A thesis statement is a general statement in which writers inform their readers of the purpose of the essay; in other words, the thesis statement is the main idea of an essay.

Along with providing the reader with this thesis statement, the writer of the essay should also provide a "blueprint" of the main points in the essay. In a five-paragraph essay, there are three main points in the thesis statement. These main points then become the topic sentences of the body of the essay.

More specifically, with the topic of the eighteenth birthday, the writer will need to compose an introduction that will first contain what is called a "hook" or a "motivator." This is a quote, an observation, a question, or anything that relates to the topic which gets the reader interested in the essay. For example, 

• There are few students who have not read "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. But, how real that poem becomes as they stare down that untraveled road of adulthood on turning eighteen! [Motivator or "hook"]

This "motivator" is then followed by the thesis statement that contains three main points. For example,

• When I turned eighteen, it was one of the most unforgettable moments of my life because (1)there I was on the new road of adulthood, (2)I could now vote, (3)I could leave home for higher education or a _______[whatever else one is interested in such as trade school, etc.], and I could get married if I wanted. [Thesis statement]