The power of a great introduction - Carolyn Mohr

[@nishantmishra6822]

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” introduction that made me read a book. And "September 21, 1945... that was the night I died." from grave of the fireflies, the best movie I ever watched.

[@ruqaiyahkhatoon8212]

That's Pride and Prejudice. All time favorite

[@adventureawaits3860]

The grave of the fireflies is truly a great movie

[@baklolmaster6155]

"My mother died today. Or maybe yesterday.." Remains one of my favorites!

[@monishankumar3748]

which book is that?

[@mychkineov1193]

@@monishankumar3748 albert camus - the stranger

[@monishankumar3748]

@@mychkineov1193 thank u

[@nahlamujahed3874]

omg i loved that one, the way he just didn't even care enough was killing me lol

[@oddball_oddity]

One introduction that has remained stubbornly hardwired in my brain, "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of Number 4 Privet Drive were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much"

[@Aritul]

Haha. Cute!

[@shakesmctremens178]

The one that sticks in my mind.. "She sipped her latte gracefully, unaware of the milk foam droplets building on her mustache, which was not the peachy-fine baby fuzz that Nordic girls might have, but a really dense, dark, hirsute lip-lining row of fur common to southern Mediterranean ladies nearing menopause, and winked at the obviously charmed Spaniard at the next table."

[@MG-fb4yj]

Shakes McTremens What book?

[@liammiller6247]

"The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years-if it ever did end-began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain." Ten points to the house that guesses which book that is correctly.

[@shakesmctremens178]

Yoona - No book. That would be a winning entry to the Bulwer-Lytton contest.. 2004 if I'm not mistaken.

[@MissNerdyChic1120]

this was done by my freshman english teacher! she's amazing :3

[@asmiaryal3942]

@Jacob Siemsen_2230532 lol

[@willsolacemahsaamini8681]

Wow!

[@ayeshakhanum4654]

"Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked." Intro to the show that changed the way I look at the world

[@ayeshakhanum4654]

Justin Dasher Da da da da DUN dun dun DUHHHHH Nope, you got it all right! 😊

[@nextquestion3773]

The best Intro I never tried to memorize but I did.

[@Madika92]

Ayesha Khanum YES

[@juuu2372]

Which show?

[@utkarshsoni3964]

@@juuu2372 Avatar - The Last Airbender

[@everydaytyrone]

"Once when I was six years old I saw a beautiful picture in a book about the primeval forest called True Stories. It showed a boa constrictor swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing." My fave ❤️

[@asmaurrehman782]

Bruce Tyrone Ingat is this a book?

[@everydaytyrone]

Asma Ur Rehman The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[@asmaurrehman782]

Bruce Tyrone Ingat Thanks! (Sorry for replaying late, I just saw this.)

[@whiskeredwolf4861]

Yes! My favorite fairy tale! Well, I guess it's not exactly a fairy tale, but close enough.

[@lunacy5772]

Bruce Tyrone Ingat omgeeee my faveeeeee

[@pm0913]

"Look at the title how to write a thesis and introduction. Would that have hooked you?" Me: O- Ahhhhh you clever little tricker you

[@queenofsloths4416]

Yeeee

[@AnonymousRandomDude]

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."

[@michaelstevenmartin3478]

+Preston Dixon If that's true then the recent Star Wars movie suggests Reggae Music was created by aliens on another planet. Meditate, grasshopper.

[@Kntrytnt]

Might not be the best introduction, but it's iconic as anything could be. It works well for his tale.

[@mimi12821]

That's the worst introduction to start with. You should instead start with 'Once upon a time...'

[@liliacfury]

Reminds me of Fairy Tail's old introduction

[@Leto85]

Preston Dixon Nice example. But when things are iconic they can almost always get away with everything.

[@MG-fb4yj]

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly in school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita." PURE GOLD.

[@amorahschultze3781]

Yoona Kenway Yes, that’s the most powerful intro I’ve ever read and Lolita is one of my favorite books.

[@spawnofithao5218]

Smut in classic. Noice.

