There is a recency effect in psychology, which refers to the phenomenon that when people memorize a series of things, the memory effect of the items at the end is better than the items in the middle. It is opposite to the primacy effect that emphasizes the first impression. It refers to the impression left by the last time you meet in a relationship. This impression will remain in the other person's mind for a long time. In the same way, A good ending can make the article shine, just like "Looking back and smiling," it can leave a beautiful and deep impression on people.
The end of the article is the same as the beginning, flexible and without a fixed pattern. Students should make reasonable arrangements according to the needs of the content and center when writing. Although "there is no set method", "practice brings true knowledge", there are still some common and useful techniques that can be used for reference. For example:
- Chapter Xianzhi, summarize the full text
Chapter Xianzhi, also called "end-of-article topic", which is a method of using one or two sentences to point out the theme at the end of the article. Proper use of this technique can not only make the structure of the article rigorous, but also enhance the depth and appeal of the article, playing a finishing touch. This is a very common writing method that is suitable for all genres and is used more often in prose.
For example, Feng Jicai's "Pearl Bird": A friend gave me a pearl bird, which is a kind of bird that is afraid of people. At first, this little guy only moved around the cage, and then it flew around the room; I ignored it, and gradually it became bolder and started to fly around. It fell on my desk; seeing that I was not going to hurt it, it got closer, then jumped on my cup, and bent its head to drink tea; one day, when I was writing at my desk, it actually fell on my shoulder. I stopped the pen in my hand for fear of scaring it away, and the little guy actually fell asleep on my shoulder.
The little guy didn’t dare to come near me at first, but ended up sleeping peacefully on my shoulder. What’s the reason? "When I moved the tip of my pen, my feelings came down: Trust can often create a beautiful state! " The ending is natural and hits the mark. It not only summarizes the above, explains the reasons, but also allows readers to grasp the topic accurately.
- Echoing from beginning to end, triggering resonance
Echoing from beginning to end, that is, things or statements that appear at the beginning of the article appear again at the end of the article, forming a relationship of echoing from beginning to end, thus making the content more complete, the structure closer, and arousing resonance among readers.
For example, Zhu Ziqing 's "Green":
Beginning: When I went to Xianyan for the second time, I was surprised by how green Meiyutan was.
Center: How does the green of Meiyu Lake attract us? Ending of
: When I went to Xianyan for the second time, I couldn't help but be surprised by how green Meiyutan was.
"Green" not only plays a connecting role in structure, but also is the focus of the integration of scenes in the whole text. Compared with the beginning, the ending contains the word "can't help", which not only echoes the beginning, but also strengthens the emotion. The reader seems to be entering the poetic and picturesque artistic realm with the author's description.
3 - full of philosophy and thought-provoking
is thought-provoking, that is, it inspires people to think deeply and wake up. Cleverly setting a sentence with profound meaning and philosophy at the end of the article can often deepen the theme, allow readers to get some enlightenment from it, and trigger profound thinking. For example, at the end of Lu Xun's " Hometown ": "I think hope does not matter whether it is there or not. This is just like the road on the ground. In fact, there is no road on the ground. When there are more people walking, it becomes a road."
This metaphorical sentence has a brilliant image, which not only effectively attacks the backward dark society, but also gives people a great revelation: hope is always in their own hands, and only by hard work can we open up a road to a happy life. The philosophical sentences are indeed thought-provoking and memorable.
4-Call-to-call, highlight the theme
call-to-call, that is, at the end of the article, a request is made, a call is made, calling on people to work hard for a specific goal, thereby enhancing the inspiration and appeal of the article, and shocking the reader's soul.
For example, Mr. Wen Yiduo's "'s last speech ", the ending part:
Justice can never be killed, because the truth always exists!
The task given to Kunming by history is to strive for democracy and peace, and we, the youth of Kunming, must complete this task!
We are not afraid of death, we have the spirit of sacrifice, and we can be like Mr. Li at any time, stepping out of the door with the front foot, and not preparing to step in again with the back foot!
Mr. Wen Yiduo was assassinated by Kuomintang agents after delivering this speech. Although more than 70 years have passed, Mr. Wang’s powerful call and appeal still resounds throughout the world. “Justice can never be killed, because truth will always exist.” This sentence has inspired many passionate young people to strive for life in pursuit of justice and truth!
5-Using scenes to express emotions, thought-provoking
Using scenes to express emotions is a technique for concluding poems. It is a way of expressing emotions through scenes. It means that in the process of discussing or expressing emotions, the poem stops abruptly and switches to describing the scene, using the scene to represent the mood and ending the poem, which seems to be unfinished. In fact, this technique is often used at the end of prose, which allows readers to use their imagination in the description of scenery and produce an artistic effect with endless charm.
