Writing Impactful Descriptive Essay Conclusions

Concluding a descriptive essay effectively ties up your narrative, provides closure to your readers, and leaves a lasting impression. Writing a conclusion might seem challenging, but following a few simple steps, you can wrap up your entire essay in a natural and satisfying way.

Here’s an effective guide on how to write a good descriptive essay conclusion.

Descriptive Essay Conclusion Structure

When concluding a descriptive essay, it’s essential to bring the reader back to the main point you wanted to make while leaving them with a lasting impression. Here’s how to structure your conclusion to achieve this.

Start your essay by revisiting the main idea. This is a way of reminding your reader of the central theme or message you aimed to convey. You don’t have to repeat the exact thesis statement you used at the start, but it’s good to rephrase it so that it ties everything together.

Next, it’s a good idea to touch upon the most vivid or essential details you’ve described in the body of your essay. By doing so, you’re summarizing the key elements of your description for the reader, reinforcing the images and sensations you’ve shared.

After that, delve into the emotion or feeling that your descriptive writing is meant to evoke. Descriptive essays paint pictures with words and aim to make readers feel a certain way. By re-emphasizing this emotion, you leave a lasting emotional impact.

End your conclusion by leaving the reader with a thought or reflection related to your description. This can be a question, an insight, or an invitation to imagine or reflect further. It should make the reader pause and think, ensuring that your description lingers in their mind even after reading.

Throughout your conclusion, it’s essential to keep things concise. The goal is to wrap up your description effectively, not to introduce new ideas or details. And always give your strong conclusion a read-through to ensure clarity and simplicity.

How to Write a Descriptive Essay Conclusion: The Steps

So, you’ve written most of your descriptive essay, and now you’re wondering how to finish it in a way that feels just right. Here’s a basic outline to help you conclude in a simple manner:

Restate the Thesis or Main Point

When concluding a descriptive essay, bringing the reader back to the heart of what you’ve been discussing is vital. This heart, often called the thesis statement or main point, is the backbone of your writing.

So, as you draw to a close, you’ll want to revisit this main idea. But here’s the trick: you don’t want just to echo what you said initially. That could sound repetitive and might not capture your reader’s attention the same way.

Instead, think of it like retelling a favorite story with a slightly different flavor each time. You aim to give the essence of that main point but with a new perspective or refreshed manner. By doing this, you’re emphasizing the importance of your main idea in your paragraphs, making sure it sticks in the reader’s mind.

It’s a way to underline your message and ensure the reader truly understands and remembers what you want to share with them. Here is an essay example to guide you:

Example:

Imagine you're writing a descriptive essay about the importance of empathy in nursing. Your thesis or main point at the beginning might be, "Empathy is the cornerstone of effective nursing care, as it fosters trust and aids in holistic healing."

As you conclude your essay after sharing various experiences and perspectives about empathy in nursing, you'd want to revisit this idea. Instead of repeating the same sentence, you could rephrase it with a fresh twist: "In nursing, it's clear that the genuine understanding and shared feeling of empathy doesn't just offer comfort; it accelerates the journey to recovery and builds unbreakable bonds between the patient and nurse."

Summarize the Main Points

Drawing to a close in a descriptive essay requires a neat wrap-up of everything you’ve covered. It’s essential to revisit the significant moments or ideas you’ve shared to give a sense of completeness to your essay.

It’s about giving your reader a quick stroll down memory lane, jogging their mind about the journey they’ve just been on with you.

However, it’s crucial to strike a balance. You don’t want to delve deep into every detail again. That would be like retelling the entire story, which can become tedious. Instead, aim to briefly touch on the main ideas or scenes, allowing the reader to recall the essence without getting lost.

By skillfully summarizing, you provide a neat package of your essay’s content, ensuring that your readers can easily recall and reflect upon the core messages and vivid images you’ve shared with them.

Evoke Emotion

Descriptive essays are unique because they do more than just share facts or tell a story; they aim to make readers feel something. By using the right words and descriptions, writers can create a world that feels alive and stirs emotions within the readers.

This emotional connection often makes the essay memorable, as people tend to remember how something made them feel more than just the mere details. So, as you wrap up your essay, it’s essential to tap into those emotions again. It’s your final chance to leave a lasting impression.

Think about the feeling that’s at the heart of your essay. By revisiting and emphasizing this emotion at the end, you ensure that when your readers think back to your essay, they’ll not just remember what you described but, more importantly, how it made them feel. This emotional resonance can make your essay stand out and be cherished in the reader’s memory.

End with a Thought-Provoking Statement

Every good story or discussion leaves its audience thinking deeper or asking questions. This is where the power of a thought-provoking statement comes in in writing, especially in a descriptive essay. When you conclude with a compelling remark or an intriguing question, you’re essentially leaving a door slightly open, inviting the reader to step in, explore further, and engage with the topic on a personal level.

Finishing your essay with something that prompts reflection takes the experience of reading from a passive activity to an active engagement. Instead of just absorbing information or enjoying a well-painted scene, they’re now involved, turning over your words in their mind and connecting it with their own experiences or beliefs.

This connection elevates your essay in their memory and fosters a personal bond between the text and the reader, ensuring that your words leave a lasting, meaningful impact.

