Lecture Notes by Christopher Lay

Los Angeles Pierce College

Department of History, Philosophy, and Sociology

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Notes on Essays' Conclusions  

 

 

 

 

When it comes to writing essays, at least for writing essays turned in to me, conclusions are an opportunity to go beyond your essays' argument. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In your conclusion, you can consider what could possibly be concluded, supposing that your thesis has been defended. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In your conclusion, show how you could turn your essay's thesis, which is the conclusion to your essay's argument, into an intermediate conclusion for some further argument that could be argued outside of essay. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes it is in the conclusion that you show the reader why your thesis is interesting. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instead of looking exclusively backwards and reporting on what you've done, look a little forward and explain to your reader how they can think differently if your thesis is in fact correct. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(The place to say what you do in your essay is the introduction.) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In your conclusion, you can speculate what further conclusions could be true (or not) if your thesis becomes a premise for a different argument.