Expository Essay on Non Familial Love

Hello,

This is my first time posting on this forum. I've been out of school for quite some time, and have a bit of a challenge reclaiming all my writing skills from high school.

My Assignment is this:

- 5-6 page essay arguing for a particular perspective in the explanation of a relationship. Your essay will explain the relationship you have to a living person, a non-family member that you love.

- Cause-and-Effect: How did you meet this person; how did you come to love them?
- Compare and Contrast: How is this love not like family love?
- Process Analysis: How do you know that you love them?

Currently taking my first steps and working on my introduction paragraph. The thesis I've come up with is this:

Love between my best friend and I is one born of trust, protection and companionship.

My plan is to structure the body paragraphs off of these 3 points, and give examples of each. However, I'm not sure what all I should include in the introduction paragraph. Should I be starting off with some sort of story regarding my best friend and I? A definition? Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Both on my introduction paragraph, or opinions on my thesis/how to improve it.

So, you are using a cause-and-effect model, arguing that trust, protection, and companionship lead to love? Unless your teacher has said otherwise, you can start with a description, an anecdote, or a description but -- either way -- you probably should announce your thesis at the end of the first paragraph. Then use each of the subsequent three paragraphs to explore trust, protection, and companionship as these manifested in your relationship and led to love.