The Conclusion Paragraph Reasserting, Reinforcing Answering the “So What?” Question from Herman Rapaport, WFU UNC-CH Writing Center

[In the conclusion,] you haven’t just narcissistically proven yourself to be correct, but have shown that you have discovered something that is relevant for further considerations you don’t have time to get into, but could mention in closing. Herman Rapaport, WFU

Characteristics of a Good Conclusion Paragraph It creates a broader implication of the ideas discussed and answers the questions: so what? Or why do we care? Answer the question "So What?" Show your readers why this paper was important. Show them that your paper was meaningful and useful. Synthesize, don't summarize Don't simply repeat things that were in your paper. They have read it. Show them how the points you made and the support and examples you used were not random, but fit together. Redirect your readers Give your reader something to think about, perhaps a way to use your paper in the "real" world. If your introduction went from general to specific, make your conclusion go from specific to general. Think globally. Create a new meaning You don't have to give new information to create a new meaning. By demonstrating how your ideas work together, you can create a new picture. Often the sum of the paper is worth more than its parts.

The “So What?” Game You: Basically, I’m just saying that education was important to Douglass. Friend: So what? You: Well, it was important because it was a key to him feeling like a free and equal citizen. Friend: Why should anybody care? You: That’s important because plantation owners tried to keep slaves from being educated so that they could maintain control. When Douglass obtained an education, he undermined that control personally.

Strategies to Avoid Beginning with an unnecessary, overused phrase such as “in conclusion,” “in summary,” or “in closing.” Although these phrases can work in speeches, they come across as wooden and trite in writing. Stating the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion. Introducing a new idea or subtopic in your conclusion. Ending with a rephrased thesis statement without any substantive changes. Making sentimental, emotional appeals that are out of character with the rest of an analytical paper. Including evidence (quotations, statistics, etc.) that should be in the body of the paper.

Good Example Robert Penn Warren’s “Evening Hawk” provides readers with a clarification of the passage of time in life; it is as precise as a scythe, as regular as the passing of each day, as unconcerned with human interest as a hawk and as steady as a leaking faucet. “Evening Hawk” effectively uses somber diction and metaphors to describe the inevitable and steady passage of time, a critical question posed by poets that seeks to enlighten the human experience.

Good Example In this excerpt, De Botton produces a comic effect by both his witty dialogue and his omniscient narration. The dialogue portrays Isabel’s parents as humorously awkward and Isabel as overly frantic, and the narration heights the humor by remaining formal and relying on ironic description for comic effect. In doing so, he creates a disparaging critique of social conventions at the time, illustrating how the relationship between parents and children are not as concrete as readers would have expected at the time. Through the comic genre, De Botton, like many writers before, uses humor to uncover deeper underlying social problems.