Happily Ever After: Tips for Writing Effective Essay Conclusions

Have you ever sat through a movie that was not too interesting or exciting only to have the end change your perception completely? Maybe you left the movie thinking how much it stunk because of the pathetic ending (like maybe Castaway), or maybe you decided the ending really made the movie (like maybe The Sixth Sense). We write in order to impart information to others, hopefully information we find significant in some way. The introduction to an essay gets the reader interested, the body paragraphs give the details about the topic, and then there needs to be a conclusion. We remember best what we read last, so the conclusion must be an effective summary that ties all the ideas together for the reader.

Conclusions have two purposes: summarize and tie the ideas together. Most people remember that the conclusion should summarize, but few people really seem to understand what that means. It does NOT mean repeating your thesis or copying anything else from the paper word-for-word. It means making your point about all the specific details you have given in the paper. For instance, I might write a paper about scrapbooking with a thesis that says scrapbooking is actually very easy to do. (This would be a process analysis kind of paper.) My introduction might say that I am looking for a gift for my parents' 25^th wedding anniversary but not finding much since I want to give something personal, but everything seems too complicated. Then someone suggests making a scrapbook. The conclusion for this paper might have me saying that I completed the project just a few hours later and had a gift I was proud of. That emphasizes the idea that it is easy to create without saying so in the same words.

This setup also allows me to meet the second criteria for a good conclusion-tying ideas together. Returning to the introductory hook, what makes the reader interested in the paper, is a great way to give the reader closure. With this example, since I begin by discussing the anniversary party, ending with my presenting the gift to them at the party, seeing their pleased reactions and hearing everyone's compliments about the book, I give an end to my story.

Here are some examples of how to return to the introductory idea to make a good conclusion.

Introduction: Annie's eye was blackened and fading bruises were still evident on her arms. What was more telling about her was that she huddled in the corner of the room, trying to curl herself up into a ball to be invisible. When I did get her attention, she pushed herself further in the corner, trying desperately to avoid looking at me, rocking slowly with her legs tucked up protectively by her chin. Unfortunately, this little five-year-old is not unique; she is just one of the many children of child abuse.

Conclusion: Annie's bruises will heal, but she will never fully recover from the trauma inflicted by an abusive mother, the person she should have been able to trust the most. But with proper education and training, we can help stop the spread of child abuse.

Introduction: Wayne Gretzky once said, "One hundred percent of the shots you don't take don't go in." While it may be true that you can't fail if you never try, such an attitude is not going to get you far, especially when it comes to sports. There are many aspects to being a good coach, but one of the most important is the willingness to take chances.

Conclusion: Gretzky might not have ended up with the best coaching record, but he knew from his years of playing what made a winning team. He didn't end up far and away in first place for so many records by waiting for the perfect shot, an idea taken to heart by winning coaches everywhere.

Introduction: Jim runs into the department store only fifteen minutes before closing. It is Christmas Eve, and he has suddenly run out of time to get his fiancé's gift. He knows this store carries the perfume Jenny likes best, so he had figured he didn't need to purchase it early. Now he stands staring at the empty shelf as the manager announces it's closing time over the intercom, a lump forming in the pit of his stomach. Christmas shopping doesn't have to be a chore put off until the last minute; you can take the trouble out of it by following three simple steps.

Conclusion: As Jim walks out of the store with a bottle of bubble bath for Jenny under his arm, he vows that next year he will do better. He now has a plan and has learned his lesson about waiting until the last minute.

Hopefully the paper you end up with will be like the movie that was great from start to finish. But even if it isn't, you can create an ending that can make up a lot of ground by emphasizing your point and connecting to the introduction.