Example:

"In the fast-paced world of healthcare, where technology and treatments evolve daily, isn't it profound to realize that the simple act of genuine listening can often be a patient's most potent medicine?"

Avoid Introducing New Ideas

In the conclusion, you and your reader pause to reflect on where you’ve been. If, in these last moments, you suddenly introduce a new destination, it can feel like being pulled in a different direction just when things are coming to a peaceful end.

This can leave the reader feeling unsettled or as if they’ve missed something along the way. They will not continue reading your essay.

It’s crucial, therefore, to make sure the conclusion serves its purpose: wrapping up and reinforcing the journey you’ve already taken. Bringing in new themes or ideas at this point can be confusing, and the reader might be left trying to piece together how this new information fits everything they’ve read.

The ending should feel like a harmonious culmination of all your points and descriptions, not an abrupt addition. Staying true to the themes and ideas you’ve laid out ensures the reader walks away with a clear and complete understanding of your essay, feeling satisfied and connected to your narrative.

Keep It Concise

A conclusion must be clear, have figurative language (metaphors, and similes), resonate with the listener, and leave a lasting impression. However, if that note is played too long or repeated too many times, it can lose its impact. Instead of leaving the listener with a sense of completion, it might make them feel restless or like the song is dragging on.

In the same way, the ending of your essay should be sharp and to the point. It’s the moment where everything you’ve said comes together, and it should leave your reader with a clear understanding and feeling of satisfaction.

When writing a conclusion for descriptive essay topics, it’s essential to remember that less can often be more. Going on for too long or revisiting points in too much detail can dilute the strength of your message. Instead of adding clarity, it might make things seem cluttered or repetitive.

The goal is to remind your reader of the main points, evoke the central emotion, and leave a lasting thought, all without overdoing it. By keeping things clear and concise, you ensure that every word holds value and that your conclusion stands out as a strong, memorable end to your essay.

Proofread and Refine

After you’ve penned down the concluding words for your essay, it’s essential to revise them. This is to ensure that your topic sentences in the body paragraphs flow smoothly, that there are no rough edges, and that your ending truly captures the essence of your description throughout the essay.

Now, proofreading isn’t just about checking for big mistakes. It’s also about refining the little details. Maybe there’s a word that could be replaced with a better one, or perhaps there’s a sentence that could be clearer. Small errors, like a misplaced comma or a spelling mistake, can distract your reader from the main message. 

By carefully proofreading and making necessary tweaks, you ensure that your conclusion shines and leaves your reader with a strong, positive impression. A well-refined conclusion to a descriptive essay not only wraps up your it perfectly but also showcases your dedication and attention to detail.

How to Conclude a Descriptive Essay: Examples

Here are three essay conclusion examples, each showcasing a different approach:

Example 1: Reflective Closure

In a reflective nursing essay about a challenging patient case, the conclusion might take a reflective approach:

"As nurses, we navigate a sea of emotions and medical complexities, seeking to heal not just bodies but spirits. This essay has delved into the highs and lows of patient care, emphasizing the importance of empathy and resilience. As I conclude, I find myself reminded of the incredible power of human connection. Our experiences with patients are not just medical charts or diagnoses; they are stories of strength, vulnerability, and hope. In these narratives, we discover our purpose as nurses – to bring comfort, understanding, and healing. And as I move forward in my nursing career, I carry with me the profound lessons learned from these patient encounters, forever grateful for the privilege of being part of their healing journeys."

Example 2: Emotion-Evoking Closure

In an essay describing the impact of a nurse’s presence during childbirth, the conclusion could aim to evoke powerful emotions:

"In the quiet moments of childbirth, where pain and joy collide, the nurse's presence is an anchor of reassurance. This essay has illuminated the beauty of these shared moments, where life emerges and love deepens. As we conclude, let us remember the countless nurses who have stood beside mothers, holding their hands through the storm, and witnessing the miracle of life. In the cries of newborns and the smiles of mothers, we find the heartbeat of our profession. It is in these sacred spaces that we learn the true meaning of nursing – to be the calm in the storm, the strength in the vulnerability, and the love in the pain."

Example 3: Thought-Provoking Closure

In a nursing essay exploring the role of technology in patient care, a thought-provoking conclusion could be employed:

"As technology advances and machines become more integrated into healthcare, we must not forget the heart of nursing lies in the human touch. This essay has dissected the intricate relationship between technology and patient care, revealing both its benefits and limitations. As we conclude, let us ponder a question: Can machines truly replace the warmth of a nurse's smile or the comfort of a reassuring hand? In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, it's a question we must grapple with. While technology can enhance our capabilities, it is our humanity that defines the essence of nursing. It is the profound connections we forge, the empathy we offer, and the compassion we extend that truly make the difference in a patient's journey toward healing."

Final Thoughts on Descriptive Essay Conclusions

Concluding a descriptive essay is an opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the reader. By using descriptive language, restating your thesis, summarizing main points, evoking emotion, ending with a thought-provoking statement, and ensuring clarity and succinctness, you can craft a compelling ending to your essay. With practice and attention to these steps, you’ll master writing descriptive essay conclusions.