How to Start an Essay (with the question?)

will starting with the question itself be ok ...i mean m repeating the question itself in my 1st paragraph...

maybe you could talk about the essay background

A question is a great way to start an essay! Open with a provocative question that inspires interest of concern. This is called a narrative hook.

It's also okay to use a question as your thesis. Even in qualitative research, when you are working toward your graduate degree, can have a "guiding hypothesis" in the form of a question (Creswell 2008)





Reference:

Cresswell. (2008). Educational Research.

I need to wright an essay on a story of the book, but I have difficulty of starting.

Remember to start the question asking something "interesting" like EF_Kevin noted. =]
But try not to start with those "Throughout history.... etc" I heard doing that is a bad way to start an essay

The book that I am writing about is Second class citizen . pls. can somebody give me an idea of how to start and what to concentrate on. I do have problem with the english is not easy for me to express my self. can somebody give me a guiden line.

my essay topic is about women takin career breaks.....my first line is the topic itself ...will that sound good

What would the first line actually be? Like, write out the sentence on here.

To me, starting an essay with a question is unbearably cliche for an experienced audiece, with few exceptions in my limited experience.

- If you are a good writer you can quickly address the question in an unconventional manner which deflects attention and provides you with an opening to move the reader along rapidly.

- Sometimes you can deliberately craft a scintillating conclusion which you think follows from some premises and work it into the question. At this point the onus is on you to prove it with a series of points that you try to relate to each other at critical junctures.

At some point, using questions to open as a literay device becomes obsolete when you can just as easily state your assertions forcefully to open, with the benefit of increased clarity and diminished awkwardness.

Here's a basic idea, even though you don't say what the topic is.

1. What are the most important qualities in a person that determine their success?

2. Is there any quality that can conceivably rival the importance of X in determining the relative success of a person.

thanks a lot mustafa

you know what, starting it with a question is good. it will make your reader know what your essay is all about right away and also make the person curious of what the answer will be. thus making your reader read your work =D

It would help if you posted your introductory paragraph here. That way, we could comment on the appropriateness of your specific question.