Needing help. Essay writing !! ?

Question

I were to start an ESSAY by giving the definition of happiness. How should i start my essay ?

Answer 1

Happiness means many things to many people.  To a child, happiness means a chocolate ice cream cone on a hot day while to a mother, happiness means sleeping in late.  For the purposes of this essay I will follow the following definition, as given in the Webster's Dictionary, "a state of well-being and contentment : joy; a pleasurable or satisfying experience."

Answer 2

First you need to gather your ideas together and decide what sort of a single message you think can be presented by those ideas.  How do the ideas fit together?  Starting with just a definition is a really boring way to present your information.  You need to think up some sort of novel idea behind your ideas (like: "happiness is a journey, not a destination" or "happiness is more often the absence of disappointment") but your basic idea will have to be supported by the other things you plan to say.  The key to an opening paragraph is to present the basic idea you are trying to substantiate.