Writing Effective Essay Conclusions: A Guide, Exams of Voice

Download Writing Effective Essay Conclusions: A Guide and more Exams Voice in PDF only on Docsity! 334 CHAPTER 1 r I rnoiU INTRoDUCTIONS TO CONCLUSIONS: DRAFTING AN ESSAY DRAFTING CONCLUSIONS In writing a conclusion to your essay, you are making a final appeal to your audience. You want to convince readers that what you have written is a relevant, meaningful interpretation of a shared issue. You also want to remind them that your argument is reasonable. Rather than summa- rize all of the points you've made in the essay-assume your readers have carefully read what you've written-pull together the key components of your argument in the service of answering the question "So what?" Establish why your argument is important: What will happen if things stay the same? What will happen if things change? How effective your conclu- sion is depends on whether or not readers feel that you have adequately addressed "So what?"-that you have made clear what is significant and of value. In building on the specific details of your argument, you can also place what you have written in a broader context. (What are the sociologi- cal implications of your argument? How far-reaching are they? Are there political implications? Economic implications?) Finally, explain again how your ideas contribute something new to the conversation by building on, extending, or even challenging what others have argued. In her concluding paragraph, Elizabeth Martinez brings together her main points, puts her essay in a broader context, indicates what's new in her argument, and answers the question "So what?": Accepting the implications of a different narrative could also shed light on today's struggles. In the affirmative-action struggle, for example, opponents have said that that policy is no longer needed because racism ended with the Civil Rights Movement. But if we look at slavery as a fundamental pillar ofthis nation, going back centuries, it becomes obvious that racism could not have been ended by thirty years of mild reforms. If we see how the myth of the frontier idealized the white male adventurer as the central hero of national history with the woman as sunbonneted helpmate, then we might better understand the dehumanized ways in which women have continued to be treated. A more truthful origin narrative could also help break down divisions among peoples of color by revealing common experiences and histories of cooperation. Let's examine this concluding paragraph: 1. Although Martinez refers back to important events and ideas she has discussed, she does not merely summarize. Instead, she suggests the implications of those important events and ideas in her first sentence (the topic sentence), which crystallizes the main point of her essay: Americans need a different origin narrative. 2. Then she puts those implications in the broader context of contempo- rary racial and gender issues. From Greene, Stuart, and April Lidinsky. From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader, Macmillian, 2018. DRAFTINGCONCLUSIONS 335 3. She signals what's new in her argument with the word if (if we look at slavety in a new way; if we look at the frontier myth in a new way). 4. Finally, her answers to why this issue matters culminate in the last sen- tence. This last sentence connects and extends the claim of her topic sentence, by asserting that a "more truthful origin narrative" could help heal divisions among peoples of color who have been misrepre- sented by the old origin myth. Clearly, she believes the implications of her argument matter: A new national identity has the potential to heal a country in crisis, a country on the verge of a "nervous breakdown" (para.4). Marlinez also does something else in the last sentence of the con- cluding paragraph: She looks to the future, suggesting what the future implications of her argument could be. Looking to the future is one of five strategies for shaping a conclusion. The others we discuss are echoing the introduction, chalienging the reader, posing questions, and concluding with a quotation. Each of these strategies appeals to readers in different ways; therefore, we suggest you try them all out in writing your own con- clusions. Also, remember that some of these strategies can be combined. For example, you can write a conclusion that challenges readers, poses a question, looks to the future, and ends with a quotation. r Echo the Introduction Echoing the introduction in your conclusion helps readers come full cir- cle. It helps them see how you have developed your idea from beginning to end. In the following example, the student writer begins with a voice speaking from behind an Islamic veil, revealing the ways that Western cul- ture misunderstands the symbolic value of wearing the veil' The writer repeats this visual image in her conclusion, quoting from the Koran: "Speak to them from behind a curtain." Noticeihatthe Introduction: A voice from behind the shrouds of an Islamjc veil author begins with "a -ilir",ii"ntiti" exctaims: "I often wonder whether people see me as a radical, shroudaofanlslamic fundamentalist Mustim terrorjst packing an AK-47 assault rifLe veil" andthen eohoes-:", -"-: :: .-,,,-- rnside myjean jacket. 