AVOID Common Conclusion MISTAKES (FIX THEM NOW)!
Summary
TLDRIn this 'Garden of English' episode, Tim Freitas guides viewers on crafting compelling conclusions for rhetorical analysis essays. He advises against merely rewording theses or summarizing; instead, he introduces a three-step process focusing on knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Freitas suggests identifying universal ideas from the text, understanding their real-world applications, and imparting wisdom through a metaphor-rich final sentence. He exemplifies this with Cesar Chavez's piece, aiming to elevate the essay's conclusion beyond a simple restatement to a profound reflection of the text's impact.
Takeaways
- π A good conclusion for a rhetorical analysis essay should go beyond rewording the thesis or summarizing the paper.
- π Effective conclusions involve articulating the learning process, which consists of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
- π The first step is identifying universal ideas or abstract concepts the speaker emphasizes in the text.
- π§ The second step involves demonstrating understanding by showing how these ideas apply universally, beyond the specific context of the essay.
- π The third step, wisdom, should provide a final universal insight, often incorporating a short quote from the text.
- π There are two ways to start your conclusion: either by connecting the universal ideas or by using a metaphor relevant to the rhetorical situation.
- βοΈ Writing with a relevant metaphor in the first sentence can add sophistication and depth to your conclusion.
- π₯ Moving from specific references to the author and audience to more universal terms like 'people' and 'leaders' enhances the timeless relevance of your conclusion.
- π Including a short textual quote in the final sentence can reinforce the wisdom gained from the essay.
- π€ A strong conclusion acts like a mic drop, leaving a lasting impact on the reader and encapsulating the essay's core ideas effectively.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video?
-The video focuses on how to write effective conclusions for rhetorical analysis essays.
What are the three steps mentioned for writing a conclusion?
-The three steps for writing a conclusion are: knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
Why does the speaker advise against simply rewording the thesis or summarizing the essay?
-The speaker advises against rewording the thesis or summarizing the essay because professional writers don't use these techniques, and doing so doesn't add sophistication to the conclusion.
What does the 'knowledge' component in the conclusion refer to?
-The 'knowledge' component refers to identifying the universal ideas or abstract concepts that the speaker wants the audience to know about.
How does the speaker suggest expressing 'knowledge' in a conclusion?
-The speaker suggests articulating the relationship between the universal ideas explored in the essay, or using a metaphor that is relevant to the rhetorical situation.
What is the purpose of the 'understanding' phase in the conclusion?
-The 'understanding' phase is meant to universalize the ideas from the piece, separating them from the specific speaker and audience to make the conclusion more timeless.
How can you shift from specific examples in the essay to universal ideas in the conclusion?
-You can shift from specific examples to universal ideas by replacing specific names with broader terms like 'individuals,' 'leaders,' or 'people,' and focusing on general principles that apply across time.
What is the role of 'wisdom' in the final step of writing a conclusion?
-The 'wisdom' step involves imparting a lesson or broader insight that the reader should gain after understanding the piece, often by including a relevant quote from the text.
Why does the speaker recommend using a piece of text from the reading in the final sentence?
-The speaker recommends using a piece of text from the reading in the final sentence to anchor the conclusion in the original material while providing a universal message.
What is the purpose of creating a metaphorical first sentence for the conclusion?
-A metaphorical first sentence can add style and depth to the conclusion by connecting the ideas in a more sophisticated way that reflects the rhetorical situation.
Outlines
π Introduction to Writing a Rhetorical Analysis Conclusion
Tim Freitas welcomes viewers back to the 'Garden of English' with a focus on crafting conclusions for a rhetorical analysis essay. He suggests moving beyond the common advice of rewording thesis statements or summarizing papers, advocating for a more sophisticated approach that reflects the learning process. This process involves three components: knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Tim outlines a three-step method to conclude an essay effectively, starting with identifying universal ideas that the speaker wants the audience to know. He uses the Cesar Chavez piece from the 2015 AP English Language Exam as an example, encouraging viewers to check out related videos for a comprehensive understanding of rhetorical analysis. Tim also promotes his 'Ultimate Review Packet' for AP Language exams, which includes various resources to help students achieve high scores.
