The document provides guidance on writing effective conclusions. It advises restating the importance of the thesis statement and giving the essay a sense of closure. It suggests answering "So what?" to explain the significance and usefulness of the paper. It also recommends demonstrating how the ideas fit together rather than simply repeating information, and leaving the reader with something to think about, such as real-world applications of the ideas. The conclusion should echo elements from the introduction to full circle the reader's understanding.

1. A conclusion should
stress the importance of the thesis statement,
give the essay a sense of completeness
leave a final impression on the reader.

2. Answer the question "So What?"
What is so important about this essay? Show the
audience that your paper was meaningful and
useful by answering this question.

3. Don't simply repeat things that were in your paper.
Your audience has already read it. Show them how
your points, support, and examples were not random
but fit together.

4. Give your audience something to think
about, perhaps a way to use the ideas in your paper
in the real world. If your introduction went from
general to specific, make your conclusion go from
specific to general.

5. You’ve probably been told not to give new
information in the conclusion, but you don't have to
give new information to create a new meaning.
Demonstrate how your ideas work together and
create a new picture.

6. 
Echo the Intro: If you begin by describing a
scenario, you can end with the same scenario
as proof that your essay was helpful in
creating a new understanding.

7. 

Introduction
From the parking lot, I could see the towers of
the castle of the Magic Kingdom standing stately
against the blue sky. To the right, the tall peak of
The Matterhorn rose even higher. From the left, I
could hear the jungle sounds of Adventureland.
As I entered the gate, Main Street stretched
before me with its quaint shops evoking an oldfashioned small town so charming it could never
have existed. I was entranced. Disneyland may
have been built for children, but it brings out the
child in adults.

8. 

Conclusion
I thought I would spend a few hours at
Disneyland, but here I was at 1:00 A.M., closing
time, leaving the front gates with the now dark
towers of the Magic Kingdom behind me. I could
see tired children, toddling along and struggling
to keep their eyes open as best they could.
Others slept in their parents' arms as we waited
for the parking lot tram that would take us to our
cars. My forty-year-old feet ached, and I felt a bit
sad to think that in a couple of days I would be
leaving California, my vacation over, to go back
to my desk. But then I smiled to think that for at
least a day I felt ten years old again.

9. 

Example
Though the value of spiritual
pursuits, relationships with friends and the
sacred bond of family are nearly universally
accepted as the most important things in
life, many people still spend their entire lives
chasing material possessions and power. The
virtues of life never change, however, and as my
grandfather once told me, “There are no pockets
in caskets.” Hopefully, these hollow people can
change their focus for the benefit of the very
people they are trying to impress the most with
their empty pursuits.

10. 
Posing questions may help your audience
gain a new perspective that they may not
have held before reading your conclusion. It
may also bring your main ideas together to
create a new meaning.

11. 
Campaign advertisements should help us
understand the candidate's qualifications and
positions on the issues. Instead, most tell us
what a boob or knave the opposing candidate
is, or they present general images of the
candidate as a family person or God-fearing
American. Do such advertisements contribute
to creating an informed electorate or a people
who choose political leaders the same way
they choose soft drinks and soap?

12. 
In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz demonstrates the hollow
nature of mankind with his complete disregard for
human life and his keen focus on the empty pursuit
of wealth and power. The speaker in “The Hollow
Men” readily accepts his recognized hollowness, but
he is left wondering about his eternal fate as he nears
the threshold of one of death’s kingdoms. Both
characters recognize the errors of their ways, but
neither is truly repentant. The unanswered question
in these two works seems to be whether mankind is
doomed to naturally chase after these empty pursuits
or if, given examples like these two
characters, mankind can mend its ways and seek
more fulfilling and meaningful pursuits in life.

13. 
Much of the information from this
presentation was found on the following
website:
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclu
de.html