...Hersheys bars. Cherrios. Coca cola drinks. All deadly delicious; every one of them loaded genetically manipulated ingredients that planted in a monocrop manner and sprayed with carcinogenic pesticides, causing a detrimental effect on the environment, biodiversity and the sustainability of all species--to the oblivion of many Americans. Biologist Rachel Carson reveals the consequences of similar poisons purging on the natural world in her book, Silent Spring, in which she uses a myriad of rhetorical strategies such as diction, syntax, and pathos in order to convey the gravity of Earth’s current situation to her readers. From the opening passage, Carson is quick to jump to the tone of the disgust when she immediately correlates the words...
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...Silent Spring Analysis Silent Spring is a book that makes just about everyone think, except for the major chemical companies that it was attacking. This is definitely one book that help shaped how we look at the environment today and also how we approach it. Rachel Carson aimed for a book that was going to open peoples eyes to what really was happening and who and what was doing it. She nailed this right on the head, while the book was very technical when it came to talking about the details of DDT, it was written at a level that everyone could understand and relate too. Easily this could be one of the most important books written in American history, where would we be without it and how would our future have turned out. While this book was aimed for the public to be able to understand, it also directly attacked the companies who were manufacturing the chemicals that people were using, especially DDT. If one were to try to explain how DDT worked at the chemistry level, most people would think your insane, but Carson is able to explain the devastating effects of this chemical in a way that everyone can understand. She does this by explaining the process chemically first, but then switches gears into how it is hitting people at home. This starts in the first chapter where she begins with “There once was a town…”. This is the beginning of the account that shaped Americans way of looking at the environment, especially when it came to using chemicals and other harmful substances...
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...Have you ever considered how many different types of chemicals are on the food you are eating for dinner? That is exactly what Rachel Carson writes about in her novel Silent Spring. Pesticides are all around us, they are in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the ground we walk on. Their effects on our bodies and the environment are unknown, but chances are that they are not going to be good. Rachel Carson dedicates an entire novel to try to prove her point of how horrible they are for the world. She argues constantly that we need to find an alternative before it is too late. Within her arguments, Carson uses several different methods and types of evidence while trying to convey her point. Throughout the entire novel, Carson is constantly putting down the use of pesticides. However, everything she says would be useless if she did not have evidence. She uses qualitative and quantitative data several times throughout the book. Her use of qualitative data begins with her first paragraph. She describes the beauty of nature and how much life is abundant in it. Then as her fictional story continues, she begins to start explaining how none of this would be with the continuous use of pesticides. Carson also goes into detail describing the disastrous effects that it could leave on the environment as a whole. Her realistic descriptions of the possible harms of the pesticides can really appeal to the reader. With the vivid descriptions that she has, the reader can imagine the world...
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...Paragraph I i. Topic Sentence: Before one can evaluate the enormous success or Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring one must weigh in on the era Carson was coming off of in order to understand why her book had such an impact at the time that it did. 1. By 1950 American had faced 2 World Wars and an economic Depression U.S. becomes super power 2. 1950’s there is a shift to consumerism and conservatism 3. Average Citizen wants nuclear family and suburbia b. Paragraph II ii. Topic Sentence: Now that the United States was finally economically sound and our international relations, while not at its best, were somewhat stable; American society was able to focus on issues that for so long had not had the time to address. 4. The Cold war and nuclear threat became a key role in the formation of the environmental movement 5. Humans now have power to significantly change the environment around them 6. Nuclear weapons also introduced other technologies that threatened nature such as pesticides and chemicals for agriculture iii. Concluding Sentence: These new threats along with the a shift to a more liberal U.S. mindset provided Rachel Carson and Silent Spring impeccable timing to make the largest impact and start a revolution that at any other time could have been overlooked. III. In what ways was Carson both gentle and subversive? c. Gentle iv. Topic Sentence: While...