π± Crafting the Conclusion: From Knowledge to Wisdom
The second paragraph delves into the process of writing a conclusion for a rhetorical analysis essay. Tim explains the importance of moving from specific details about Cesar Chavez to more universal terms to demonstrate understanding. He illustrates how to shift the focus from Chavez's specific context to broader, timeless principles that apply to individuals and civil leaders. The final step in the learning process, wisdom, involves imparting a universal message that can be learned from the piece. Tim suggests ending the conclusion with a sentence that includes a quote or a short phrase from the reading, akin to a fortune cookie message, to leave a lasting impression. He contrasts this stylized conclusion with a traditional one, emphasizing the impact of a well-crafted conclusion that resonates with the reader.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Rhetorical Analysis Essay
π‘Conclusion
π‘Learning Process
π‘Knowledge
π‘Understanding
π‘Wisdom
π‘Metaphor
π‘Universal Ideas
π‘Cesar Chavez
π‘AP English Language Exam
π‘Unit 4 and Unit 7 Reviews
Highlights
Introduction to the Garden of English series with Tim Freitas focusing on writing conclusions for rhetorical analysis essays.
Emphasis on avoiding common pitfalls such as merely rewording the thesis or summarizing the paper.
Introduction of the three components of the learning process: knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
Discussion on how to articulate the learning process in the conclusion of an essay.
Explanation of the first step in writing a conclusion: identifying universal ideas the speaker wants the audience to know.
Advice on listing out four or five universal ideas explored in the essay being analyzed.
Example of identifying universal ideas in the Cesar Chavez piece from the 2015 AP English Language Exam.
Two methods for writing the first sentence of a conclusion: articulating the relationship between ideas or using a pertinent metaphor.
Example of a first sentence using a metaphor related to Cesar Chavez's role in the farmworkers movement.
Transition to the understanding phase, moving the conclusion to be more universal and timeless.
Example of a conclusion section that shifts from specific to universal terms like 'people' and 'leaders'.
Introduction of the wisdom stage, the final step in writing a conclusion.
Advice on writing a final sentence that imparts wisdom and includes a quote or phrase from the reading.
Comparison of a traditional conclusion to a stylized one for a more impactful ending.
Encouragement to check out the complete review series for rhetorical analysis and preparation for the AP exam.
Promotion of the Ultimate Review Packet for AP Language Exam, providing comprehensive exam review materials.
Transcripts
i'm happy to welcome you back to the
garden of english i'm tim freitas and
today we're going to be focusing on how
you can make conclusions for your
rhetorical analysis essay we're going to
do this in about three steps if you
haven't watched all our other videos in
this series about how to read
rhetorically break down the prompt and
write sophisticated thesis statements
topic sentences and commentary you're
going to want to check them out all
these videos are linked right in the
description right down below also just
like with all the other review videos in
this series we're going to use the cesar
chavez piece from the 2015 ap english
language exam that too is linked in the
description okay folks when it comes to
conclusion i know that many people are
often told to reword their thesis
statements and summarize their papers
but i want to teach you to do something
incredibly more effective you see if you
ever look at professional authors or
really consider any of the essays you
read in class you're going to notice
rather quickly that almost no excellent
writer embraces either technique that i
just mentioned so i don't think that
you'll want to either especially if you
want to become a better writer to write
a sophisticated conclusion you're going
to want to think about how you can
articulate the learning process
throughout the ending of your paper the
learning process is made up of three
components knowledge understanding and
wisdom it just so happens that these
three components will make up the three
moves that you want to make as you
produce your final paragraphs of any
paper that you ever write you see as you
learn you're exposed to things that you
should be able to identify and know once
you can identify and know these things
you'll be able to understand how this
knowledge applies and functions in the
real world and as you consider your
understandings you'll be moved to impart
some wisdom that you have about those
understandings to others and so with
this in mind let's consider how to go
through this process for your
conclusions we'll start with identifying
the knowledge in the piece by the way
did you know that this video actually
works in conjunction with my unit 4 and
unit 7 reviews that are part of my ultra
review packet this pack is a complete
exam review series that you should check
out if you want an a in your ap class
and a five on your exam this packet
provides you with video reviews notes
guides answer guides practice multiple
choice questions with rationales and
practice exams that have self-guided
rubrics and essay models so you can
actually self-score what could be better
nothing so check out the ultimate review
packet for your ap lane exam right at
the top link in the description down
below this video you can also check it
out here okay back to business your
first step in writing a conclusion is
identifying the universal ideas that a
speaker wants his or her audience to
know about as he or she delivers the
piece get it knowledge no okay good
universal ideas are just abstract nouns
and if you'd like some examples to see
