1. The central ethical question in the novel involves saving the whales. To help determine whether Hacksaw or Sandy and Jim Hennigan are right about what should be done with the stranded whales, do some research about whale strandings. Popular news magazines, like Time and Newsweek, periodically run articles about strandings. They are indexed in The Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature that may be in your school library. Also, articles appear from time to time in various newspapers about strandings. Some of these newspapers, like the New York Times, may also be indexed in your library. What kinds of facts and figures concerning survival rates do these sources present? What do they suggest is the appropriate action to take in connection with stranded whales?

2. Investigate what humankind's relationship to wild animals should be.

In connection with this topic, you may want...