snowflakes

Imagine you have your own disc jockey show. Give yourself call numbers and a suitable cool disc jockey’s name. Name your show and write a segment of the show’s monologue. Include the names of the songs you will play.

Think of a situation in which someone persuaded you to do something that you felt wouldn’t work out, but you did it anyway. What were the results? If you want to persuade people to do something you think is really important, but they don’t really want to do it, what arguments do you use to convince them that they should?

Have you experienced, heard about, or read about a crowd that got out of control? What happened? How was order restored? What are some things organizers of crowd attractions and officers of the law do to prevent mob scenes? What threats to personal and public safety does senseless mob behaviour pose?

Recall a situation in which a plan or important project that you and your group undertook did not turn out as you had hoped. How did you react? How did the others react? What did you decide to do?

Regardless of what the dentist, doctor, dietician and Clearasil distributor warn you about, at one time or another you’re a junk food addict. Sometimes only junk food will satisfy your craving. Describe, then, your favourite junk food meal in glorious detail.

You have your favourite foods and you know how good food tastes when you’re famished. Imagine a waiter has appeared at your side right now. Describe the perfect meal that you are about to order.

Do you think that Canada has any obligation to help underfed and undernourished people in other countries? Take a position and defend it in an essay.

Have you ever ignored the advice of others to do something your way? What happened? What would have happened if you had followed the advice given?

Imagine your ideal concert. You can select your own groups and musicians, your own location, and your own audience. Money is no object. All you need is your imagination. Describe your ideal concert in loving detail.

Imagine yourself in a situation in which all of the choices you have are unpleasant. You realize that you must take charge of your life. What would you do?

Write about someone in the news lately who has attempted something dangerous, despite the warnings of others. It could be a political figure, an athlete, or a daredevil. What qualities made this person act, despite the dangers? What is your opinion of these qualities?

Regardless of where they live, everybody knows of a special place. Describe your special place, wherever it is. What does it look like? How does it feel to be there? Who shares it with you?

I knew a man who went into a rage if anybody ate an apple within his hearing. I knew another man who was so disgusted by his son’s eating habits that he made him eat his dinner alone. Do you have such quirks about other people’s eating habits as you encounter them in restaurants and other public places? Write an essay about people with such habits. Describe your responses to them.

In your opinion, which qualities are essential in a political leader? Which qualities are unacceptable?

The poet W.H. Auden called the age we’re living in “the Age of Anxiety.” Would you agree? Is there a lot of anxiety in your life? What specific anxieties do you face and what is their effect upon you?

Herman Melville referred to civilization as “snivelization.” What do you think he meant? Look up the word “snivel,” digest all of its meanings and then write an essay agreeing or disagreeing with the author of Moby Dick.

Under what circumstances would you persuade a friend to do something that might create problems for him or her? If a friend tried to persuade you to do something that might bring trouble, what would you do?

Think of a time when you were faced with a serious problem that required you to make an important decision. What did you do? How did you feel?

If you were sitting on a bus and overheard a conversation in which one person call another person a “sponge,” what would you think it meant?

Frequently humour is developed around dull-witted characters who do not understand what is going on. Give an account of such a situation either from experience or from a television program or movie you have seen.