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...Spring, a marine biologist Rachel Carson showed that indiscriminate use of pesticides is harmful and can make the earth unfit for life. Although Carson was a scientist, she chose to use fairy-tale style of language to attract the attention of a large audience to the problem. And she did it successfully. Published in 1962, Silent Spring became a cornerstone of modern environmentalism and spurred changes to the laws. First, on an example of imaginary town, Carson showed a world without pesticides, where “ all life seemed to live in harmony with its surrounding”(469). Farms were prosperous, fields were full of grain, and orchards bloomed. Streams flowed clear water and had abundance of fish. Woods and roadsides were places of beauty with variety of birds, berries, fens, wildflowers, and other vegetation.“ So it had been from the days many years ago”(Carson, 469). Then the author showed how dramatically life changed after a mysterious white powder (pesticides) was sprayed over the area. Instead of prosperity, illness and death came to the farms. Chicken, cattle, and sheep sickened and died. There were almost no offspring, “ the young survived only a few days”(470). Woods that had once throbbed with bird voices were silent now. Birds had gone. The roadsides lined with withered vegetation, and the fish died in the streams. Much illness and several unexplained deaths came to farmers families. “The people had done it to themselves”, pointed out Carson(470). She thought that people...
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...Silent Spring RA Renowned biologist and author Rachel Carson, in her book, Silent Spring, describes a harmonic and beautiful town which experiences a plague over time. Carson’s purpose is to warn the world that if we continue to abuse the environment, we could very well end up like this town. She uses imagery and tone to convey that this can be the outcome of our actions. Throughout the text, Carson’s tone shifts from reminiscent and joyful to dark and lifeless to show that the people had caused this plague by abusing nature. Her tone is lively as she describes this town as a beautiful and harmonic place where life is flourishing.“THERE WAS ONCE a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings.” Carson uses this joyful tone to convey the reader that this town truly was a place of beauty and life. As she concludes describing this beautiful town, her tone suddenly shifts. Her tone becomes dark and lifeless as she describes a “strange blight” that the town experienced. Carson explains how “Some evil spell had settled on the community… and there was a strange stillness.” She also explains how the people were confused as the plants, animals, and even some townspeople had died. Then, she explains how there was, “No witchcraft…. The people had done it themselves.” The people were confused as to why the town was withering away, however, they had abused the environment so much that they had caused this blight. This relates to...
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...English 101.11 4 October 2013 Rhetorical Analysis: Exigence: When Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published in September 27, 1962, it triggered a storm of disputes over the use of chemical pesticides. Her book helped raise awareness for the environment, warn humans of the dangers of using pesticides such as DDT, preserve several plant and animal species, and make the atmosphere cleaner. Her intent in writing Silent Spring was to warn the public of the dangers related with pesticide use. Throughout her book are countless case studies documenting the harmful effects that chemical pesticides have had on the environment. Along with these facts, she explains how in many occasions the pesticides have done more harm than good in eliminating the pests they were supposed to destroy. Carson points out that many of the long-term effects that these chemicals may have on the environment, as well as us humans, are still unknown in addition to her report. The argument in Carson’s Silent Spring led to the passing of environmental legislation and the establishment of government agencies to better regulate the use of these chemicals (Griswold 2012). Kairos: While working for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, Miss Carson first became aware of the effects of chemical pesticides on the natural environment. Her main concern was the government’s use of chemical pesticides such as DDT, a colorless substance used as an insecticide that is toxic to humans and animals when swallowed or absorbed...
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...A Little Less, Helps a Little More To combat jaywalking in New York City, let us institute the death penalty by stationing gunmen at every street corner to immediately execute reckless pedestrians. To fix the polluted sewage system, let us buy a fresh-water source in Antarctica and import its water. To further contest corruption and irregularities in the financial markets, let us tar and feather the officials and executives indicted of such charges. Would any of these methods be effective solutions for the long-term welfare of the City? Harsh punishment and ridiculous expenditures are often seen as ‘radical’ and ‘extreme’ solutions to seemingly nominal problems. But it seems that America has pursued just that – extreme initial measures to combat social and environmental problems. America has seemingly disregarded the long-term impact of instituting policies that wholly accept or reject solutions to national problems. The implementation of DDT, the prohibition of hemp, and the damming of Hetch Hetchy Valley are all follies that are now causing environmental repercussions to the nation. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been the source of controversial debate since its widespread use in 1939 to its international ban in 1972. Its intended application was to stop the spread of malaria and typhus through mosquitoes and lice to the Allies during World War II. Soon its chemical properties to repel and exterminate pests became known, allowing it to be used in agricultural...