[@HeisenbergBrB]

That intro alone compelled me to read the book.

[@LukmanHakim-gn3uk]

So is this the reference for all that lewd little girl characters in Japanese Cartoon? No-no it cant be, no way

[@adnin8968]

@@LukmanHakim-gn3uk sort of yes,it's a horror story but people do sometimes you know think of it as an erotic or perhaps romantic novem

[@mindmintflavor5893]

"If you are bored b writing it, your readers will be bored reading it" I have never thought about it, and I think it is true, I mean I used to think that you must write even though you don't feel like the thing you are writing is interesting, like following some rules of structure, and so, but you can feel the love and passion of the writer when you read.

[@vmkl]

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possesion of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.."

[@sadnessofwildgoats]

jane austen?

[@coffeeknight6148]

Jane Austen

[@arhamramiz7791]

Ironic, nowadays.

[@alishathami5122]

Pride and prejudice

[@gsahara8405]

First and second comment, before reading yours (the 3rd) I said to myself What about Pride and prejudice... and there

[@GFM_90]

"In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit"

[@GustavoSilva-ny8jc]

Crazy that when i watched this approximately 7yrs ago, as a teen, she looked super human and out of reach; today i write with similar poetry and creativity and it feels natural.

[@cartersmith6628]

when it said " think about how this video started " did anyone else rewind to the beginning to watch the intro again?

[@alfredthepatientxcvi]

yes, me

[@ivyrose9283]

Yes!

[@cijodaniel2037]

yup..

[@thatisalll]

SAME!!!!

[@evernightrose5152]

Me😂

[@hakimanif8990]

i love how people start giving interesting example in the comment section

[@nozecone]

Of course, they are all introductions to novels, and not to literary essays ... !

[@BAMLOVE123]

Carolyn Mohr is an incredible teacher and this is a testament to that. This is fabulous. Miss Mohr you were my favorite teacher!

[@angel31356]

Just started my major in English literature and this video has been very helpful. I've always been unsatisfied with the way I start my introductions but the tips you gave helped me navigate better

[@Cryptonymicus]

In the beginning . . . --Book of Genesis In darkness, there is death. --Eric Van Lustbader It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . --Charles Dickens He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad. --Raphael Sabatini

[@lemmingsgopop]

Bravo. The same thing can be said of a teacher's lesson. A good introduction is the lynchpin of any lesson, and further the first class is the key to a successful class.

[@rolerino21]

"The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed". It's my all time favorite beginning by Stephen King

[@Kntrytnt]

"The problem with telling your life story, is that it always helps if you aren't dead yet."

[@newdivide9882]

Juan Salvatore I was waiting to see this comment

[@Shimmermon]

The Dresden Files Book 6, Blood Rite , still has my favorite opening line. Granted, it makes more sense if you've read the previous books, but it's still very funny on its own. "The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault." That tells you a not insignificant amount about the character in question :P

[@Kntrytnt]

One of the best lines from a Percy Jackson book: "At this point I should probably mention what the heck was going on. Only one problem, I didn't know what the heck was going on."

[@jaylanperocho6662]

"Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood"

[@trishahechanova]

welppp😂

[@michellereviewsbooks6563]

Oh dam

[@meranpaul3475]

Half blood Prince.

[@sthithapragnya1]

@@meranpaul3475 no thats percy Jackson

[@brazenRenascent]

@@sthithapragnya1 NAH, BOTH OF THEM

[@ganeshdaschaithanya6913]

Thoroughly hooked. Awesome presentation!

[@jehrnandez21]

I had to watch this video twice due to how beautiful it was. Whenever I don't feel like reading, I just watch any Ted-Ed video about literature and I get back on track.

[@d_reeves1133]

Can we take a moment to appreciate how beautifully this vedio is crafted, how every words play a note.

[@cpmohrcpmohr]

Thank you!

[@saltedsnail9887]

"I was on fire." -The Glass Castle BEST HOOK EVER! If you haven't read this book, you need to.

[@KanaidBlack]

"Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."

[@woshinaruto342]

Posted just when I needed it the most. Thanks!

