Think about yourself as a part of a jury, listening to legal counsel that is presenting an opening argument. It is additionally vital to know as soon as possible perhaps the lawyer believes the accused to be guilty or not guilty, and exactly how the lawyer plans to convince you. Readers of academic essays are like jury members: before they usually have read too much, they would like to know what the essay argues along with how the writer intends to result in the argument. The reader should think, “This essay is going to try to convince me of something after reading your thesis statement. I’m not convinced yet, but I’m interested to observe how I may be.”