what they are you're going to notice
that some will show up on your screen
right about now
okay well what you want to do when
you're getting ready to write the first
part of your conclusion is to first list
out four or five universal ideas that
your essay or the essay that you're
reading that you're actually analyzing
explores so if we were to search for
these ideas in the chavez piece we're
going to look for things like
non-violence justice human rights
democratic change power and patience now
once we have these nuggets of knowledge
at our fingertips we're going to create
the first sentence of our conclusion you
can do this in one of two ways first
simply articulate the relationship
between any and all of the ideas that we
just identified before when you write
this sentence just think about answering
this question what does the speaker want
his or her audience to know about these
ideas once they've experienced the whole
piece so what a first sentence could
look like in relation to the shabbos
piece would be something like this and
don't forget i'm just connecting the
ideas in the midst of civil unrest
chavez emphasizes the incredibly
important role that patience plays in
ushering in powerful lasting democratic
change hey that's pretty good i didn't
just reword my thesis instead i began
expounding upon it focusing on the
knowledge that chavez was imparting to
those who were listening remember though
i said that there are two ways to write
this first sentence and i'm going to
show you a second option that is way
more sophisticated if you can do it
right so pay attention and try it out
and if you realize this is too hard for
you then just stick with the first way
and that's not a problem because they're
both good but the other way to write a
strong first sentence is to express the
relationship between the ideas that
we're trying to create but we want to do
it with a pertinent metaphor this will
lead to your first sentence having a bit
more style but you can't just make up
any random comparison it has to be one
that directly relates to the rhetorical
situation or the reading in some way so
let me give you an example of this in
relation to this prompt since cesar
chavez was a civil rights leader for the
farmworkers movement i'm going to use
that to create my first sentence check
it out throughout his piece chavez
plants the seeds of patients throughout
the fields of potential unrest in hopes
of growing a movement based on the power
of human rights look at how well that
comparison fits into the role that
chavez has that's a really cool sentence
it not only expresses what the piece is
about but it also applies to it a
greater knowledge of chavez and his
struggle it really highlights
inferential reading skills because you
could actually pick up from reading
through the piece that he was the leader
of the farmworkers movement okay let's
shift to step two we need to go to the
understanding phase and this phase can
be completed in about one to three
sentences in step two what we're gonna
do is move the conclusion to be more
universal we're going to separate a
little bit from chavez and his intended
audience and make it a bit more timeless
when we take chavez and his audience out
of the picture we're going to replace
them with more universal terms like
people and individuals and leaders this
is because we're trying to demonstrate
that we understand what we know from
chavez and his words back in the 1970s
actually applies universally whether in
the past present or future so if i were
to write this section of my conclusion
i'm going to say something along the
lines of this by embracing his role as a
public figure with a positive message
chavez provides a model to those who
seek to challenge and upend the
oppressive status quo individuals and
civil leaders must always hold the right
to life and involvement of the masses as
their premier principles behind any
moral cause notice how i moved from
chavez to individuals and civil rights
leaders you can see that i'm shifting
towards the universal and now i could be
talking about anyone in any time period
that's how you complete this stuff but
now we have to move to the final stage
of the learning process and that is the
wisdom stage and that's going to be the
third step for how we write our
conclusion in this particular section
you're going to want to write a final
sentence that is still universal in
nature but it's meant to impart some
wisdom that someone should gain after
being able to experience the knowledge
and understanding of the piece as a
whole the absolute best way to do this
is by including at least one three to
five word piece of text from the reading
in this final sentence and picture this
kind of like writing a sentence that
reads like a fortune cookie but not a
lame one so i'm gonna model this here
and i'm gonna finish my conclusion with
a sentence like this though when those
seeking change forget these goals they
not only risk damaging their reputations
but also lose their sense of justice as
they seek a shortcut to change and
that's not worth it no matter how just
their cause may be so now that we've
gone through these three steps here's
what the traditional conclusion would
look like if you didn't use the stylize
for a sentence it's going to show right
up on your screen
[Music]
and here's what the stylized conclusion
would look like
[Music]
a good conclusion is a lot like a mic
drop you set it and let it sink in all
right folks thanks for hanging in there
throughout this video and throughout
this entire review series for rhetorical
analysis now that you've experienced how
to make it all the way through this type
of essay you're going to want to check
out what's over here and that's so that
you can review for your apa exam and
move on to conquering the argument essay
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