A well-written hook will captivate your reader's attention and also provide a thematic thread which runs through the entire essay. You'll then bring the essay back full circle in the conclusion by returning to the hook. This will leave a lasting impression on your reader and make it memorable.
How you connect your hook to different parts of your essay is a powerful skill you should learn.
To figure out how to do this, let's explore the different parts of the essay and how they connect back to the hook.
What You Should Know About Different Parts of an Essay
A typical essay is made up of an introduction, the body, and conclusion. Understanding the different purposes of these various parts will help you figure out how to connect them back to the hook.
Let's start with the introduction and conclusion.
The Purpose of an Introduction and Conclusion
The introduction serves as a roadmap to your essay. It performs several functions including outlining what your essay will achieve, the methodology used, your motivation behind such an essay, and the overarching significance. Plus, it gives the reader the foundational concepts that are needed in order to understand the content.
On the other end, the conclusion is the grand finale. Here, you will summarize what you accomplished in the content, the methods you used, discoveries you made and why they all matter. Therefore, a conclusion will reinforce the key message.
Evidently, the introduction and conclusion serve as a complementary pair. The introduction serves as the revelation but the conclusion serves as a reflection. Therefore, you should ensure that the two sections work in harmony. And since your hook is typically in the first statement of the introduction, it means that you will be returning to the hook in your conclusion.
Note that you should not introduce new information in the conclusion.
How Do the Parts of the Essay Fit Together (Introduction, Body, Conclusion, and Hook)?
You can only create a seamless narrative if you understand how different parts are interconnected with one another.
The introduction leads into the body and the conclusion summarizes and finalizes what you have already stated in the content.
The hook, found in the introduction, glues the reader and provides a key theme that gives perspective to the whole essay. It is meant to be something memorable and impactful such that, if a reader can remember any one part of the essay, it would be the hook.
Therefore, your hook captures the essence of the rest of your content.
Can the Hook Be Used in the Conclusion?
Returning back to the hook in your conclusion can be a
powerful strategy. You’ll be reinforcing something familiar since the reader
already encountered the hook at the beginning.
You won't necessarily repeat the hook word-for-word in the conclusion, but you’ll refer to certain aspects of the hook. For example, if the hook is a question, the conclusion might provide an answer.
Here is an example to demonstrate how to use the hook in the conclusion, based on a domestic violence essay:
It starts with this hook:
"In the silence of closed doors, the shadows cast by domestic violence loom large, hidden from the world outside."
It then ends with this conclusion:
“As we conclude this exploration into the harrowing world of domestic violence, the echoes of those closed doors persist. The urgency to break the silence becomes even more apparent. We are reminded that our collective voice is the key to dispelling the darkness.”
Connecting Different Parts of an Essay
The aspect of returning to the hook is not just limited to the opening statement but how you create an interconnected prose. Therefore, when thinking about returning to the hook in your essay, you should also be thinking of connecting different parts of your content.
Let's explore the connection between different parts.
How to Connect the Hook to the Topic in an Essay?
Don't just write a hook merely to capture your reader's attention but make sure that it directly connects to the subject matter. This will not only make it impactful but also meaningful.
You can use the hook to set the tone of the content based on the topic or to highlight a critical aspect of the topic.
Having a hook centered on your topic will make it easier to refer back to it in the rest of the content without going off-topic.
How to Connect Paragraphs in an Essay
Just as we connect the major parts of the essay, smaller parts like paragraphs should also have smooth transitions from one to the next.
Make sure to begin each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that guides the reader on what the paragraph is about. This sentence should also provide a natural segue from the preceding paragraph.
To connect different ideas, you’ll typically employ such transitional phrases as, furthermore, in contrast or conversely. These are meant to show a logical flow between the ideas in different paragraphs. Without this flow of narration, it might be hard for the reader to grasp the overall intention since disjointed topics will make your content complicated.
How to Connect Sentences in an Essay
Sentences are a smaller part of the essay beyond paragraphs. Here, transitional phrases are particularly important. You can also use a parallel structure to express similar ideas in a consistent manner.
You shouldn’t rapidly change the tone from one sentence to the next, which can create conflict in the message you are passing on.
Connecting the Start and End of Your Essay
You can make a unified piece of content by restating your introduction. This is simply tying back to the introduction. You’ll achieve this by linking back to various parts of the introduction. For example, you can link back to your thesis, which is in the introduction. Or you may link back to the hook.
Note that, just as the hook is a powerful statement to captivate your reader at the beginning, you can also have a clincher. This is a final statement or paragraph that will leave a lasting impression on the reader too. This clincher can include concepts from the hook.
Restating your introduction can evoke specific emotions, provoke a particular thought or provide a much-needed revelation based on your content. You can even highlight a critical concept that you want your reader to remember long after reading your essay.
Therefore, how you end your content is just as important as how you start it.
To illustrate this point, here is an example of an animal rights essay:
It starts with this hook:
"Behind the sanitized walls of laboratories, the silent cries of countless animals echo, unheard and ignored."
