Now write an introductory paragraph for your essay. Remember, your introductory paragraph introduces the reader to your topic. It should include your topic sentence, background information for the audience, and a thesis statement that summarizes the three main points.

Six benches were left empty in every ship that evening when we pulled away from death. and this new grief we bore with us to sea: our precious lives we had, but not our friends. no ship made sail next day until some shipmate had raised a cry, three times, for each poor ghost unfleshed by the cicones on that field.