reinteractive

Write a Conclusion

Your conclusion should have energy and match the force of your thesis statement; it is your last chance to drive home your main point. In fact, you should give yourself a last push at the end because people usually remember best what they see, hear, or read last. A good conclusion creates a sense of completion: It not only brings readers back to where they started but also shows them how far they have come.

BASICS OF A GOOD CONCLUSION

It should refer to your main point.
It should briefly summarize the support you have developed.
It should make a final observation.

A good way to end an essay is to refer back to something in the introduction.

If you used a quotation, use another one — by the same person or by another person on the same topic. Or refer back to the quotation in the introduction, and make an observation.
If you stated a surprising fact or idea, go back to it and comment on it, using what you have written in the body of the essay.
If you asked a question, ask it again, and answer it based on what you have said in your essay.
If you started a story, finish it.
Remind your reader of your original point, perhaps repeating key words that you used in your introduction.

Look again at three of the introductions you read earlier, each shown here with its conclusion.

OPEN WITH A QUOTATION

INTRODUCTION A: “Grow where you are planted” is an old proverb that is a metaphor for living. Although I had heard it before, it took me many years to understand and appreciate its meaning. If I had listened to that proverb earlier, I would have saved myself and others many painful experiences.

CONCLUSION A: Finally, I have learned to grow where I am planted, to appreciate the good things in my life rather than look for the bad and be angry. I have learned to take advantage of the many opportunities I have for personal and professional growth, right here and now. And I have vowed to help others around me grow also. My life is much richer now that I follow that old wisdom, and I will pass its lesson on to my children.

— Teresa Fiori, “Appreciate What You Have”

START WITH A STRONG OPINION OR POSITION

INTRODUCTION B: Sex sells. This truth is a boon for marketing gurus and the pornography industry but a rather unfortunate situation for women. Every issue of Playboy, every lewd poster, and even the Victoria’s Secret catalog transform real women into ornaments, valued exclusively for their outward appearance. These publications are responsible for defining what is sexy and reinforce the belief that aesthetic appeal is a woman’s highest virtue.

CONCLUSION B: Women are up against a long history of devaluation and oppression, and, unfortunately, the feminist movements have been only partially successful in purging those legacies. Sexually charged images of women in the media are not the only cause of this continuing problem, but they certainly play a central role.

— Amy L. Beck, “Struggling for Perfection”

ASK A QUESTION

INTRODUCTION C: If you’re a man, at some point a woman will ask you how she looks. “How do I look?” she’ll ask.

You must be careful how you answer this question. The best technique is to form an honest yet sensitive opinion, then collapse on the floor with some kind of fatal seizure. Trust me, this is the easiest way out. You will never come up with the right answer.

CONCLUSION C: To go back to my main point: If you’re a man, and a woman asks you how she looks, you’re in big trouble. Obviously, you can’t say she looks bad. But you also can’t say that she looks great, because she’ll think you’re lying, because she has spent countless hours, with the help of the multibillion-dollar beauty industry, obsessing about the differences between herself and Cindy Crawford. Also, she suspects that you’re not qualified to judge anybody’s appearance. This is because you have shaving cream in your hair.

— Dave Barry, “The Ugly Truth about Beauty”