27 The Concluding Paragraph: Completing the Argumentative Picture
The concluding paragraph is often a challenging part of essay writing for students. It’s tempting to rush through it with a few quick sentences, but a well-developed conclusion is crucial for a strong and persuasive essay. It’s your final opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the reader and solidify your argument. This chapter will explore the essential elements of an effective concluding paragraph.
Synthesizing Your Argument: Putting the Pieces Together
The conclusion serves as the culmination of your essay, where you tie together all the points made in the body paragraphs. As discussed in previous chapters, the body breaks down your thesis statement into smaller, more manageable parts (subtopics). The conclusion is where you synthesize these parts, demonstrating how they work together to prove your overall argument.
Think of your essay’s body as a puzzle. Each paragraph is a piece of that puzzle, exploring a specific aspect of your thesis. The conclusion is where you assemble these pieces, revealing the complete picture that your thesis statement promised to create. The thesis statement provides a preview of the image you intend to build, but the reader doesn’t fully see that image until the conclusion. Without a strong conclusion, the picture remains incomplete.
Connecting the Dots: Demonstrating Synthesis
The concluding paragraph should be rich in connections, explicitly linking the various points discussed in your body paragraphs. It’s where you demonstrate how the different sections of your essay contribute to the overall argument. You are showing the reader how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
“Restating” the Thesis: A Matter of Emphasis, Not Repetition
Students are often advised to “restate” the thesis in the conclusion. However, this advice can be misleading, leading some to simply copy and paste their thesis statement. While the main point of your thesis should certainly be reiterated in the conclusion, this does not mean repeating it verbatim. In a short essay, the reader is unlikely to have forgotten your thesis, and simply repeating it word-for-word can feel redundant.
Instead of mere repetition, the conclusion should re-emphasize the core argument of your thesis, but in fresh and insightful language. It’s where you demonstrate that you have successfully proven your point, showing how the evidence and analysis presented in your body paragraphs have collectively validated your claim.
The Closing Argument: Leaving a Lasting Impression
Just as in a jury trial, the concluding paragraph is your closing argument. It’s the last thing your reader will “hear” before forming their final judgment about your argument. No lawyer would waste this crucial opportunity to summarize their case and emphasize the key points they want the jury to remember. Your concluding paragraph serves the same purpose for your reader. It’s your chance to reinforce your argument, highlight its significance, and leave a lasting impression. It’s your final opportunity to persuade your reader and solidify your position on the issue.
Reading Questions:
- Remembering: According to the chapter, what is the primary function of the conclusion in relation to the body paragraphs?
- Understanding: Explain in your own words the analogy used in the chapter to describe the relationship between the body paragraphs and the conclusion.
- Application: The chapter discusses “restating” the thesis. How does the chapter suggest rephrasing the thesis in the conclusion, and what should be avoided?
- Analysis: Why does the chapter emphasize the importance of making connections between the points discussed in the body paragraphs within the conclusion?
- Synthesis: Combine the ideas of “synthesizing the argument” and “leaving a lasting impression” to describe how you would construct a concluding paragraph that effectively reinforces your thesis and resonates with the reader.
- Evaluation: Based on the information in the chapter, what conclusions can you draw about the importance of a well-developed conclusion in an argumentative essay?