A Brief Note About Conclusions

When writing a conclusion, try to avoid simply rehashing or rewording your thesis. Try to go beyond re-summarizing your main points. Perhaps try to push your essay a little bit further by pointing the reader to the significance or the implications of what you've written. Take the reader in a new (but related) direction in an effort to keep them thinking. Remember that you are striving for a conclusion, not closure. That is, you shouldn't assume that you have the last word on the subject. Try using some of the same techniques you use to grab interest in the introduction, to grab interest in the conclusion. For example, you might use a striking statistic, a thought-provoking question, or a vivid analogy.

Both of the samples of conclusions set out below take the reader beyond a rewording of the thesis in the introduction (the introductions follow each for a comparison):

Conclusion #1: After considering all the elements and adding up the totals, it becomes plain that although most of us truly mean well when we purchase a pretty parrot, it is irresponsible and selfish not to consider the implications of our decisions regarding these exotic creatures. Good intentions cannot compensate for neglect, no matter how benign. In making sensible choices, we have to really think about what we are buying and realize that the price of affection is too high. (Marina Smith, English 112 student)

Introduction #1: As members of the Psittacine (parrrot) family, Macaws, Cockatoos, and Amazons are some of the most dynamic representatives of the bird world and every year increasing numbers of us choose these unique animals as pets. We are fascinated by their ability to mimic our language, captivated by their dazzling beauty, and enthralled by their boisterous antics. But there is a fee for this affectionate union--one that goes beyond a price tag, and one that has become too expensive to ignore. We can no longer justify keeping these birds as pets in the face of the overwhelming "expense" to the environment and to the mental and physical well-being of the birds themselves. (Marina Smith, English 112 student)

Conclusion #2: Critics have cried out for a ban on the sport of boxing, but we must not be dissuaded by accidental or undisciplined incidents that occur in the ring. We cannot ban this powerful form of art. Rather, let us watch in awe as the fighter makes music under the sundeck. Let us watch in awe as we hold our breath.

Introduction #2: A 100 lb leather punching bag swings from a hook under the sundeck. It is biting cold outside and the boxer's breath floats into a tiny cloud above him and disappears. His eyes are transfixed at an unseen face on the target. He dances to a rhythm that only he can hear. He breathes loudly through his nose as each quick jab hits the bag hard. A powerful blow hits its mark after every third or fourth jab. The fists slice the air in precisely the same spot each time and a pattern emerges. The bag is now swinging as he circles, making his music. You cannot help but hold your breath at the beauty of his strength and agility.