HOW TO START A CONCLUSION STEP BY STEP (WITH EXAMPLE) - LITERATURE - 2024

A conclusion can be started using several strategies, but its two main purposes should always be kept in mind: to anticipate the end of a presentation or reading and to summarize the main ideas. In this sense, introductions and conclusions usually present certain difficulties when making them.

However, the effort is worth it, as they can have a significant influence on the experience of the interlocutor. In general, conclusions are the last chance to have the last word on the subject. These allow to have an overview of the topic discussed, synthesize and demonstrate the importance of the ideas raised.

A conclusion can go beyond the boundaries of the message and consider broader issues, make new connections, and deepen the meaning of the findings.

When starting a conclusion it is convenient to use discursive markers that indicate a closure. The most common are: "to conclude", "concluding", "to finish" and "ultimately".

Steps to start a conclusion

Preliminary considerations

Before starting a conclusion, it must be taken into account that the reader or the audience have already been exposed to all the points that constitute the development of the exposition or argument.

Thus, they are already informed about all the facts, figures and other information necessary to adequately evaluate the subject in question. The conclusion should only reinforce the main points.

However, it is not simply a matter of reiterating the key ideas, repeating the same words. Nor should new lines of thought be added to what has already been raised.

Instead, the connection between the different elements developed in the body of the writing or presentation should be delineated and made evident. Therefore, the conclusion must be designed to bring together and consolidate ideas.

Planning

Before starting a conclusion, planning is important. In this sense, if it is a writing, it may be useful to make a brief note about the express point of each paragraph when writing the body of the work.

Thus, there will be a broad outline of how the presentation is developed that, in the end, will facilitate the conclusion. If a given paragraph doesn't have a clear point, then it can probably be removed without affecting the text.

In fact, each paragraph should have a kind of conclusion that summarizes the relevance of it. Additionally, it is a good work strategy to consider the significant impact of each paragraph on the conclusion. If it does not contribute much, then the need for that particular section should be questioned.

Now, if it is an oral presentation, it is also convenient to take mental notes about the points developed. In this way, it will be easier to return to those key aspects in the conclusion.

Closing

Importantly, a conclusion should be short and without rambling. The idea is to be precise and concise. This will be the final point of view through which the audience or reader will see the entire text or speech.

Therefore, it has a special meaning with respect to general work. Ideally, this closing statement should be compelling and memorable. Upon reaching the conclusion, one must change to a conclusive linguistic register, using discursive strategies that point towards a closure of ideas.

Now, as mentioned in the introduction, there are frequently used speech markers that mark the beginning of the conclusions. However, some authors recommend using other more creative phrases.

Example

The way in which a conclusion is presented depends on many factors, such as style (formal-informal), medium (oral-written) and length (short-long), among others.

As an illustration of how to begin a conclusion, parts of a typical five-paragraph essay will be taken. Then a brief description of the process will be made.

Introduction

Edgar Allan Poe fills the reader's imagination with the images he wants them to see, hear and feel. Using vivid visual images is part of his technique. In The Tell-Tale Heart the manipulation of the senses is appreciated ”.

In this excerpt from the introduction you can clearly see what the topic of the essay is: Poe's use of visual images.

Second part

“The sense of sight, the primary sense, is particularly susceptible to manipulation. In this tale, Poe describes a static scene: 'His room was pitch black with thick darkness…'.

Poe uses the words "black," "tone," and "thick darkness" not only to show the reader the condition of the old man's room, but also to make the reader feel the darkness.

The word "thick" is generally not associated with color (darkness), but by using it, Poe stimulates the reader's sense of sense as well as his sense of sight.

The subject of this second paragraph is how the author uses images in a static scene, and how he manipulates words to stimulate the sense of sight.

Third part

Later in the story, Poe uses a couple of words that cross not only the sense of sight but also the emotions to describe a dynamic scene.

The young man in the story has been standing in the open door of the old man's room for a long time, waiting for the right moment to reveal himself to the old man in order to scare him. Poe writes: '(…) at last, a single faint ray, like the spider's thread, shot out of the crack and fell full on the vulture's eye'.

By using the metaphor of the spider's thread (a lurid image) and the word "shot," Poe almost blows the reader away, as surely did the old man whose blind eye the young man describes as "the eye of the vulture."

This part describes how Poe uses images in a dynamic scene and how he also appeals to emotions (fear of the old man).

Fourth paragraph

“The reader doesn't know much about what the old man looks like in this story, except that he has a hidden eye. In this tale, Poe establishes the young man's obsession with that blind eye.

In this way, the 'vulture eye' is evoked over and over again in the story until the reader becomes as obsessed with it as the young man.

His use of the vivid and concrete word 'vulture' establishes a specific image in the reader's mind that is inescapable ”.

In this part we return to the idea of ​​the "vulture eye" and how this image impacts the reader.

conclusion

«'Thick darkness', 'spider thread' and 'vulture eye' are three images that Poe uses in The Tell-Tale Heart to stimulate the reader's senses.

Poe wants the reader to see and feel real life. So he used concrete images instead of vague abstract words to describe environments and people.

The author of this essay uses the main words of each part of the body of the document, summarizing it. Then he recapitulates his central thesis: Edgar Allan Poe's use of images.

References

1. Essay Writing Service. (s / f). The Importance of Conclusions. Taken from essaywritingserviceuk.co.uk.
2. The Writing Center, University of North Carolina. (s / f). Conclusions. Taken from writingcenter.unc.edu.
3. Chase, RS and Shamo, W. (2014). Elements of Effective Communication: 4th Edition. Washington: Plain & Precious Publishing.
4. Miralles Nuñez, MT et al. (2000). Language and communication. Santiago: Editions Universidad Católica de Chile.
5. UniLearning. (s / f). The conclusion of the essay. Taken from unilearning.uow.edu.au.