Read All the King's Men, or Brave New World, (or both!)
Connect this book to another piece of great literature, or to a particular current event, in a meaningful way.
We've discussed the similarities of Jack Burden to Nick Carraway. A fascinating paper, for instance, might contrast Warren and Fitzgerald's use of these narrators, their poses of objectivity, their particular moral failings, their very different denouements. Which book is more hopeful about America, would you say?
We discussed the dystopian qualities of the world that Aldous Huxley depicts. As he looked back on his work in succeeding decades, he found it disturbingly prescient: if anything, he thought, it was all happening much faster than the book predicts! Look at 3-5 aspects of the world we live in, and discuss the extent to which Huxley was right.
But you don't have to write a paper, if you don't want to.
You could write poetry... what if each of AKM's major characters wrote a poem in the style of a particular poet? Willy writes some Ginsberg, Anne some Dickinson, Jack gets into some of the philosophical and rhetorical complexity of John Donne. Sugar Boy? maybe Basho. Oh, Adam in his manic mode as Whitman. Or, similarly, perhaps John could write a suicide note in the style of a Shakespearean sonnet, Mustapha a defense of happiness in the style of Pope, Helmholtz some Wordsworthian verses about the weather in his new home. I'm not convinced any of the other characters are capable of poetry!
Hey, you could write your own piece of fiction, perhaps a Trump adviser's moral reckoning, in the style of RPW. As a series of tweets, if you want. Or a day in Helmholtz's new life.
However you choose to think about the book, you'll start by deciding what you want to connect AKM or BNW to. Start by thinking in terms of comparison/contrast. What connects? How do the differences inform you? Then start brainstorming your mode.
When you're drafting, take risks. Find interesting directions to explore, and see where they lead you.
Definitely come to some conclusions. Success means seeing the book in new ways, and the book informing your understanding of the literature or event you're thinking about.