an AMFAS essay, but try this:

"Success...none of us gets enough of it". So declares the pragmatic Cromwell with smug self-satisfaction, his singleminded persuit for status allowing him to readily do all things dishonest and politically expedient as long as it is "convenient". Indeed, this is exactly what happens: the pragmatists such as Cromwell and Rich manipulate their way up the State, while the humble More whose gaze lies on God is ultimately executed. In A Man For All Seasons, playwright Robert Bolt....

Another quote that might work in the intro is "conveince is the constant factor".

It might not be your style, but hopefully it'll still help in some way

[TrueTears]

That was exactly what I was looking for Survivor, thanks so much.

Just didn't know how to start this one off with something interesting, but yeah thanks again haha

[EvangelionZeta]

I don't think Survivor's style is very common...  For an English essay, the typical opening should be a sentence or two of your thesis - a direct statement of what your argument is.  This way, the marker will immediately understand which direction your essay is actually going.

eg. "Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia is fundamentally a literal exploration of values, toying with the antithetical concepts of Classicism and Romanticism and evaluating them as mutually coexisting ideologies."  

[Survivor]

I don't think Survivor's style is very common...  For an English essay, the typical opening should be a sentence or two of your thesis - a direct statement of what your argument is.  This way, the marker will immediately understand which direction your essay is actually going.

eg. "Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia is fundamentally a literal exploration of values, toying with the antithetical concepts of Classicism and Romanticism and evaluating them as mutually coexisting ideologies."  

Yeah, that's true actually, it really does depend on the person marking.

[TrueTears]

Yeah, but by starting off with a quote could capture some examiners' attention and it shows that you know your stuff

[EvangelionZeta]

As I said, it's not the "typical" (without any connotations!) opening.  Most of the sample writing I've seen doesn't do it, but ultimately I think it's up to individual taste.  If quotes work for you (and they clearly worked for Survivor, judging from her score!), go for it. 

[costargh]

My opinion is that if you are a naturally talented writer who has a VERY deep understanding of the chosen text you should CONSIDER using this style if the right question is asked.

However, if you are not a strong writer, chances are that using a quote in this sort of way may come across as being very dis-jointed and irrelevant; it may look as though you're just trying to be smart instead of answering the question.

Personally, I feel much more comfortable addressing the question with my first sentence as I ensure that I am taking the right approach to the question. Reading so many peoples essays last year I found that many people completely went off topic and hardly addressed the question in a suitable manner. Doing this will ensure you dont score highly- you're digging your own grave.

Survivor is an amazing writer and I can see why she is able to EFFECTIVELY use this style of introduction. If I tried such a thing I would most likely not be very successful. If you feel comfortable attempting this then by all means give it a go. But if you get a question that isn't very well suited to starting with a quote and writing in Survivor's style I wouldn't just try look smart for the sake of looking smart.

[teacher28]

How would one begin the intro for an essay topic such as "A Man for All Seasons suggests that corruption and dishonesty are often rewarded."

Thanks in advance.

This type of topic statement requires that you take the issues that are embedded in the text and discuss them from a broader perspective. To do this without losing sight of the focus of your task (text response) you begin your introduction, each paragraph and your conclusion with a 'generic' statement:

e.g. In a perfect world we could expect that if people act with integrity and honesty they would be rewarded for their just efforts. However, humanity has never inhabited such a Utopia. It is often apparent in our society, and has been throughout history, that the opposite happens -- the good crumble against the power of those who use their authority with improbity. Such is the case in Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons.(and continue on...)

Be careful with this topic. Who actually succeeds?

How are you going to define 'rewarded'?

The best type of essay to begin with a quote is the one written for Creating and Presenting expository mode.

[TrueTears]

How would one begin the intro for an essay topic such as "A Man for All Seasons suggests that corruption and dishonesty are often rewarded."

Thanks in advance.

This type of topic statement requires that you take the issues that are embedded in the text and discuss them from a broader perspective. To do this without losing sight of the focus of your task (text response) you begin your introduction, each paragraph and your conclusion with a 'generic' statement:

e.g. In a perfect world we could expect that if people act with integrity and honesty they would be rewarded for their just efforts. However, humanity has never inhabited such a Utopia. It is often apparent in our society, and has been throughout history, that the opposite happens -- the good crumble against the power of those who use their authority with improbity. Such is the case in Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons.(and continue on...)

Be careful with this topic. Who actually succeeds?

How are you going to define 'rewarded'?

The best type of essay to begin with a quote is the one written for Creating and Presenting expository mode.

Thanks teacher28 again for your help on AMFAS