It ends with this conclusion:
“As we grapple with the moral implications of animal testing, the ethical debate surrounding it cannot be muted. The plea for compassion and alternative research methodologies lingers in the echoes of their silent cries.”
Connecting Back to the Hook in Different Types of Essays
How you return to the hook can vary from one type of essay to another. This is particularly so since different types of essays would require different opening statements, or different styles of opening statements.
Let's explore some examples below.
Argumentative Essays
The hook in an argumentative essay is closely tied to the thesis of your argument.
Therefore, when you tie back to the hook in the conclusion, you would be reinforcing the thesis.
Expository Essays
Unlike an argumentative essay, an expository essay is aimed merely at providing information. Therefore, the style of narration is a critical component.
A hook can highlight a key point and you can return back to the key point in the conclusion to reinforce that idea.
Here is an example from Volunteer State Community College's Best of Student Essays from the 2014-2015 Academic Year. This example comes from the First Place Expository Essay winner Jeremy Knight's essay titled, "My Greatest Failure":
This was the hook:
"The barrel of the gun was cold against my tongue. The gun oil had a lightly acidic taste..."
And here is the conclusion that returns to the hook:
"...It took me several minutes to realize that the gun had misfired. That gun had never misfired up until that point. I had put thousands of rounds through, and never a misfire. I do not have the arrogance to say I know why I was spared that night, but what I do know is that with a twitch of a finger, my life changed forever; it could have also ended. Then I would not have had all the wonderful experiences I have had since then. I know how deep the darkness goes, and when it gets that dark the only path you can see is suicide; but I promise you if you just stop, take a breath and let your eyes acclimate to the darkness you will see all the wondrous possibilities that stand before you."
Narrative Essays
A narrative essay might present certain characters, a type of conflict, or a particular setting in the hook. This would be a captivating opening statement meant to draw in the reader.
When you return to the hook in your conclusion, you would be reinforcing the aspects you presented at the beginning or giving closure to what you initially presented at the start.
A good example comes from one of the winners of California State University San Marcos' (CSUSM) This I Believe Showcase from the 2018-2019 Academic Year. Here is the excerpt of the essay titled, "Infatuation" by Reignmarc Vincent Labuguen:
This is the hook:
"I believe infatuations are necessary to strengthen desire, passion, and happiness in life. It's a word that describes admiration for a short period of time. Infatuation is a viral emotion that can occur without notice..."
And here is the conclusion that returns back to that hook:
"...My obsession achieving a dream influence actions outside my comfort zone. I accept that infatuation gets the most of me. The short-term desires reveal uncharacteristic actions. It is a bittersweet process, but I am thankful for it. While most outcomes result in heartbreak, it also reveals new characteristics of me. I take advantage of it, so when the next desire come, achievement might actually be a possibility.
I believe."
Descriptive Essays
Vivid imagery is a powerful tool used in descriptive essays, particularly in the hook. Here, the use of sensory details can create an atmosphere that gives readers an almost real-life experience of a particular scenario.
When you return to the hook in your conclusion, you will be reminding the reader of that experience they had in the beginning.
Compare and Contrast Essays
The hook in a compare and contrast essay can highlight a key defining factor in your analysis. Therefore, your conclusion can lead back to this factor to remind the reader of the key concepts that you focused on.
Research Papers
The opening statement of a research paper may mention a fundamental aspect underlying your analysis. Deploying a mini-hook in the conclusion that returns to that concept can further cement the analysis in your paper.
Personal Statements or Common App
Your story in the personal statement can start off with a captivating hook to capture a critical aspect of your personal growth or the realization of your experiences. Or it might just be the beginning of a story that becomes more gratifying when you restate the beginning in your conclusion. Doing that will provide closure to your story and even add a sense of clarity to something that may not initially appear relevant.
A great example comes from Johns Hopkins University’s published selected examples of personal statement essays that "worked" as nominated by the admissions committee. Here is an excerpt of one titled, "Pack Light, But Be Prepared" by Pablo D.:
This is the essay hook:
"Friday night, September the 16th 2022 and I am packing for my pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain..."
It then ends with this conclusion:
"...It is 1.00 a.m. and I have finally finished packing; a tight fit, but I have everything I will need. As for my other backpack, I do a quick mental check: a goal-oriented drive, actions coherent with my character, the ability to open myself up to and learn from new and enriching experiences and other items, carefully tucked in there. Am I prepared for what lies ahead? I believe so, and the best part is, I left room for so much more."
Conclusion
Returning to the hook in your essay is only a small part of creating a unified and coherent piece of content.
All other parts of your essay should be interconnected, including the introduction, body, conclusion, paragraphs and sentences. When you do that, you'll avoid creating a disjointed piece, but rather have a smooth flowing narration that is easy for the reader to grasp and will likely be memorable.
Therefore, returning to the hook in your conclusion is just the final part of a well-written paper.
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