[@DebraBakerls]

One of these based on conclusions would be really helpful!

[@macieko123456]

I simply love the introduction TedEd vids, its very soothing and resonates through me somehow. 0:00 - 0:14

[@HeyDevz]

TedEd videos are becoming more awesome by the upload! :D

[@jjmarquete]

I got it today from the library and started it in the train. Keep me updated.

[@hiimbi2240]

This was made by my freshman English teacher :)

[@TheGracie710.53]

Ooh, nice!

[@mingthan7028]

I was hooked by the fact that whether it will be an essay introduction or a novel intro.

[@Yaarbiriah]

good video re essay writing tips. A side point.. it seems many Americans think that Dickens writes about Victorian England. If you look at the dates of the publications you will see that , for example, Oliver Twist was written at the very BEGINNING of the Victorian period and is actually about life in GEORGIAN England. It seems that the main thing Americans learn about Dickens from the very outset is ''the dire need for reform. yadayada. .. Victorian England'' of course that's true.. but then trying to find ways to read that INTO the text rather than discovering something FROM the text are two different things. I'd advise any reader davka NOT to read introductions and cribs etc till after reading the book, read the book fresh, as if it came from another planet and see what comes out at you.. .. then , after reading commentaries, you can read it AGAIN in that light. How do I know she was reading what she wanted INTO the text and not the other way around? Because she thought it was about Victorian England and issues that relate to Oliver Twist and not Great Expectations! Pip is NOT Oliver.. a completely different story.

[@cpmohrcpmohr]

Great Expectations was published during Queen Victoria's reign. Dickens consistently uses the descriptions hands to show the abuse Pip endures as a child under the care of his sister. It was common for Dickens to explore similar themes and issues in multiple books.

[@TyphanyGarcia]

The quality of this video is absolutely incredible 😅

[@lynndai7735]

One of the top videos created by TEDED

[@grass.daisyy]

"A young man stands in his bedroom. It just so happens that today, the 13th of April, 2009, is this young man's birthday. Though it was thirteen years ago he was given life, it is only today he will be given a name! ..." and then it happens

[@adventureawaits3860]

Which book is this?

[@grass.daisyy]

@@adventureawaits3860 Homestuck. You can search it up it's free to read, and a really long epic to spend quarantine. But not for children tho.

[@spacejazz6272]

Great Expectations read in a kids voice irked me so much because whenever I read it I imagine a grown man reading it

[@evernightrose5152]

Stephen Barlow yeah.. Even me.

[@reginaldrasyid2456]

"It was sunset when Margio killed Anwar Sadat." My favorite line in a mystery-thriller novel which exposes the victim and the perpetrator at the first sentence.

[@AbhipshaSahuCoPrezIOFA]

"Dear Friend, I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand... " I love everything about that book

[@vanshikabhatnagar3739]

Abhipsha Sahu I do too! it's a great book with great characters!

[@AbhipshaSahuCoPrezIOFA]

Vanshika Bhatnagar it's my favourite book... it's so amazing

[@vanshikabhatnagar3739]

Abhipsha Sahu my favourite character HAS to be Patrick... who's yours?

[@AbhipshaSahuCoPrezIOFA]

Vanshika Bhatnagar my favourite character is probably Sam OR Charlie. Patrick is really awesome too. I love everyone in that book so it's hard to pick

[@vanshikabhatnagar3739]

Haha same actually! I adore the movie too... Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller's acting is something that stays with you... The songs... Heroes by Bowie and Asleep by the Smiths... Everything is unforgettable.

[@ThewritingkingRichard]

Love this. I've had some misunderstandings on how to create an intro and this cleared them up.

[@sophier1399]

Better than any classes I've had in school! Wonderful job! Not only do I now know how to write an introduction, but I can also analyze books! :D

[@kirafleur9870]

An excellent lesson. May I recommend another literary topic? Reading and Interpreting poetry. So many Collage students I know can memorize famous poetic lines... but few of them actually know what it means... beyond what it literally says. Even more People stumble over the lines of a poem, pausing at every line for example...

