Haws 1

Teia Haws

Mrs. Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 1010, Section 2

13 October 2020

Why We Care About Whales Summary

In “Why We Care About Whales”, published in the Yale Daily News, author of Opposite

of Loneliness and now-diseased staff reporter and journalist, Marina Keegan explains how

witnessing the death of large mammals could cause her to think about the state of our society.

Keegan describes her own personal experience and thoughts on the situation. First, Keegan

describes the process of beached whale’s death, beginning with suffocation, drying out, and

possible lung collapse, and ending with violent thrashing and the final unhinging of their jaw as

their eyes glaze over. Second, she describes how humans will put so much effort into saving

these creatures, yet will completely bypass another human, homeless, suffocating, or starving on

the side of the road. As she calls it, “the “My Dog Skip” effect. The “Homeward Bound”

syndrome”(13). Finally, Keegan concludes by explaining that in the moment of these whales

deaths, she was not thinking about the world, and how she was completely focused on the

tragedy of these whales, trapped on their sides, knowing that death is inevitable.She “knew he

was going to die, and he knew he was going to die, and [they] both understood that there was

nothing either of [them] could do about it” (23). This experience led Keegan to continue thinking

of if we as people should help and comfort other humans in their own struggles and final

moments, the same as she was comforting the whale.

Works Cited:
 Haws 2

Keegan, Marina. “Why We Care About Whales.” Yale Daily News, Yale University , 11 Sept.

2009, 12:02 am,

yaledailynews.com/blog/2009/09/11/keegan-why-we-care-about-whales/.