Thesis and supporting arguments; the right way and the wrong way.

Wrong: Topic question: Why does Charlotte Bronte make Jane Eyre not pretty?

Reason one:

Reason two;

Reason three:

This is wrong because it takes a fact (Jane is not pretty) and gives three reasons for the fact. There is no thesis

Right: Topic question: Why does Charlotte Bronte make Jane Eyre not pretty?

Answer: Charlotte Bronte makes Jane plain because she is a feminist writer [this is just an example; there could be other answers]* This answer is the thesis.

First argument showing that this answer is right

Second argument showing that this answer is right

Third argument showing that this answer is right

A thesis is something people could disagree with. It is not just a fact.

*It's a good idea to think about the other answers. One answer could be "Because she preferred clever women to pretty ones". Another answer could be "Because she wasn't pretty herself". Thinking about all the possible answers helps us to decide which is the best answer. If we read critics who give an answer we disagree with, we can attack their wrong idea as part of our paper.