[@MansiSingh1408]

Saw this video for UPSC CSE Mains 2024- Essay paper. Thanks Ted-Ed. :)

[@sairaiqbal4786]

"The spark in her eyes were ignited by a simple sentence, that reverberated within her skull everyday: 'Life is a story,' however, she took several years to decipher the five syllables that could be part of a haiku, a saying, a part of a sonnet, a poem, a story, a life...?" Read more... Life is a story. Everyone you cross by has this story. Their family; their education; their significant other; jobs; ambitions; mental models; motto; home; sins; deeds; so on so forth. However, you wouldn't dare bat bat an eye at the person who crosses you. Something in common? Humans are selfish. They wear masks, hold grudges, carry impressions and don't give two shits about anything.

[@FloppaDoesMusic]

There will be one introduction that will ever be engraved in my mind. It reads as follows: "If you are interested is stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book."

[@allisonhargreeves8315]

'In this story, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning, and very few happy things in the middle.' i LOVED a series of unfortunate events

[@matthewsawczyn6592]

"Analyze me." -Charles Dickens

[@ErenMortel]

Oh my God. If this was titled how to write a thesis introduction I would never have had clicked it, and neither will the introduction, if it just states the obvious. This video is a masterpiece. One of the few good videos I've seen from ted-ed

[@jasy0urs]

First paragraph of my WIP: One day, over a decade and seven more years ago, my mother dubbed herself human and I, a supposed "unwilling victim", became her escape. There's nothing else to describe it, really. I already knew I'm the result of an inevitable aftermath between naivety and deviancy. Most would think they need not to know more, but there are. As we all know, anything that's After had a Before.

[@superawesomecaptainmcfluff9506]

Oh this is amazing, mind publishing the rest? Oh and do you mind if I ask you what you're doing in life?

[@jodicelesteee]

Hi this is two years late but I really love that last sentence!!

[@margit97]

TEDEd has been killing it lately !

[@araghav3921]

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."

[@plaguerat7015]

“He loved Big Brother.”

[@nahlamujahed3874]

big brother is watching

[@satnamo]

`The hand reaches and extends, receives and welcomes -- and not just things: the hand extends itself and receives its own welcome in the hands of others. The hand holds. The hand carries. The hand designs and signs, presumably because man is a sign. Two hands fold into one, a gesture meant to carry man into the great oneness. The hand is all this and this is the true handicraft.'

[@susankelly8752]

It's Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird, just read the text you've photographed. A good introduction serves you well in any kind of writing.

[@jebc4652]

Certainly the introduction is very important, I liked the end.

[@dhanyar1905]

Is it only me who loved the animation so much?

[@allisonhargreeves8315]

"Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood. If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life." changed the course of my life

[@stillcomingupwithname]

Love that series

[@umenqv]

Ayy, Percy!!

[@ConstanceWoodsonorgdev]

Brillian and very helpful Loved the graphics andi illustrations. TY

[@WarrenAlloi]

And also another excellent job by the people at TED!

[@Sinhacandy1]

This put a smile on my face. ☺️

[@omrix9]

Thanks heaps! This makes a perfect lesson plan for students, "Writing an introduction that hooks a reader".

[@Th3Sh1n1gam1]

wow, I especially liked the near last line about the bored writer... it feels so true.

[@BetoValdivieso]

Love this. Pure genius!

[@mischkthefishk1984]

"Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood." -Percy Jackson and The Lightning Theif

[@Prometheusjr14]

Analysis is enjoyable!

[@asln23asln]

THANK YOU TED ED!

[@zhaojanelle]

If only I had this in high school! Awesome

[@BlastC0R3]

Wow I never thought of it like this

[@raedog01]

We recorded the lines especially for this video, with a very talented young British gent.

[@iveljohnsantos413]

I got hooked by the thumbnail. Great introduction! Haha

[@matrakas4]

That's my teacher!! That was my high school Media Literacy teacher!! Go Ms. Mohr!

[@dapills7851]

"Mine has been a life of shame. I can't even guess myself what it must be to live a life of a human being" . That's some f0cking intro right there.

