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384 INFORMATIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Nothing to Sneeze At
1 You feel it welling up inside you, this delicate tingling, as if your every nerve were firing
at once. You want to grope for the newspaper, your homework—anything—but you no longer
control your body.
2 These seconds of helpless anticipation seem like an eternity, but then the spell is broken.
You crash forward, your muscles contracting like a fist, and you can’t even see that people are
running away from you because something has forced your eyes shut.
3 And then it’s over. You relax. Your head is clear, your body under control.
NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT 385
10 Sneezing in India provokes a shorter, but no less salutary, response. If you were walking
down the dusty streets of Karim Nagar, for instance, and you sneezed, bystanders would shout,
“Live!” and you, as a polite tourist, must reply, “Live with you!” Most Indians consider sneezing
healthy, if not supernatural; it is the inability to sneeze that is cause for alarm. Science magazine
reports Indian scientists have labeled this malady “asneezia” and are currently researching ways
to artificially induce the healthy sneeze.
11 In the West, despite the cheerful, almost compulsive blessing we give anyone
12 The Black Death of 590 A.D. left one half of Europe’s population dead. The bubonic plague
responsible for this holocaust didn’t kill its victims without warning. Instead, it signified its pres-
ence by rosy rashes, swelling, and, as any medical student can tell you, telltale fits of sneezing.
Since death so frequently followed sneezing, people began to say “Bless you”—a final blessing.
13 However differently a sneeze is reacted to throughout the world, its cause is generally the
same: nasal irritation. Pollens from grass, trees, house dust, and a dozen other sources are basically
harmless, but when they irritate the nose your body responds as if they were rampaging predators.
In a case of mistaken identity and overkill, you inhale sharply and exhale with explosive force—up
to 104 miles per hour.
14 Pollen is not the only culprit, though. The nose mistakes strong odors, sudden chills, and
even bright lights for more dangerous parasites, and it tries to defend itself by banishing the in-
truders with a sneeze.
15 In addition to its physical causes, the New York Times reports a sneeze can also be
brought on by psychological and emotional factors. If a man lunged at you with a knife, fear
might make you sneeze. Once he left, your anguish and frustration over losing your valuables
could cause you to sneeze again. If you decide to chase the criminal, bring along some tissues—
the excitement could give you another sneezing fit.
16 In each of these cases, sneezing is assisting the nose in reaching equilibrium. Strong emo-
386 INFORMATIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT 387
388 INFORMATIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
