November 18th // Learning about hooks and thesis statements

 In today’s class, we learned about writing a good hook in order to attract our readers when writing essays. Specifically, we learned about the two different types of hooks; first the “funnel” type, and second, the “opposite of funnel” type. I would say that the funnel type is commonly used compared to the second one. Therefore when I heard about the “opposite of funnel” type, I was surprised but was also intrigued since I was looking for that type when writing short essays. (Which I will explain in more detail later)

 Firstly, to explain about the funnel type specifically, it is where you start off with a broad idea and gradually narrow it down to where you would call it the main claim. Here, you talk about your idea in detail and link it to your three reasons that help support your idea. I thought that this way of writing hooks is used widely across the world, as I have seen it being used in Japanese essays too. In addition, I thought that in comparison to the “opposite of funnel” type, it allows a wider variety of audiences to be attracted, since a wide themed hook means that there are bigger chances of people being interested in it. Therefore, the funnel type is commonly used compared to the second type, also allowing more audiences to be interested in the essay.

 Secondly, the “opposite of funnel” type is where you start off with a specific idea rather than gradually going into the details to the main claim. When using this technique, a lot of people mentioned that they think it is harder to use compared to the first one. The reason is because it is hard to grab the reader’s attention without using a wide-spread information. I also thought so, as when reading essays, I do not see them being used often enough too. On the other hand, I thought that this type is convenient to use when writing essays that require a certain word count. This is because when using the funnel type, it takes more time to get to the main claim. However, with this type you are able to get to the main claim almost directly, therefore meaning it will require less words. In sum, I learned that the second type is not so bad and also has it’s uses.

 Overall, learning about the two types of hooks; the “funnel” type and the “opposite of funnel” type, I am now able to separate and understand the differences of the two types myself. Further more, by learning about the characteristics of good hooks, I am now able to write a better hook compared to before, that will help attract more readers and bring enjoyment while reading, to the audiences.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pechakucha Presentation last day

 2021-11-30     Today was the last day for Pecha Kucha presentations, and I was honestly a bit sad it came to an end. I think the presenters did a great job but there were three points that I thought could still be improved and three points I thought helped stand their presentation out from the rest. Points of improvement 1. Not looking at the screen 2. Facing your shoulders towards the audience 3. Placing the hands in front of the body Good points 1. Maintained eye contact 2. Joked around here and there (released the tension for the presenters following) 3. Timing of the talk and the slides changing     In the last twenty minutes, Mr. Paterson talked about the Book Trailor Contest, which I am planning on joining (not sure yet). I think it would be a great opportunity to read Japanese books (which I definitely need to do to improve my comprehension skills) and a great opportunity to work again with Kotone (most probably).
Read more

Pechakucha Presentation Day 1

2021-12-10      Today, four people presented, which was slightly under the planned number (due to technical difficultiesーno brainer). Anyways, looking at the four presenters, I noticed there were three main points I believe could be improved.     The first point I believe could be improved about the presenters, is the lack of facial expressions. Specifically, I understand this is hard to do as we are required to wear masks right now, but at the same time, I also believe this is one of the most important factors to incorporate in our presentations. Generally speaking, we rely a lot of our communication on facial expressions, through reading the person's eyes, eyebrows, mouth, cheeks, and so on. And so having that factor taken away (due to masks) definitely does make it hard to enhance our facial expressions. However, the face is somewhere audiences look at the most, and so enhancing the use of facial expressions will help them stay engaged in us throughout the pr...
Read more

Part 1 Chapters 1-2

   In the first chapter, it starts off by the narrator talking about the last time he saw the book thief when the sky was "red". (As explained in the prologue, the red represents bombs.) Here, he only talks about it for a few lines, and it sounds as if he is talking to himself, and not necessarily explaining the event in detail. After the soliloquy, the story takes off. The plot takes place in 1939 when the book thief was nine years old. She and her brother, Werner were on their way to Munich, where they would be handed over to their foster parents. Riding on a train, their mother fully asleep, with Werner in her arms, the book thief sat next to her, half asleep. It was then when she realized that something was wrong with her brother. His lifeless body laid there sideways and before she knew it, it was too late. Looking for the right timing, the narrator decided to "extract his soul". He described the little boy's spirit as "soft and cold, like ice cream....
Read more