Last week we discussed the basic mechanics of the thesis statement, focusing primarily on The Magic Thesis Statement and brainstorming ideas for a concise, convincing thesis. This week I’d like to introduce a concept that will make coming up with that thesis statement even easier: motive.
You’ve glimpsed its name between the pages of (maybe) your tenth-grade English grammar book. Your teacher might have written it on the board several times. Most probable of all, it has appeared numerous times in glaring red letters in the margin of your essays, right next to that first paragraph. That’s right: the thesis statement.
Most students shiver at the very name. But I want to prove to you that the thesis statement is not worth shivering over. It is certainly fundamental to every academic essay, and you will spend the rest of your time in school refining it as a skill. (Trust me; I’m about to graduate college and have only just figured it out!) Nonetheless, the thesis statement is quite simple conceptually. Starting to understand it now will make all of those future essays much, much easier.
[Continue reading to learn about the thesis statement]