Your topic and your argument

High school instilled the image of a thesis into my head as something you don’t look forward to doing. It was trying to cure cancer. It was putting a man on Mars. I had to take something I wasn’t remotely interested in and write about it. A thesis was a boring investigation. It determined whether you could become a senior or not.

Just like Pavlov’s theory, a thesis has triggered that image in my head since high school. I can write for days if the topic is something I am interested in, especially if it is a debatable topic. I know that I am not a great writer but making it simple and interesting fosters my unstoppable personal voice on paper.

This past week’s lecture that spoke of a thesis as being both an idea and an argument has opened up the doors to endless possibilities for me. No more am I running into a stone wall and looking for extra words to fill up space to submit for my high school class.

“A thesis is not an argument out of anger, but out of curiosity.” I wish I was given that opportunity to write about a topic of my interest rather than a topic of the teacher’s choice. I was a scientist in high school.

I am anxious to examine what factors have affected my life and what I am interested in exploring. When I studied abroad in college, I was told to see the country with my own eyes and write about it. That was my homework. I developed my own thesis and enjoyed it. I shaped my thoughts based on what my brain produced.

From this experience I became my own devil’s advocate. In ICM 501, I challenged every lecture and gave myself a reputation for approaching topics from every angle. It’s not easy to pick my own brain, but I have fun doing it. It’s also better when you enjoy the topic.