1. Adding POW to Your Informative &
Surprising Essays
Sheila Bolduc-Simpson
sbolduc@fgcu.edu
ENC 1101 Composition I
October 15, 2013

2. Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
 identify 8 ways to open your argument essays
with a POW

3. #1 The Surprise Attack
 Use a startling remark or
statistic.

4. Startling Remark
Get Carded: And Not For Your Beer
I once saw an episode of Crime Scene
Investigation (CSI) where a woman
harvested organs from dead bodies in
order to grind them and drink their juices.
Morbid and farfetched thoughts such as
these plague minds when making the
decision to sign up to be an organ donor.
(Comp 2 Student)

5. Statistics That Wake Up Your
Reader
There are 700,000 different kinds of
known insects, 2700 species of
mosquitoes, 90,000 flies, 30,000 ticks
(actually eight-legged fellows related to
spiders), 1800 fleas, 3500
cockroaches, and one really loathsome
kind of bedbug. For each one of us, there
are 200 million of them, which sifts out to
about 300 pounds of bugs per person. The
biomass of the ants alone weighs more
than all humans put together. It gives
pause.
(Bugz
Steve Chapple)

6. #2 The Quote that Stokes
 Use a quotation that is not a
cliché or one that is not boring..

7. Quote Comp 2 Example
Dear Mr. Barkley,
“I am not a role model. I am an athlete. I do
not get paid to raise your children. I get paid
to dunk a basketball” (coolquotes.com).
Sound familiar? I read this quote of yours
while I was perusing the internet last night and
I was so appalled by your words, I forced
myself to write this letter to you to express my
dissatisfaction with your actions. How can you
say such a thing on national television?
Hundreds of millions of people pay money to
watch you, a countless number of them being
easily influenced young children, and you
have the audacity to say that athletes should

8. #3 The Anecdote or Scene
 Tell an anecdote or describe a
scene.

9. Anecdote Comp 2 Example
On your mark, get set, go! Standing at the start line
was an adrenalin rush. My heart began to race with
what felt like hundreds of centipedes sprinting in my
stomach. It was the first track meet of my college
career. The bleachers were crammed with hundreds
of spectators, reporters, and even ESPN cameras
poised to capture the 100 meter sprint. My family had
all come to watch ME. I knew there were 7 other
lanes filled, but at that moment, I was the only
competitor on the line. The gun went off. No, my
alarm went off. It was 6:15 a.m. and it was time for me
to get ready for school. With my talent, this dream
would have become a reality. I am not currently
attending college on a running scholarship, but I am in
college. Even after having a baby at 17, I was
determined to further my education, and here I
am! Teenage mothers like me should consider
furthering their education for the future of their

10. #4 The Paradox
• Open with a paradox (a
statement that, while
true, seems to contradict
itself.

11. Paradox Example from Literature
"There was only one catch and that was Catch22, which specified that concern for one's own
safety in the face of dangers that were real and
immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr
was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to
do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no
longer be crazy and would have to fly more
missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions
and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to
fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't
have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and
had to."
(Joseph Heller, Catch-22)

12. #5 The Human Definition
 Define an important term or concept.
 Don’t use a dictionary definition that will bore
your reader. Be creative and descriptive.

13. #6 Use Visual Text

14. Visual Text Comp 2 Example
Whatever Happened to Baby Gene?
There once was a young baby
Who lived in a tube
There were so many scientists
It didn’t know what to do (Alejandro Oquendo)

15. Visual Text Comp 2 Example 2
Dangerous Beauties
It is said that beautiful hands start with beautiful nails.
I love to have my hands looking good and to me that
means having my nails professionally done. My
personal favorite is acrylic nails, but does this
procedure come without risks?

16. Visual and Audio Comp 2
Example
Are We Becoming Too Smart for Our Own Good?
Gattaca
If someone were to tell you that you could create
a highly intelligent, abnormally healthy, beautiful
child, you would almost be a fool not to do so,
right? So what’s the catch? Although altering
human genetics in the birthing process can be
beneficial, do the cons outweigh the pros as
technology advances?

17. Final Thoughts