Minutes a day n e w y o r k

Offering a New Understanding
To conclude means to bring to an end. But it also means to arrive at a belief or opinion by reasoning. And that’s what
a good conclusion should do: It should both bring the essay to an end and end with a conclusion—the under-
standing that you have come to by working through your essay. After all, you stated a thesis and then supported
it with evidence. That has to add up to something. You should now have a deeper understanding of your subject,
and it’s this understanding that you need to convey to your readers in your conclusion. This understanding makes
readers feel as if their time was well spent; it is their “reward” for reading your essay.
In the previous example, the writer offers a new understanding of how names can shape people. Readers learn
that he had the choice to let the nickname shape him in a positive or negative way. The understanding is his “gift”
to his readers, and he shares it in his conclusion.