The Final Thought

Your conclusion serves to bring your writing to a close. Your conclusion is your chance to have
the last word on the subject. The conclusion allows you to have the final say on the issues you
have raised in your paper, to summarize your thoughts, to demonstrate the importance of your
ideas, and to propel your reader to a new view of the subject. It is also your opportunity to make
a good final impression and to end on a positive note.
Your conclusion can go beyond the confines of the assignment. The conclusion pushes beyond
the boundaries of the prompt and allows you to consider broader issues, make new connections,
and elaborate on the significance of your findings.
Strategies for Writing an Effective Conclusion:

Significance remind your audience of the significance of your analysis. Show your reader
how the points you made, and the support and examples you used, fit together. Pull it all
together. Synthesize, but do not summarize.
o Ex: By using an effective style and relatable content, Edwards was not only able to
convince the Puritans to seek Gods salvation but also able to write a sermon with
style that is still captivating today, striking fear into the readers heart.

Bookend from introduction Come full circle by connecting to your introduction. Return to
the theme or themes in the introduction. This strategy brings the reader full circle. You
may refer to the introductory paragraph by using key words or parallel concepts and
images that you also used in the introduction.
o Ex: (If you mentioned fear at the beginning of your paragraph). The fear the
Puritans faced was very real to them, and Edwards is able to play off of this fear to
convince the Puritans to seek Gods salvation by using relatable imagery.

Challenge Include a provocative insight for the reader

o Ex: Edwards writing style can still be seen today in advertisements, which play on
our deepest fears.

So What? Answer the question So what? at the very end of your paper. Whatever
argument you make in your essay, the conclusion should state why your argument is
important. Why should people care?
o Ex: Analyzing Edwards style and content can help readers to fully understand the
Puritan beliefs and how this developed into the style and content seen in American
writing today.