{"id":643,"date":"2014-03-06T03:59:56","date_gmt":"2014-03-06T03:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.princetontutoring.com\/?p=643"},"modified":"2015-01-13T21:03:27","modified_gmt":"2015-01-13T21:03:27","slug":"writing-academically-part-viii-wrapping-things-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.princetontutoring.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/writing-academically-part-viii-wrapping-things-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing Academically (Part VIII): Wrapping Things Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"thatsawrap\"<\/a>Your conclusion is the easiest aspect of your essay, right? Simply throw a few sentences on the end, summarize some of your main points, and that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n

Think again. \u00a0While the introduction to an academic essay<\/a> gives a hefty \u201cfirst impression\u201d to your reader\u2014and is thus very important\u2014your conclusion gives the \u201clast.\u201d What would you like your reader to take away from your essay? A few wilted sentences that merely take up space in a fifth paragraph? Of course not! Your conclusion should be the place where you remind your reader of your argument up until this point (that\u2019s right: your thesis), summarize the main aspects of this argument, and address that tricky question: what\u2019s the point<\/b>? <\/p>\n

You\u2019ve waded through at least four paragraphs. It\u2019s time to wrap things up! Now that you have arrived at your conclusion, do not give up. The ideal conclusion should contain (at the very least) these four parts:<\/p>\n

A reminder or reiteration of your thesis. <\/b><\/p>\n

If you can, try to rephrase your thesis in different words. Although your thesis may feel a bit \u2018tired\u2019 by this point (you should have, after all, been reiterating it for the previous four paragraphs), it is critical that you \u201cconclude\u201d with what you began. You may find that your thesis has evolved slightly since the introduction. That\u2019s okay! In fact, your conclusion is the perfect place to introduce a modification of your thesis: arriving at a more concise and fully evolved thesis in your conclusion is an elegant way of ending an essay, a method practiced essayists strive to champion.<\/p>\n

<\/b>A summary of your main points, in different words. <\/b><\/p>\n

Using new words once again, briefly reference the main ideas of your argument. Consider the following beginning of a conclusion which incorporates your thesis <\/i>and main points<\/i>:<\/p>\n

“As this essay has demonstrated, magic realism is not confined as a narrative method to twentieth-century, Latin-American writing.\u00a0 Although more subtly employed, magic realism is rapidly becoming a foundational technique for many contemporary young adult novels, such as Bradley Smith\u2019s Teardrop Lagoon <\/i>and Marwina Raven\u2019s Back to the Forest<\/i>.”<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the point? <\/b><\/p>\n

This is where you address the most difficult question of all: what is the point of all you have said up until now? Why should any reader bother reading your essay all the way through? This is what I like to call a \u201clarger\u201d or \u201cextended thesis.\u201d Try expanding your narrowed thesis into more universal terms: i.e., how might what you have to say about \u201cmagic realism\u201d impact other narrative modes or genre-writing? How does your argument about sustainability in high schools translate to environmentalism on a national scale? Demonstrate here why your thesis is important to a larger <\/i>or more pressing <\/i>context.<\/p>\n

A unique thought, quote, or consideration with which to leave your reader.<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>For a nice flourish, include something else <\/i>to leave your reader thinking. This will most likely be part of your \u201cWhat\u2019s the point?\u201d piece. I often like to include a last-minute quotation that simply didn\u2019t get the chance to appear in the rest of the essay: but only if this is related to your final points!<\/p>\n

Your conclusion should not<\/i>:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>Repeat your thesis argument word for word. <\/b>Reiterate and rephrase; don\u2019t repeat!<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>Feel like a conclusion, necessarily. <\/b>Your reader should be clued into the fact that he or she is almost finished reading your essay. But he should not be able to trace the skeleton of your conclusion. Continue to \u201chook\u201d your reader up until the last!<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>End on too general a note. <\/b>It\u2019s easy to hit your \u201cWhat\u2019s the point?\u201d response in such a way that is too <\/i>universal or generalizing. Remember to always aim for specificity in the end.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>Raise or leave unanswered questions. <\/b>This goes along with my previous point: oftentimes, an \u201cexpanded thesis\u201d simply opens up more questions for debate. Narrowness is key: you can leave with a touch of ambiguity, but not so much that it drowns out your argument.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>Be off-topic. <\/b>Enough said.<\/p>\n

For more information and some examples of snazzy conclusions, check out Hamilton University’s Writing Center<\/a>. In the meantime, this wraps up my series on Academic Writing. Here\u2019s to a confident future of essay-writing!<\/p>\n

Additional Reading:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Check out the previous posts in this 8 part series on writing academically:<\/p>\n