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Definition, Usage and a list of Hook Examples in common speech and literature. Hook is a literary technique that grabs the reader's attention within the first few sentences.
- Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
- I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. (“Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman)
- In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”
- Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean anything.
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- Build urgency. A girl running for her life; a dead body lying in a swamp; a crowd gathering to point into the sky. Each of these actions or images create a kind of urgency that hooks a reader into the story.
- Prompt pressing questions. Good story openings include meandering beginnings that take time getting to the point (this is especially common in literary novels that do not necessarily require the brisk pace of a thriller).
- Involve intriguing contexts. The best story hooks don’t only grab our attention. They tell us (often in a highly compressed way) a lot about the world we’re about to enter.
- Introduce striking voices. We tend to think of hooks strictly in terms of ‘Plot’ with a capital ‘P’. Yet a hook is just as often made from an inviting (or compellingly repulsive, in the case of an anti-hero) ‘who’.
- The Road To Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. “An elderly man plans to drive across the country to declare his love for his high-school sweetheart when he unexpectedly becomes the guardian of two recently orphaned children and an orange tabby cat who may or may not be able to predict death.”
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. “In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.”
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. “After spending years in California, Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.”
- Playground by Richard Powers. “[Playground follows] four lives—a marine biologist, an artist, a school teacher, and an AI pioneer—that intersect on an island in French Polynesia when it is chosen as a base for seasteading, humanity's next great adventure.”
- The Surprising Statistic Hook. Presenting a surprising fact or statistic is a great way to grab the attention of your audience. For example, an essay on the orphan crisis may begin with
- The Interesting Question Hook. A question at the very start of your piece challenges your readers to start thinking about the topic. It can be a simple yes or no question, but it can also be a more complicated question that will require them to think deeper.
- The Famous Quote Hook. An essay on good citizenship may begin with the famous John F. Kennedy quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
- The Strong Statement Hook. The Strong Statement Hook makes an assertive claim right on the get-go. For example: Sugar is the absolute anti-nutrient: every healthy thing that your body consumes, sugar would automatically negate.
Function of Hook. Authors use hook as a critical component of their writing, as it allows them to demonstrate to readers how their literary works are worth reading within the first minute. This literary technique hooks the attention of readers and appeals to their minds.
Nov 21, 2023 · A hook in ELA is a sentence or sentences at the beginning of a piece of writing that engages readers enough that they want to keep on reading. Good...
