If you resign, you are not eligible typically for unemployment. Something smells here, I'd let them lay me off. If they are laying off numerous people because they are in trouble financially, that doesn't reflect on you.
BTW, my company is closing the office I work in and about 120 people will lose their jobs including me. They didn't attempt to get us to "resign" for a BS story like this.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.