ShmoopTube

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Writing a Killer Conclusion, a la Shmoop. How much would you enjoy Iron Man if you never

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found out whether or not Tony Stark got the baddie? [Iron many and 'the baddie' appear on screen]

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Imagine how unsatisfied you'd feel if every episode of your favorite sitcom ended at the

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20-minute mark. [tv show gets cut short]

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Or how frustrated you'd be if we never even finished this...

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...sentence. Conclusions are key. Without them, a story

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or essay flops and flounders. [fish flops onto screen]

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Everything worth telling deserves a well-conceived ending.

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Even our own lives will eventually have a conclusion. [guy waves then turn into tomb stone]

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We just have to cross our fingers and hope there's going to be a sequel. [guy sprouts wing and flies up from tombstone]

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Okay, so you're reading an essay that someone wrote, and blam... no conclusion.

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Immediately, you probably ask yourself:

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"So what? Why in the world did I just read all of this stuff? What's the point, or what's

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the moral of the story? And why am I asking all of these questions out loud?"

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We can't help you with the last one. Maybe you just like the sound of your own voice.

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But as for the rest of it... it makes sense you'd be irritated.

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You just invested a lot of time and energy into reading something, and no one is coming

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along to suggest what you should think of it, and why. [girl reading book is annoyed]

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What are you supposed to do... think on your own? [laptop with search engine appears]

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But honestly, when you provide a thought-provoking conclusion, it's not like you're encouraging

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laziness on the part of the reader.

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The conclusion is merely your last chance to get the reader to see your side of the

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argument...[owl looking at you funny]

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...and hopefully to agree with you. So... how do you accomplish that... aside

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from offering a monetary incentive? [girl gets offered money]

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You need to pull out all the stops... appeal to the reader's emotions... introduce a twist... [lots of stop signs, puppies and a guy dancing]

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basically, whatever it takes.

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As long as it's legal. Because an argument essay will frequently

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be presenting a problem of some kind...

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...a conclusion is a good place to offer a solution.

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Sure, oil spills may be increasing in frequency...[people cleaning up oil spill on beach]

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...but it would certainly be less of a downer if you had an idea or two about how to prevent

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such tragedies from occurring. However, you have to be careful not to introduce

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a major point and then leave it undeveloped within your conclusion.

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That's sort of like saying to your parents on the way out of the house, "Oh, by the way,

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I wrecked the car last night. Toodles!" [guy waves goodbye to parents while wrecked car appears]

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Chances are, that little snippet is going to leave your audience... wanting to hear

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more. Think about the below questions any time you're

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nearing the end of an essay.

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Pick at least one, and make that the subject of your conclusion...

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"What is an interesting, original way to restate my main points?"

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It's been a while since the beginning of your paper... remind your reader why they're here

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in the first place. [doc looks at patient wondering how they got injured]

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Explain how the preceding points help to support that main idea...

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...and hopefully your reader will now look at things in a slightly... or drastically...

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different way. "What's important or interesting about the

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points I've made?"

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There must be some reason you chose to write about... whatever you chose to write about.

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Let your interest and passion in the subject matter shine through...

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Make your reader understand why they should care. [guy with heart shaped eyes and a cat]

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"What can readers take away from my essay that is useful, or that might shed light on

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their own lives or the world around them?"

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People will always pay more attention to something if it is made personal to them.

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Someone may not give two hoots about the dwindling barn owl population...[barn own falls dead from tree]

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...but if the reader is informed that barn owls are the only creatures that know the

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meaning of life...

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...his interest may suddenly be piqued.

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Of course, you don't want to make stuff up just for the sake of intrigue.

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As we all know, barn owls have far more questions than answers.

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"If I'm describing a problem in my paper, what might be a possible solution?"

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You must have some strong feelings on the subject... now's the time to lay it on your

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reader.

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Just how are we going to solve the financial crisis? [Wall St sign behind bars]

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What can we do to prevent further melting of the polar ice caps? [military guy with blow torch melting an iceberg]

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How will we be able to produce 100% edible sneakers? [sneaker flies into guy's mouth]

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Whatever your tactic, make sure that you are passionate, engaging, and knowledgeable.

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And whatever you do, don't skip the conclusion.

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It's as unsatisfying for

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a reader as...

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