136 – Endings
subjects of the social sciences which lend themselves to experimental,
survey or participant research, it is frequently proper to conclude
by summing up the present state of knowledge and to suggest what
further research needs to be done. This may be out of place in an essay
which focuses on the interpretation of somebody’s writings – say a
novelist, a political scientist or a theoretical sociologist. I have made
no attempt in what follows to give you systematic advice about the
appropriateness of varying endings to different disciplines, subject
matters or types of essay topic. You will be able to pick up hints about
this by looking at conclusions in the secondary sources you read for
your essays. What I shall do here is to point out some of the things to
look for.
2
Mood: suggestion and implication
Where you do use your ending to recapitulate your main points or
arguments, it can be saved from being a mere repetition – slightly
reworded – of the introduction by a change in your mood. One of
the opportunities an ending provides to you is the chance to reflect
upon what you have written. The dominant mood of an introduction
is stating or asserting. That of the middle is justifying. Both need to be
vigorous and closely focused on the essay topic itself. Your ending,
by contrast, can afford to relax a little, even sometimes to go so far
as to admit that your argument has not solved all the problems raised
by the question. The focus may shift from the topic itself to your own
discussion of the topic.
One of the words often found in the conclusions to academic
papers is ‘suggest’. For example, ‘I have tried to suggest that the distinction commonly drawn between “social democracy” and “democratic socialism” tends to distract our attention from the very fundamental characteristics they have in common.’ In thus summing up a
major concern of the essay, the writer has adopted a new mood to his
thesis. There is here a certain modesty or tentativeness about what
the essay has achieved – a recognition that one is contributing to a
process of learning and discussion larger than oneself. This, broadly
speaking, is a helpful attitude to adopt (even, perhaps, when your
subjects of the social sciences which lend themselves to experimental,
survey or participant research, it is frequently proper to conclude
by summing up the present state of knowledge and to suggest what
further research needs to be done. This may be out of place in an essay
which focuses on the interpretation of somebody’s writings – say a
novelist, a political scientist or a theoretical sociologist. I have made
no attempt in what follows to give you systematic advice about the
appropriateness of varying endings to different disciplines, subject
matters or types of essay topic. You will be able to pick up hints about
this by looking at conclusions in the secondary sources you read for
your essays. What I shall do here is to point out some of the things to
look for.
2
Mood: suggestion and implication
Where you do use your ending to recapitulate your main points or
arguments, it can be saved from being a mere repetition – slightly
reworded – of the introduction by a change in your mood. One of
the opportunities an ending provides to you is the chance to reflect
upon what you have written. The dominant mood of an introduction
is stating or asserting. That of the middle is justifying. Both need to be
vigorous and closely focused on the essay topic itself. Your ending,
by contrast, can afford to relax a little, even sometimes to go so far
as to admit that your argument has not solved all the problems raised
by the question. The focus may shift from the topic itself to your own
discussion of the topic.
One of the words often found in the conclusions to academic
papers is ‘suggest’. For example, ‘I have tried to suggest that the distinction commonly drawn between “social democracy” and “democratic socialism” tends to distract our attention from the very fundamental characteristics they have in common.’ In thus summing up a
major concern of the essay, the writer has adopted a new mood to his
thesis. There is here a certain modesty or tentativeness about what
the essay has achieved – a recognition that one is contributing to a
process of learning and discussion larger than oneself. This, broadly
speaking, is a helpful attitude to adopt (even, perhaps, when your