[@HappyNatureChannel]

yes the introduction would have still hooked me because there is a completely separate dimension of thought being displayed, visual, it doesn't matter what the card says, there's an attractive , seemingly tiny woman being pulled up by a fishing hook.

[@nimafariborzi7804]

wow im so excited about thesis sentences. My interest level is soaring....=.=

[@TheSacredImmortal]

It all started on a cold, rainy day in the middle of spring. There was me and my best friend hanging out at the park like we did every morning. Little did I know, this day would change me forever. "Don't you think its crazy for us to be out here while it's raining!" My best friend practically shouted at me. I laughed in my hand and said." Nah, we do this every morning. You're not gonna let a little rain do us in, are you?" Her lips curled into a smile." I guess not." She replied. She twirled around and trotted forward. I watched her go. She haulted in her steps, looked over her shoulder at me, and said."Coming?" A red tint formed on my cheeks out of embarrassed and I nodded my head and skipped behind her. It was nearing night time. We had to leave. "This was a great day. As always." My best friend smirked proudly. "Yeah, it was! Tomorrow again, k?" I reminded her. "Sure." She nods her head before walking in the other direction." Bye best friend!" I watched her run to her car. I left...and the next day, I got a phone call that she died. I lifted my hands up to my face and cried in the palms of my hands. The pain was nothing I've ever felt before. My heart felt like pin needles stabbing me over and over. I gasped for air, hardly breathing in my tears.

[@kishanthisomathilake9267]

Name of the book?

[@Aritul]

I love this. Thank you.

[@souvikduttachoudhury8642]

"Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word harami."

[@meranpaul3475]

A thousand splendid suns!!

[@melissabautz2346]

Thanks for the free essay!

[@Coach_MarcyBob]

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” -The Bible ❤️

[@LAlkhatib95washere]

i hope this helps for when i'm doing my SAT thank you teded :D

[@Julc3]

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...." the best introduction ever.

[@nayome8]

What book is it?

[@benniethejanitor7159]

@@nayome8 it's not a book,it's star wars

[@Superkid33]

It’s.. STAR WARS! :D

[@Alyenbird]

This was very useful. Thank you for posting it.

[@chilidog2469]

This is making sense. When I was in school i was Terrible at writing introductions, but the rest was all good

[@rhiahnfitz]

thank you so much for this! helped me so much!!!!!!

[@さなーださなだ]

This is amazing !!

[@ilovecomputers]

An English lesson that is useful for a change!

[@dannydelacruz1266]

That ending caught my mind.

[@esjihn]

I miss this old less shortened version of the intro

[@yaramahmoud3477]

" A girl is running for her life. The summer air burns at her back, but there are no torches, no angry mobs, only the distant lanterns of the wedding party, the reddish glow of the sun as it breaks against the horizon, cracks and spills across the hills, and the girl runs, skirts tangling in the grass as she surges toward the woods, trying to beat the dying light. " - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

[@jamesmurray1982]

Beautiful

[@zeddash]

the first 13 seconds hooked me.

[@Marleynmyles]

Wow this is excellent! Thank you so much!

[@gabbyperreault1135]

"Cannery Row in Monterery in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream."

[@TheLeighrok]

Great video, I am learning from the best😃

[@lovelylittlegirl3332]

I got bamboozled!! The end of this video got me like `0`

[@Mydashkey]

SO GOOD!

[@ChemxHero]

I wish I saw/learned this in high school. Maybe I wouldn't have had such a rough time. Don't worry it's being put to good use on these Rhetorical Analysis papers. Anyways, this is a great inspiration to future English teachers (actually any teacher). [Ironic, eh?] The best way to combat technology distracting from school is to embrace it in teaching. p.s. Commence Great Expectations... now!

[@nozecone]

Incidentally, I think many people miss the admittedly unimportant but overriding joke of To Kill a Mockingbird: that the whole story is an explanation of how Jem broke his arm. Kind of a 'shaggy-dog story'.

[@waynepope5011]

Awesome video!

[@palmoasis]

I loved this