select one of the topics below for an argumentative research paper. In a 5-7-page paper, research a topic and do the following: 1)
Topics:
1. Why do people climb Mt. Everest?
Krakauer informs us early in his book that, “The slopes of Everest are littered with corpses.” Most people would argue that the idea of spending $65,000 for a precarious attempt at climbing Mt. Everest that may result in failure or even death seems not just foolish, but downright crazy. Yet, as Krakauer writes, “Once Everest was determined to be the highest summit on earth, it was only a matter of time before people decided that Everest needed to be climbed” and the number of climbers who seek the trophy of Everest continues to increase every year, resulting in a steady stream of traffic. What is behind the great lure of Everest? What kind of person feels compelled to take this risk and why? What role does the risk and need for adventure play in human psychology? How does this desire vary across different cultures?
2. Gender and Into Thin Air
How does being a man or a woman affect the experience of the climbers in this book? Is there a difference in what draws women to climb versus what draws men? Mountaineering is a sport with a predominantly masculine history. The excessive muscle training of Scott Fischer and the machismo of the Sherpa culture directly play a role in the deaths of Fischer and Ngawang. Researching masculinity and mountain climbing might help lead to a deeper psychological understanding of why these men acted the way they did. On the other hand, you may wish to study the “tomboyish” qualities of Sandy Pittman and defiance of Yasuko Namba that set them apart from the docile stereotypes sometimes associated with women.
3. Ethics on Everest
There are many moral/ethical dilemmas that arise in climbing Mount Everest. Who gets to climb Everest and how, or even whether it should be climbed, remains an issue of great debate. This topic might include researching and taking a position on whether or not Mount Everest should be closed permanently to climbers, whether bottled oxygen should be required for climbers/guides on Everest, whether or not climbers should be required to have a certain amount of prior climbing/high altitude experience before being allowed to climb Everest, whether or not expeditions should or should not be required to halt their climbs to aid endangered climbers, etc.
4. Sherpa culture and how it has been changed by mountaineering
In the last 90 years, since the British embarked on their first expedition to Everest, the Sherpa culture has transformed dramatically. Once, a rugged, unindustrialized devout group of Buddhists who believed climbing Everest was blasphemy, today’s sherpas are modernized, climbing professionals whose help is indispensable to climbing expeditions. How has mountaineering changed this culture and what are the implications of these changes? Does this culture stand to gain more or lose more by profiting from Everest?