How to Write a Conclusion for an Argument Essay

The argumentative essay is like a position paper.   In it, you build a position based on fact, supported by evidence, and argued rationally and logically toward a clear and cohesive endpoint.   And since you’re trying to make an effective argument, the end of your essay is often the most important part.   How to end the argumentative essay?   The best way is to save your best punch for last.   Conclude your paper with a wallop that will knock the socks off your reader and leave him convinced that there is just no other way to look at the issue you’re presenting.   Consider your ending the one-two combination that lays your reader out flat. How to End the Argumentative Essay In order to end the argumentative essay effectively, you have to start effectively.   That means you have to identify the purpose of your essayâ€"i.e., state your thesis.   Why?   Your conclusion will link back to your thesis in a meaningful why:   you’ll re-state it in concise terms and provide a grander perspective by bolstering that thesis with a blow-by-blow recap of all the hits you make in your essay. You also need to know the strongest points of your argument and the weakest points so that you can arrange them effectively (both in your essay proper and in your conclusion).   Here’s a tip:   Start your essay in reverse order in terms of the strength of your argument:   in other words, begin with your weakest argument first and save the best argument for last. That may be counter-intuitive since you want to give your reader a good reason right off the bat.   So an alternate approach could be to arrange your arguments this way:   moderately effective argument first, weakest argument second, greatest argument third.   This way you’re able to give your reader something good at the beginning and something great at the end. Constructing the Conclusion Once you’ve delivered all three of your arguments, you’ll want to make your conclusion.   These are like the concluding remarks the boxer gives once the match is over.   All the reporters have gathered, the cameras are focused, the recorders are running, and the boxer sits at the microphone ready to comment on the fight and explain what he did and how he did it. The boxer will go back and jog everyone’s memory by walking the audience through the fight, step by step.   First round, second round, third roundâ€"what happened, who threw what, how did he respond?   The boxer relives itâ€"albeit brieflyâ€"and sums up the fight with precision and insight. That’s how your conclusion should work too.   In the conclusion, you’re summarizing your argument but also bringing the finer points into the foreground where they can be examined closely, tersely, and definitively.   You’re the boxer, the essay is your fight, and the conclusion is where you sit before the press and talk about what you’ve just done. If you’ve saved the best argument for last you’ll be in a great position to build up to that argument in your conclusion just like you did in your paper.