Option #1:
Develop an essay from a thesis such
as this one: We live in a hyper, frenzied, “caffeinated,” techno-crazed culture
that is in constant conflict with the goals of healthy sleep habits.
In looking at the cultural forces that have waged war against sleep, the essay by Paul Martin will be a huge source for addressing four forces:
1. ignorance of sleep.
2. complacency about sleep.
3. stubborn refusal to acknowledge the importance of sleep, even in the medical community.
4. artificial stimulation.
A Variation of Option #1:
Your thesis will be something like this: In this age of technology we have morphed into an Anti-Sleeper ADD Multi-Tasking Personality, which can be characterized by ___________________________, ________________________, _______________________________, __________________________, and _________________________________.
Suggested Essay
Structure
Paragraph 1 You will
describe the sleep deprivation crisis as it is laid out in Chapter 8, drawing
from relevant passages.
Paragraph 2 You will
writing your thesis and mapping components
Supporting Paragraphs will
illuminate the Anti-Sleeper ADD Multi-Tasking Personality with examples from
your interview, the class survey, and Walter Kirn’s essay.
Some points to consider
for your body paragraphs:
1. We are, as Anti-Sleeper
Man, ignorant and/or in denial about the importance of sleep as well
described in Paul Martin's essay.
2. We have, as
Anti-Sleeper Man, a perverted notion of freedom based on technology, as well
described in Walter Kirn's essay.
3. We suffer from brains
that cannot evolve quickly enough with our quickly advancing technology. See
Walter Kirn's essay.
4. We suffer mental
imbalance, as described in Walter Kirn's essay.
5. As Anti-Sleeper Man, we find out multitasking wastes time and money. Specifically, studies show that multitasking costs businesses 650 billion dollars a year. See Walter Kirn's essay.
Option #2:
Write an essay about yourself or someone you know who has or is suffering sleep deprivation and analyze the causes and effects of this deprivation in light of the current research. A successful paper will combine a suspenseful, dramatic narrative with concrete research.
Option #3:
Some say that small amounts of chunk light tuna, about 2 servings a week, is safe. But others argue, such as is voiced in Why Mercury Is Still Legal, that the FDA doesn't warn or regulate mercury content in tuna adequately for our safety. Write a research paper that argues for or against the idea that modest consumption of tuna is safe.
Option #4:
Write a five-page research paper that defends or refutes this contrarian position on global warming. In one page, summarize the article. Then write your thesis and mapping statements.
Option #5:
Using no fewer than 4 reviews from Movie Review Query Engine, write a research paper on Being John Malkovich in which you develop a thesis that addresses the film's theme of how we are never content to be ourselves but live vicariously, and obsessively, through the Cult of a Celebrity. Also you can use Drew Pinsky interview as a research source. Pinsky's book The Mirror Effect argues that celebrities become our gods and give us models of "normal" behavior, which of course is not normal at all but pathological and narcissistic.
Option #6:
Contrast high school students in
America and Asian countries featured in the documentary Two Million Minutes.
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