The Art of the Conclusion
The Art of the Conclusion
The conclusion of an essay should establish a sense of closure or completeness that leaves the reader with lingering thoughts about the topic. Each writer has their own approach in composing a conclusion that they feel solidifies their argument; every approach makes different demands of a reader because of the moves the writer chooses to make. The essays “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua, “Translating Translation” by Alberto Alvaro Rios, and “Joyas Voladoras” by Brian Doyle contain conclusions that vary greatly in terms of content and structure, but also have resemblances. Anzaldua’s essay, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” has a conclusion that is short, simple, and to the point; she wraps everything up and tells the reader what she believes they need to think after reading the essay. A reader could omit the rest of her essay and just read the last paragraph to fully understand what Anzaldua’s argument is. Her essay ends by restating and condensing her main point: “stubborn, persevering, impenetrable as stone, yet possessing a malleability that renders us unbreakable, we, the mestzias and mestizos, will remain” (Anzaldua). She does not let the readers come to their own conclusion because she wants the reader to be in her shoes and feel as though there is no other option. In order to create this affirmative and commanding conclusion, Anzaldua uses very inspiring and emotion-provoking language. She makes her people seems as though they are complete victims of Americanism and tells how they are able to rise above this and push on through the discrimination. The way Anzaldua weaves the Spanish and English together throughout the entire essay leads up to her impactful conclusion where she forces her opinions of oppression on the readers, not allowing them to formulate their own opinions. Unlike Anzaldua, Rios, in the conclusion of his essay “Translating Translation,” presents an open ending that allows the reader to develop
The conclusion of an essay should establish a sense of closure or completeness that leaves the reader with lingering thoughts about the topic. Each writer has their own approach in composing a conclusion that they feel solidifies their argument; every approach makes different demands of a reader because of the moves the writer chooses to make. The essays “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua, “Translating Translation” by Alberto Alvaro Rios, and “Joyas Voladoras” by Brian Doyle contain conclusions that vary greatly in terms of content and structure, but also have resemblances. Anzaldua’s essay, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” has a conclusion that is short, simple, and to the point; she wraps everything up and tells the reader what she believes they need to think after reading the essay. A reader could omit the rest of her essay and just read the last paragraph to fully understand what Anzaldua’s argument is. Her essay ends by restating and condensing her main point: “stubborn, persevering, impenetrable as stone, yet possessing a malleability that renders us unbreakable, we, the mestzias and mestizos, will remain” (Anzaldua). She does not let the readers come to their own conclusion because she wants the reader to be in her shoes and feel as though there is no other option. In order to create this affirmative and commanding conclusion, Anzaldua uses very inspiring and emotion-provoking language. She makes her people seems as though they are complete victims of Americanism and tells how they are able to rise above this and push on through the discrimination. The way Anzaldua weaves the Spanish and English together throughout the entire essay leads up to her impactful conclusion where she forces her opinions of oppression on the readers, not allowing them to formulate their own opinions. Unlike Anzaldua, Rios, in the conclusion of his essay “Translating Translation,” presents an open ending that allows the reader to develop
Cited: Anzaldua, Gloria. “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Ways of Reading. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011, 85-93. Rios, Alberto Alvaro. “Translating Tanslation.” David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Ways of Reading. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011, 506-508. Doyle, Brian. “Joyas Voladoras.” David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Ways of Reading. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011, 273-275.