Disagree. I think by the time that most students get to the point of taking a compilers course, they can understand (at a high level) what each of these stages

Disagree. I think by the time that most students get to the point of taking a compilers course, they can understand (at a high level) what each of these stages is doing with no motivation needed. When I took my compilers course, we went over the stages of a compiler in the first 10 minutes of the first lecture, and I think everyone "got it" right away.