Effective Attention-Getters

Different kinds of attention-getters:

-personal anecdotes

-fact (shocking, impactful)

-imagery/painting a picture

Examples of GOOD attention-getters:

Yesterday while walking in my neighborhood, I passed a girl half my height. Both this

observation as well as her girlish pigtails and youthful expression led me to the assumption that she attended the elementary school across the street. After she passed me, I turned around to notice the word “JUICY” plastered across the top of her pants in bright pink letters. This strange juxtaposition of youth and flirtatiousness, of girlish immaturity and sexuality is a primary concern Huxley explores in his dystopian novel Brave New World.

Reasons why this is good:

-connects to our lives

-really grabs the attention because it makes a connection back to them, intrigues them to continue reading

You are told what wear: a grey tunic, the dress of all of your peers. You are told what to do:

you will sweep streets rather than being a scientist as you desire. You are told who to talk to:

you must not interact with anyone of the opposite sex nor develop intimate relationships with

friends or family. This is the reality of the dystopian universe Rand captures in Anthem.

Reasons why this is good:

-instructs the reader in what to do

-sets up the scene in the story really well

Not-so-good (bad) example:

During the year of 1941, very few flowers grew in Lorain, Ohio. The characters of The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, black girls in their early adolescence, also have trouble growing and flowering into confident, happy young women.

Reasons why this is not a good one:

-not shocking

-does not engage the reader