1. Literary Analysis Writing the Conclusion

2. The Conclusion gives your essay a sense of completeness and lets your readers know that they have come to the end of your paper contains: restates the thesis in different words, summarizes the main points you have made, or makes a relevant comment about the literary work you are analyzing, but from a different perspective Do not introduce a new topic in your conclusion.

3. Conclusion Example If the Duke has any redeeming qualities, they fail to appear in the poem. Browning's emphasis on the Duke's traits of arrogance, jealousy, and materialism make it apparent that anyone who might have known the Duke personally would have based his opinion of him on these three personality "flaws." Ultimately, the reader’s opinion of the Duke is not a favorable one, and it is clear that Browning intended that the reader feel this way.

4. More on the Conclusion The conclusion is a good place to not only sum up the points made in the paper but to suggest the further implications of your argument. notYou do not want to simply reiterate the points you have made in your introduction, thesis, or body paragraphs. Instead, use the analyses that you have already presented to ask questions, or suggest the possible next logical step in the argument.

5. More on the Conclusion 2 You can use the conclusion to draw connections between your chosen text and its genre and historical or cultural contexts. You want to make sure that the claims you make in the conclusion are not too far-fetched or wildly out of step with the rest of your paper. The conclusion should be the final step in the progression of your argument.

6. Conclusion Methods 1. Strike a note of hope or despair. 2. Give a symbolic or powerful fact. 3. Give an especially compelling example. 4. Create a visual image that represents your subject. 5. Use a quotation. 6. Recommend a course of action. 7. Summarize the paper. 8. Echo the approach of the introduction. 9. Restate your thesis and reflect on its implications.

7. Example Conclusion To sum it all up, White uses certain strategies to explore the notions and reality of time in “Once More to the Lake.” These strategies include reflecting on the past and foreseeing the future, using other characters as vehicles, and having a personal perception of time. However, although White utilizes these strategies to explore time both positively and negatively, his exploration of time ultimately leads to the stark revelation that death is the true end of time. “Once More to the Lake” becomes a reminder of time both as a movement toward death and a chance for all humans continue life through the memories of those they have left behind.

8. Example Conclusion M orris seems to be trying to tell us that life is a swimming pool, and that we must transition from the kiddie pool to the deep end. The pool is life and swimming is living. But we must learn to swim for ourselves. Our parents love us and will try to protect us, but that may get in our way. Our "instructors" can show us things, but that connection is not as deep as the one we have with our parents. Ultimately, we must learn to swim for ourselves, even learn for ourselves because "in the helpless water it is with our skill we live..."

9. Conclusion Some kind of restatement of your thesis, but NOT word-for-word repetition from the introduction. A general summary of what, taken all together, your quotes prove about your thesis. A synthesis of the ideas in your quotes. Discuss how they contributed to the meaning and development of your thesis.

10. Conclusion Be sure to deal with how the central conflict is resolved and how the work ends, either in your later body paragraphs or in your conclusion. Essays that do not explain how the resolution of the central conflict/end of the book relate to the writer’s thesis usually appear underdeveloped.

11. Conclusion Example To conclude, though in “The Death of the Moth,” Woolf designates death as the most powerful force of nature, she does not portray it as a violent force, surprisingly; rather she depicts death as being calm and peaceful, a force that ends life’s struggle - an appealing thought. Through the moth's epic battle for life, Woolf asserts the question that if death is indeed the stronger force of nature and life the weaker, then why do all living beings choose the weaker force? Perhaps there is a force stronger than the force of life and death, one that is able to govern both life and death, and that power is the force of nature.

12. Conclusion Example Jonas’ capacity to see beyond and receive memories compelled him to reject his Community due to it being an artificial state of idealism. His knowledge and wisdom gained from the past lead him to finally make his own decisions which were grounded on the concepts of love and joy, but also pain and sorrow. From this he feels the frightening truth that the Community is a contradiction of itself and he can no longer be a part of it. The final decision to impart the memories to the citizens was made to awaken them, and show them just how much was given up to achieve their false state of perfection. Society must never forget history and never ignore the wisdom it offers, or a dystopia, such as The Community, may become reality.