Thesis Statements

I was familiar with the typical three-pronged thesis statement, but today I was smacked in the face by what I was also unfamiliar with. Have I ever heard of the umbrella thesis statement, or the fact that a thesis and a thesis statement are different things? The answer to that question is a thick, fat no. I received insight that the umbrella thesis is useful for using more than three points, which is greatly needed in college when I must type twenty or so pages. Instead of being direct, it alludes to what the author is trying to establish, usually summarized in one word in its implications. I still need assistance with that as a whole, but I am glad to learn from it. The next was the thesis alone. I just blindly thought a thesis and a statement were the same, but it turns out the thesis is more or less in the statement, not the statement itself. For example, let's say a thesis like... tea is a healthy beverage. That is a thesis. Tea is a healthy beverage because it relieves stress, provides vitamin C, and prevents the risk of heart attacks if drinked casually is a thesis statement. That is what I gathered from today's lesson, and I hope to understand it more in the future. Essay writing, here I come!