Conclusions.....

Do we need them?

What purpose does a conclusion serve? It sums up the paper? I don't think an conclusion, or a paragraph dedicated to restating your major point is needed in many cases. A classic argumentative essay would be the exception because its purpose is to bludgeon you across the head with the point of the essay until you submit to superior logic and reason. Surveying movies, "No Country for Old Men," and books, "Go down Moses," there does not need to be a clear conclusion to move people. Maybe the genius of these works is the way in which they leave you to wonder....