1. The Death of Marilyn Monroe
Writing effective essay conclusions

2. Choose a poem which creates an atmosphere of despair about human existence. Show how the poet, by his use of ideas and techniques, leaves you with a pessimistic feeling about life.
Key Tasks:
Sum up what poem is about / how it creates an atmosphere of despair about human existence.
Show how ideas in poem make me feel pessimistic about life.
Show how techniques in poem make me feel pessimistic about life.

3. Main Points to Make:
Poem is about Marilyn Monroe’s death and the factors contributing to it. Who / what is to blame? This creates despair about human existence.
Ideas and techniques which make me feel pessimistic:
Her innocence
Word choice (‘white hearse’/’child of America’)
Imagery (‘crumpled orphan’)
Pressures of celebrity
word choice (‘inflexible directors’, ‘lights an inquisition & torment’)
Imagery (‘autograph hunters’ / ‘drive-in admirers’)
Nobody was looking after her – she was lonely / vulnerable
word choice (‘cantword’ / ‘acquaintances’ / ‘all arms faded’ /‘death seem the only protector’ / ‘dissolved’)
Imagery (‘Uncertainty’ personified / ‘nembutal bed’)
Alliteration (‘bewildering barbiturates’)
Tone – accusatory
Structure – questions / lists of exclamations

4. The Conclusion
Start with a first person statement and then elaborate on it, referring back to the main points made throughout the essay:
This poem has left me with a pessimistic feeling about life because...
She was innocent.
She faced huge celebrity pressures.
Nobody there to look after her.
She became dependent on drugs.
Nobody has learnt from her death as the same pressures and problems still exist today.
Keep it really personal if you can. At this point in the essay you need to share some of your own ideas. You’ve discussed the poet’s ideas – now relate them to your own.
The examiner’s really want to see that you have been AFFECTED by this poem and that you have THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS about it.

5. Choose a poem which arouses strong emotion in you
Choose a poem which arouses strong emotion in you. State what it is about the subject of the poem which makes you feel strongly, and go on to show how the poet’s use of language reinforces these feelings.
Key Tasks:
Explain what the strong emotion aroused is.
Explain how the subject of the poem makes me feel this strongly.
Show how poet’s use of language reinforces these feelings (discuss word choice / imagery / sound / tone etc.)

6. Conclusion:
The poem arouses strong emotion in me. It makes me feel sympathy and frustration.
The poem is about and this makes me feel sympathy because.
This also makes me feel frustrated because...
The poet’s use of language reinforces these feelings because...
TRY AND RELATE YOUR CONCLUSION TO YOUR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCES / IDEAS YOU HAVE HAD BEFORE READING THE POEM / OTHER RELEVANT EXAMPLES.

7. Choose a poem which deals with birth or death or love or hate or jealousy. By looking at the content and language of the poem show how your understanding of one of these topics is deepened by your reading of the poem.
Conclusion:
My understanding of death is deepened by my reading of this poem because....

8. Including all elements of an essay:
Introduction
EXPLAINS WHAT TEXT YOU ARE USING AND WHY.
EXPLAINS EXACTLY WHAT YOUR ESSAY IS GOING TO DO.
Main Body
ADDRESS KEY TASKS OF ESSAY
POINT
EVIDENCE
COMMENT
Conclusion
REFER BACK TO THE TASK AND GIVE A PERSONAL RESPONSE TO IT – USING FIRST PERSON & SUPPORTING OPINIONS WITH EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT.