What Should the Conclusion Do in a Reflective Essay: Vital Advice
In a reflective essay, you should not only reflect on some important event or person from your past, but also share the lesson you have learned from this past experience. In the thesis statement, you should usually hint at the main point of your paper. The essay body will be devoted to narrating the plot of your story. The conclusion will restate your thesis and explain how the story influenced your life. This last paragraph of your paper should be organized in an effective way. Make use of the following advice on how to write a great conclusion for your reflective essay.
- Clearly specify the lesson you have taken away.
- Keep a focus.
- Be brief.
- Follow the style.
- Be personal.
To make your reflective essay strong, leave the most interesting part for the last. Restate your main point and explain what you have learned from the story provided. Do it in a clear way. This shouldn’t be hint anymore. For example, you may start your conclusion with the following words, “When I look back at that moment, I understand how right I was to make my first adult decision.”
Be sure to focus only on the story you tell and on the point you make. In the process of narrating, it may appear that you have learnt some other things from the experience described, or that there happened some similar stories in your life that taught you the same lesson. Resist the temptation of sharing these revelations with your reader.
In the conclusion, you shouldn’t summarize events from the narrative part of your reflective essay. You should only restate your main point. It won’t be necessary to explain why you draw such a conclusion if you are effective enough in the body of your paper. If it is still not obvious why you take away this particular lesson, consider improving your previous narrative paragraphs.
Your conclusion should be written in the same tone as the previous work. If your essay is written in a light and casual style, don’t conclude it officially and strictly. Use the same vocabulary and make your ending smooth.
Write your conclusion in a first person and do not generalize. For example, it will better sound in the following way, “Now I understand…” or “In my opinion…” Don’t say, “One may decide…” or “It may be concluded that…” Don’t be afraid to show your individual position, even if it differs from the generally accepted points of view. This is your specific experience, and the lesson you have taken is unique.