1C Essay Topic Bank
One. World War Z and Covid-19 Comparison Essay
Read “You Can’t Scare a Virus” in Vox, “Zombies in the Age of Covid-19” in The National Review, and listen to Terry Gross’ Fresh Air interview with Max Brooks. Use this material to help you write an argumentative thesis about the relationship between Covid-19 and the allegorical 2013 horror film World War Z.
Comparison Points of Zombies and Covid-19
Both create panic.
Both bring out the survival “doomsday prep” impulse resulting in hoarding supplies, guns, food, TP, etc.
Both create paranoia, resulting in fear of strangers, racism (see all of the hostility against Asians and Asian-Americans).
Both create a retreat from crowded spaces and encourage what is called the quarantine.
Both came by surprise. We got “sucker punched” and didn’t have the appropriate preparation.
Both caused disruption of society, the economy, national security, the supply chain, etc.
Two. Epidemic of Loneliness
Homework #9 is to read Jasmin Barmore’s essay “The Queen of Eating Shellfish Online” and Judith Shulevitz’s essay “Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore,” and see The New Yorker’s “History of Loneliness” use the essays to support or refute the contention that mukbang addresses the depression and anxiety of loneliness.
Three. How Greed Eats Us from the Inside Out
See the 1998 movie A Simple Plan, and refute or support the argument that the movie makes a persuasive presentation of 5 points: the love of money is the root of all evil, acquiring a huge sum of money makes resisting this evil impossible, happiness may be found through working for one’s money but not stealing it, greed will devour even the best-laid plans and consume the souls of those who submit to it, and finally critical thinking skills of the individual get crushed when people join forces and become like a pack of crazed, ravenous wolves in their desire to gain control of their fortunes.
Four. Groupthink & Resulting Disasters
In the context of the Netflix documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, develop an argument about how Groupthink fueled this colossal fiasco.
Five. Groupthink & Moral Bankruptcy
In the context of the short story “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin, develop an argumentative thesis about the way Groupthink and other forces compromise morality.
Six. The Origins of Morality
Read Elizabeth Anderson’s “If God Is Dead, Is Everything Permitted?” and defend, refute, or complicate the author’s claim that non-religious societies offer a superior moral framework for human evolution than religious societies.
Seven. When Doing What We Love Is a Double-Edged Sword
Watch Netflix documentary Ronnie Coleman: The King. Considered to be the greatest bodybuilder of all time, Coleman is now on crutches, faces a lifetime of excruciating pain, must take opioid pain medication, may have to be consigned to a wheelchair, and by most accounts the abuse he took to become a champion bodybuilder is the reason for his condition. The film celebrates Coleman’s life principle to persist in doing what he loves, but doing what he loves comes with a price: excruciating, life-altering injuries. Is doing what we love worth it? In this context, develop an argumentative thesis that addresses the notion that in order to achieve exceptional success, we are justified to make sacrifices of our body, minds, and souls. Is Coleman’s current condition justified by his success and his heroic drive to do what he loves? Answer this question and be sure to have a counterargument section.
Eight. When Work Turns into a Cult (first option?)
Read Derek Thompson’s essay “Workism Is Making Americans Miserable” and develop a thesis that supports or refutes Thompson’s claim that work has become a false religion that doesn’t deliver on its promises.
Nine. The UBI Debate
Read "Should the Government Give Everyone $1,000 a Month?" by Spencer Bokat-Lindell in The New York Times and develop a thesis that argues for or against UBI as a viable solution to the crisis of mass unemployment.
Ten. When Media Ratings Contribute to Postmodern Propaganda & the Death of Critical Thinking
Read New Yorker writer Joshua Yaffa’s essay “The Kremlin’s Creative Director: How the television producer Konstantin Ernst went from discerning auteur to Putin’s unofficial minister of propaganda” and develop an argumentative thesis that addresses the role of media in producing a new type of “postmodern propaganda” that shatters critical thinking.
Eleven. Do We Live in a Coddling Culture?
Read “The Coddling of the American Mind” and “Have Smartphones Ruined a Generation?” and develop an argument about the authors’ claim that a “coddling culture” is creating a generation of dysfunctional people.
Twelve. Is Losing Weight a Fool’s Errand?
Read Alexandra Sifferlin's "The Weight Loss Trap" and Harriet Brown's "The Weight of the Evidence" and develop an argumentative thesis that addresses their claim that losing weight is a nearly futile quest.
Thirteen. Was Hugh Hefner a Hero or a Villain?
Read the following: “Speaking Ill of Hugh Hefner,” “Why Hugh Hefner’s Haters Won’t Let Him Rest in Peace,” “Negative Obituaries Prove Hugh Hefner Was Right,” and 10-minute video Maher vs. Douthat. Then develop an argumentative thesis that addresses this question: Was Hefner a warrior for equal rights, free speech, and higher culture, or was he a selfish, salacious Peter Pan who denigrated women? Or a bit of both?
Fourteen. Should Defense Attorneys Represent Monsters?
Read Conor Friedersdorf’s “In Defense of Harvey Weinstein’s Harvard Lawyer” and agree or disagree with the contention that representing someone as monstrous and diabolical as Harvey Weinstein performs a civic good.
Fifteen. Was Erik Killmonger a villain or a hero?
See the movie Black Panther and in an argumentative essay, with a counterargument-rebuttal section, address the question: Is Erik Killmonger a villain or a hero? Consult Adam Serwer’s “The Tragedy of Erik Killmonger” and Osman Faruqi’s “Why Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger Is the Real Hero of ‘Black Panther.’”
Sixteen. When Love Is Not Only a Farce But a Self-Destructive Addition
Read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story “Winter Dreams” and develop an argumentative thesis that addresses the notion that Dexter Green’s pursuit of Judy Jones is analogous to a drug addict who needs his fix, loses his sense of time, withdraws into a world of selfishness and solipsism, and essentially squanders his life on a fool’s errand.
Seventeen. Can You Trust Yourself?
Read Sherwood Anderson’s short story “The Other Woman” and refute or support the argument that we are unreliable narrators of our own lives.
Eighteen. Moral Absolutism vs. Moral Relativism
Read Anton Chekhov’s story “The Lady with the Dog” and argue for a moral absolutism or moral relativism in our judgment of the adulterous couple.
Nineteen. The Tiger Kings Debate
Watch the 6-part Tiger Kings documentary, read Marlow Stern’s “World’s Biggest Tiger Expert: ‘Tiger King’s” Carole Baskin Is Full of It,” and address the argument that Tiger Kings focuses too much on the “human freak show” at the expense of the exotic animals resulting in a morally bankrupt enterprise.
Twenty. Is American Democracy a Thing of the Past?
Read Yoni Appelbaum’s essay “How America Ends” and develop an argumentative thesis about the role of massive demographic shifts on American democracy.
Twenty-One: Does Freedom Terrify Us?
Read Anton Chekhov’s short story “The Bet” and develop an argumentative thesis about freedom.
Twenty-Two: What Is the Nature of Paradise?
Read H.G. Wells’ short story “The Country of the Blind” and develop an argumentative thesis about the true nature of paradise.
Comments