Concluding Paragraphs

The conclusion is the end of the essay, and

it is what the reader will remember most.

Since the conclusion paragraph is the last

part of the essay, writers must make a

strong statement to leave a positive and

memorable impression.

Your conclusion should not . . .

• add a new idea just because you have thought of it at the end.

• repeat the exact same words.

• be a simple summary—avoid repeating what you have already said.

– A brief summary of your argument may be useful, but shorter

essays do not require a restatement of your main ideas.

• use phrases like “in conclusion,” “to conclude,” “in summary,” and “to

sum up.”

– Avoid being formulaic

– Readers can see that the essay is about to end

– Do not state the obvious

• apologize—do not undercut your authority

Your conclusion should . . .

• finish the essay and tell the reader where the writer has

brought them

• convey a sense of completeness and closure

• be direct and confident

• creatively restate the main idea/thesis of the essay

• remind your reader about the most important aspects of your

essay

• contain echoes of the introduction and body paragraphs

without listing the points covered in the essay

• create a broader implication of the ideas discussed

• leave your reader even more interested in your topic and

ideas

Concluding Strategies:

• FRAME or ECHO

• Make A PREDICTION

• Tell “SO WHAT?”

• Present a CALL TO ACTION

• Relate to a larger, GLOBAL,

implication

END WHERE YOU BEGAN:

FRAMING • Called “echoing” or “framing,” this type of

ending picks up an idea/image in the

introduction and echoes it in the

conclusion.

– Refer back to the anecdote/example

mentioned previously and show how it is still

relevant

– Provide a solution to the problem you raised

– Provide an answer to a question you asked

MAKE A PREDICTION

• Point to the future in a way that relates to the topic. – Describe a future scenario.

– Strike a note of hope or despair.

• For example, to conclude a persuasive essay on why students should not be required to wear uniforms, the concluding paragraph can start by pointing to the future:

Without developing individuality, students will fail to achieve their full potential. A school with uniforms offers a bland environment that squashes student individuality.

• Why do readers need to know this information?

• Show readers why this paper is important; show

them that your paper was meaningful and

useful.

• For example, to conclude a persuasive essay on why students should not be required to wear uniforms:

So What? Uniforms are a costly way for schools to enforce conformity. However, it does not cost the school system; it costs the students and the parents.

SO WHAT?

CALL TO ACTION

• What can your reader do?

• Suggest a future action that needs to be taken by the writer or the reader (or the character mentioned if writing a literary analysis essay).

• For example, to conclude a persuasive essay on why students should not be required to wear uniforms, the concluding paragraph can suggest a course of action:

As a stakeholder in this school, students should seek to preserve the individual spirit of their peers and vote “no” on school uniforms.

Relate to a Larger

Landscape--Global • Demonstrate how the topic has broad significance

• Reveal the importance of the issue discussed

• Give your reader something to think about, perhaps a way to use your paper in the “real” world.

• Think globally.

• For example, to conclude a persuasive essay on why students should not be required to wear uniforms:

The school board should not be able to take away the rights of students. The rights of the individual are the cornerstones of a just and noble society. And the United States was build upon the framework of individual liberties.

Advanced Concluding

Strategies:

• Students should ALWAYS align their introduction and conclusion paragraphs to create a unified, purposeful essay.

– Framing

• Students can compose their introduction and conclusion paragraphs together after they have written the body of their essay.

• Students can use the approach of writing the body of the essay first, the introduction paragraph second, and the conclusion paragraph last, to quickly reap the reward of a more structured essay.

Name that Concluding Strategy

• The following slides contain examples of

solid concluding paragraphs.

The point is, write. A letter or card is truly

a unique gift—a piece of the sender. And if

children come home form school talking

about pen pals or writing to a senator or

editor, parents will know they are

participating in National Card and Letter

Writing Week. Encourage children because

they are learning about the value of the

written word.

Call to Action

Edna’s character in The Awakening transforms from

sleeping through life by meeting expectations to a great

awakening in which her thoughts and actions are

consistent with each other. Edna’s struggle between her

inner desires and her outward conformity is one in which

her best solution was to satisfy no roles and expectations,

including her own. Her character is so memorable because

the reader can empathize with Edna’s internal conflict to

both conform and defy. She is unforgettable because she

does what each of us has wanted to do; her character

defies and abandons societal expectations and impositions.

Global

One important reason to read great works is that they

provide fascinating insights into the time period in which

they were written. For example, classical world literature

shows the lives of women and wives across the centuries.

Thus, by studying these classical pieces, it is easier to

understand how women were treated and valued in

different societies. Future generations will look to

contemporary literature as a depiction of modern society’s

expectations and values of women not only as wives, but

as single and independent women, as well.

Prediction

Generally speaking, children can be divided into three

groups, but caregivers must not forget that each child is an

individual. Children may have the traits of all three of the

personality groups, but they are categorized into the one

they are most like. Whatever their temperament, children

need to be treated according to their individual needs.

When these needs are met appropriately, the child will be

happier, and those around the child will feel better.

Knowing the general personality types and how to react to

them will help to make the caregiver’s job much easier and

dissipate unnecessary stress.

So What?

Violence on children’s television is the rule rather than the

exception. Few shows, other than those on cable or public

television, attempt to go beyond the simplistic formulas that

cartoons follow. As a result, children are being shown that

violence is superior to reason and that conflict and threats of

violent death are normal conditions for existence. In addition,

because human beings never get killed in these cartoons, children

are encouraged to see war and fighting as harmless. The

government needs to convene a commission to study violence on

children’s television, so that parents will not have to shudder each

time their children sit down in front of television for a morning of

fun.

Call to Action

Serving on a jury is not only a civic

responsibility but also an interesting

experience; however, many people still view

jury duty as a chore that interrupts their jobs

and the routine of their daily lives. Juries are

part of America's attempt to be a free and

just society. Thus, jury duty challenges us to

be interested and responsible citizens.

Global

Ask employers about saving for college

with U.S. savings bonds. Write: U.S.

Savings Bonds for Education, Department of

the Treasury, Washington, D.C 20226, or

call 1-800-4USBond. This certainly could be

the first important step in planning for the

future.

Call to Action