0r maybe they see me as the poster girl for lh6 quotacpn tn ner conciusion:"9peakto oppressed womanhood everywhere." In American cutture where themfro.mbehinda shametess pubLic exposure, particul.arly of femaLes, epitomizes curtain.' uttimate freedom, the head-to-toe covering of a Muslim woman seems inherentLy oppressive. Driven by an autonomous national attitude, the inhabitants of the "[and of the free" are quick to equate the vejL with indisputabLe persecution. Yet Muslim women reveal the enslaving hijab as a symbolic disptay of the Islamjc ideals - honor, modesty. and stability. Because of an unfair American assessment. the aura of hijab mystery cannot The first queation, Other apeculative queations follow from possible reaponses to the writer's first question. 338 CHAeTER I I I rnortt tNTRoDUcTIoNS To coNcLUStoNS: DRAFTING AN EssAY possibility of hate crimes. It's useful to extrapolate from your argument, to raise questions that test whether what you write can be applied to different situations. These questions can help readers understand what is at issue. ALso, my research may apply to a broader spectrum of sociotogicaL topics. There has been recent discussjon about the increasing trend of immigration. Much of thjs discussion has jnvotved the djstribution of resources to immigrants. ShouLd immigrants have equaL access to certain economic and educational resources in America? The decision is split. But it wjtt be interesting to see how this debate wil.l play out. If immigrants are granted more resources, wit[ certain Americans mobilize against the distrjbution of these resources? Wil[ we see another rise in racjst groups such as the Ku K[ux KLan jn order to prevent immigrants from obtaining more resources? My research can also be used to understand g[obal confl"ict or war. In genera[, groups mobiLize when thejr estabLished resources are threatened by an externaI force. Moreover. groups use framing processes to justify their colLective action to others. r Conclude with o Quototion A quotation can strengthen your argument, indicating that others in posi- tions of power and authority support your stance. A quotation also can add poignancy to your argument, as it does in the following excerpt, in which the quotation amplifies the idea that people use Barbie to advance their own interests. The question sti[[ remajns, what does Barbie mean? Is she the spokeswoman for the empowerment of women, or rather js she performing the dirty work of conservatjve patriarchy? I do not think we wilL ever know the answer. Rather, Barbie is the undeniabte "American Icon." She is a toy, and she js what we want her to be. A test performed by Atbert M. Magro at Fairmont State Cotlege titted "Why Barbie is Perceived as Beautifut" shows that Barbie is the epitome ofwhat we as humans find beautifut. The test sought to find human preferences on evolutionary changes in the human body. Subjects were shown a serjes of photos comparing different human body parts, such as the size and shape of the eyes, and asked to decide which feature they preferred: the primitive or derived (more evolved traits). The test revealed that the subjects preferred the derjved body traits. it is these preferred evolutionary features that are utiLized on the body of Barbie. Barbie is truly an extension of what we are and The writer quotes an authorityto amplifythe idea that individually and co I I ective ly, we p roj ect significance ontoys. DRAFTINGCONCLUSIONS 339 what we perceive. Juel Best concludes his discourse on Barb.ie with these words: "Toys do not embody viotence or sexism or occu[t meanings. PeopLe must assign toys their meanings." Barbie is whoever we make her out to be. Barbie grabs hotd of our imaginations and lets us go wil.d. A Prqctice Sequence: Drofting o Conclusion Write your conclusion, using one of the strategies described in this section. Then share your conclusion with a classmate. Ask this person to address the following questions: . Did I pull together the key points of the argument? . Did I answer "so what?" adequately? r Are the implications I want readers to draw from the essay clear? After listening to the responses, try a second strategy, and then ask your classmate which conclusion is more effective. If you do not have a conclusion of your own, analyze each example conclusion above to see how well each appears to (1) pull together the main claim of the essay, (2) answer "So what?" (3) place the argument in a larger context, and (4) show readers what is new. Pull together the main claims of your essay. Dont simply repeat points you make in the paper. Instead, show readers how the points you make fit together. Answer the question "So what?" Show your readers r.vhy your stand on the issue is significant. Place your argument in a larger context. Discuss the specifics of your argument, but also indicate its broader implications. Show readers what is new. As you synthesize the key points of your argument, explain how what you argue builds on, extends, or challenges the thinking of others. Decide on the best strategy for writing your conclusion. Will you echo the introduction? Challenge the reader? Look to the future? Pose questions? Conclude with a quotation? Choose the best strategy or strategies to appeal to your readers.