Review the thesis statement. Say it again but in a new way. Summarize the main points you made. What are the “big ideas” that the reader needs to get? What needs to be summarized to make sure the reader “gets” what you were trying to say? Final Impression/Final Thought What do you want the reader to leave with? What does the reader need to realize as a result of what you have written? What is the lesson or warning in what you wrote?

Although no actual new information is usually introduced in the concluding paragraphs, the conclusion is the only "original" contribution you offer in your paper. It manifests the value of your research as well as your understanding of the material that you have presented. It should be a strong recapitulation of your major ideas.

Restate your thesis and show what the material you have presented adds up to. Analyze and evaluate your main points for your reader; consider the consequences and general implications of them to your conclusion.

Attention Getter How will you engage the reader? Which introduction strategy (anecdote, quote, statistic, etc.) is the most effective for your topic? Background Information What does the reader need to know in order to understand the content of your essay? Novel: provide a brief summary (2-3 sentences) of the novel as it relates to the thesis. (Do not give a generic summary but cater it to the focus of your essay.) Thesis Statement What will you prove in your essay? What claim are you making about the text? Why should we care? Why is your claim important? Your thesis should answer the “so what?” question.

arouses interest in your reader brings immediate focus to your subject use a quotation, a provocative question, a personal anecdote, a startling statement, or a combination of these. You may also want to include background information relevant to your thesis and necessary for the reader to understand the position you are taking. includes the title of the work of literature and names the author

Quotation: One that sums up the essay, not one that is not connected to content of your research Definition: Use sparingly. Many writers use this method. Question: Ask a question in the introduction...and answer it in the body. Question must be RELEVANT AND THOUGHT PROVOKING!

Problem: Pose a problem in the introduction... and solve it in the body. Statistics: Make sure they're actual statistics and not something you made up. Comparison: Take something the reader is unfamiliar with and relate it to something they are familiar with. Metaphor/Simile: An even more effective comparison for making the complex seem simple.

Shocker: Everybody likes surprises. Unfortunately, it's getting harder to shock people. Summary: A brief summary piques reader interest. Anecdote: A short humorous story relevant to the topic eases the reader into the material. Expert opinion: An expert gives you instant credibility with the reader. Make sure the expert is an actual expert and not your Uncle Fred from Topeka

(Attention Getter/Hook) Culture and race are forever in the forefront of issues affecting society. It is the seemingly difficult navigation between these issues that results in the conflicts that plague society. (Background) Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden? (Thesis) Ta-Nehisi Coates’ novel Between the World and Me explores how culture and the value it teaches contributes to society’s lack of progression.

Quotation Quotation: One that sums up the essay, not one that is not connected to content of your research Definition Definition: Use sparingly. Many writers use this method. Question Question: Ask a question in the introduction...and answer it in the body. Question must be RELEVANT AND THOUGHT PROVOKING! Problem Problem: Pose a problem in the introduction... and solve it in the body. Statistics Statistics: Make sure they're actual statistics and not something you made up. Comparison Comparison: Take something the reader is unfamiliar with and relate it to something they are familiar with. Metaphor/Simile: An even more effective comparison for making the complex seem simple. Shocker: Everybody likes surprises. Unfortunately, it's getting harder to shock people. Summary Summary: A brief summary piques reader interest. Anecdote Anecdote: A short humorous story relevant to the topic eases the reader into the material. Expert opinion Expert opinion: An expert gives you instant credibility with the reader. Make sure the expert is an actual expert and not your Uncle Fred from Topeka