For example, Wu Boxiao 's prose "The Hunter" ends with "The sky is clear and the sun is very good", which is the technique of "building love with scenery". Although "Hunter" is prose, it has the same conception mechanism as poetry: the author went to interview an Orion, and it was not smooth at the beginning, and one failure after another continued, and his hopes were repeatedly frustrated. Although there were unexpected gains in the process, the overall mood was low; it was not until the interviewee Dong Kun, the leopard fighting hero, suddenly appeared at the end that the low mood was relieved. "The sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly" makes people's eyes brighten, as if there is infinite light, which not only sublimates emotions, but also leaves more space for readers to recall.
6 - Cleverly designed suspense, meaningful
Suspense is a situation setting in the article that is curious but cannot be revealed immediately. It can be a scene, a plot, or a specific thing throughout the text, a description of the character's expression at a certain moment, etc. The purpose of setting up suspense is to capture the reader's heart and arouse the reader's interest in exploring the truth, thus making the article more fascinating.
For example, the ending of Lu Xun's novel "Kong Yiji":
Since then, I haven't seen Kong Yiji for a long time. At the end of the year, the shopkeeper took off the pink board and said, "Kong Yiji still owes nineteen yuan!" On the Dragon Boat Festival of the next year, he said again, "Kong Yiji still owes nineteen yuan!" But he didn't say anything until the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he didn't see him again at the end of the year.
I haven’t seen him until now - probably Kong Yiji is indeed dead.
"Approximately" means uncertain, because after all, I haven't seen Kong Yiji, it is unclear whether he is dead or alive; "Indeed" is a clear judgment, which seems to contradict the vague view of "approximately", but Kong Yiji is a scholar who can't make a living. He was beaten by Ding Juren for stealing books. The last time he came to the hotel to drink, he crawled on his hands. Death will be his inevitable end. There seems to be no contradiction between the two, and the fate of Kong Yiji cannot but arouse readers' attention. But the drinkers only regarded him as a joke, and the shopkeeper only cared about Kong Yiji and owed him nineteen cents. Such an ending made readers pay attention to Kong Yiji's fate, but at the same time, they couldn't help but feel sadness in their hearts.
Properly setting up suspense at the end can indeed make the article meaningful and memorable. However, setting up suspense cannot be abused, it must be reasonable, and cannot be blunt and far-fetched. The suspense set up should be clean and neat, and should not be mysterious or dazzling, thereby losing the effect of suspense.
7-Unexpected, abrupt ending
The unexpected ending means that the ending of characters or things is not dealt with according to conventional logic, but ends abruptly in an unexpected way. While people are stunned, they can't help but sigh at the author's whimsical ideas and the ever-changing life.
For example, the short story " The Police and the Hymn " by the American writer O. Henry : When winter is approaching, the protagonist Soapy begins to make various efforts to enter his winter residence, Blackwell Prison, such as going to restaurants to cheat and drink, smashing shop windows, molesting young women, disturbing the peace, stealing, etc. The funny thing is that the police gentlemen did not punish these illegal actions, but showed great tolerance. When Soapy was inspired by the music of hymns in the church and decided to give up his past life and start over, he was arrested by the police.
Let's take a look at the end of "The Police and the Hymn":
"What are you doing here?" the policeman asked.
"Nothing," said Soapy.
"Then follow me," the policeman said.
The next morning, the judge in the police court pronounced: "Blackwell Island, three months."
The novel ends abruptly here, which is really a wonderful irony. From this, the ridiculous becomes pitiful, exasperating, and lamentable...
The unexpected ending is also called " O. Henry ending ", which is often used in novels or narrative articles. As the plot develops, the previous foreshadowing is used to enhance the atmosphere of the article. When the reader's thoughts reach a certain point of conflict, an unexpected ending is given, giving the reader a huge impact on their thinking and making them suddenly enlightened. While they feel the true meaning of life, they can also receive artistic effects such as humor, satire, and praise.
As the saying goes: "When weaving clothes and trousers, the most important thing is the beginning; when weaving baskets, the most important thing is the closing." In short, a good article, in addition to having an engaging beginning, should also have a charming ending. There are many ways to end an article. The above examples are just a few common types. As for the ending method used when writing, it must be determined according to the theme of the article and the need to express the meaning. But no matter which method you choose, the end of the article must follow one principle: concise, clear, short and concise.
