Thought Questions

THE GREAT TIDE POOL

John Steinbeck

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1			An Interactive Tour This site, created by an MIT student, offers an interactive tour of an Oregon tide pool. Look around the site, and try to absorb the scientific information it presents. Now, think about how your impressions of tide pools have changed. Has your new scientific knowledge about tide pools increased your appreciation of the Steinbeck piece? Has it decreased your appreciation? Which account of tide pools appeals to you more, the scientific one or the more artistic one? Which would you recommend to a friend who wanted to learn about tide pools?




2			Saving the Coast Like many natural sites, the California coast is threatened by development. This site is dedicated to preserving places like the tide pool Steinbeck describes. Did reading Steinbeck's description make you more sympathetic to environmental causes such as the one the site describes? Before you read the article, what were your feelings about the environment and environmentalism? Should jobs and affordable housing be sacrificed to preserve tide pools? Why or why not?

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