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...William McDonough: Cradle to Cradle Speech Summary William McDonough is an architect who believes and strives for product designs which promote economic and environmental vitality. To accomplish this, he takes into account how building should be made with consideration to “all children, all species, for all time”. This, in essence, was the focus of his presentation. The presentation begins with a reference to Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, which is famous for and regarded as the catalyst for society’s environmental awareness. Following this introduction, McDonough illustrates how society has yet to take into consideration the harmful effect their products have on not only the environment, but on our very children as well. He clearly articulates the problems designers are facing, but are ignoring, through his “rubber duck” example. Upon describing the problems of the present mentality behind designing products, McDonough shows a short clip which suggests that there is a solution. He then goes into asking what the fundamental question for designers is. In other words, what are their intentions? Once their intentions are clarified, then steps can be taken to pursue projects which complement their intentions. The intention of a designer must be to create something that promotes economic and environmental prosperity; anything short of that will lead to problems, as we have clearly seen. The main focus is then turned onto architecture...
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... |Rainforests | |Endangered Species Act (1966, 1969, & 1973) |Depletion of fossil fuels | |Clean Water Act (1972, 1977) |Climate change | |Event |Significance | |Silent Spring |Written by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring was a book that had a huge influence on the decision to ban DDT in the | | |United States in 1972 (Brinkley, 2012). Unlike most pesticides, whose effectiveness is limited to destroying | | |one or two types of insects, DDT was capable of killing hundreds of different kinds at once. Silent Spring took| | |Carson four years to complete. It described in great detail how DDT entered the food chain and accumulated in | | |the fatty tissues of animals, including human beings, and caused cancer and genetic damage. | |Acid Rain...
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...Patrick Welsh AMH2020 – 218620 21 October 2016 Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring Book Review In the environmentally historical book Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, the horrific consequences of insecticide use on the environment and ecosystem are chronicled. Carson’s novel was originally published as a three-part journal article in the New Yorker in June followed by the publication of the book in September of 1962. The book is known for beginning the modern environmental movement, which eventually led to the banning of “the domestic production of DDT and the creation of a grass-roots movement demanding protection of the environment through state and federal regulations” (Carson/Lear 9). Carson used her widespread knowledge...
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...Principles of Environmental Science Jennia McCray Env/100 June 30, 2011 Professor Elshorafa Principles of Environmental Science Environmental Science is a multidisciplinary field that combines information from many different punitive areas of study, such as biology, geography, chemistry, geology, physics, economics, sociology (mostly demography or the study of populations), cultural anthropology, natural resources, management, agriculture, engineering, law, politics, and ethics. Environmental science and nature’s environmental problems we faces are generally complex and are not as simple as the meaning portrays. The goals of environmental scientists are to try to form basic principles about how the natural world operates. They then use these principles to develop applicable solutions, mostly derived from scientific knowledge, to address environmental problems. Using scientific evaluation is the key to successfully achieving a solution to any environmental problem. Before this, you must completely understand what science is opposed to what it is not. Science is not just a body of knowledge, as some see it to be, but much rather a collection of facts about the natural world. In addition, science is also a systematic way to investigate the natural world, what we refer to as the dynamic process. Science looks to decrease the conspicuous complexity of earth to general principles, those principles help to make predictions, solve problems and create new insights. These principles...
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...Silent Spring: A Journey to a Radical New World Synopsis Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson, describes the catastrophic effects of humanity’s interference with nature. The novel focuses on the overuse of pesticides and the toxic contamination it can cause. Carson highlights the damage done to wildlife, livestock, domestic animals, and humans; at both a visible and molecular level. She explains the futility of chemical methods in controlling insects and gives examples of effective biological alternatives. This book was instrumental in banning the insecticide DDT, as well as in raising public awareness of environmental needs. Agreement with the author I agree with the majority of the opinions that Carson expresses, and particularly...
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...Silent Spring - How Rachel Carson Changed the World On September 27, 1962 Rachel Carson released her sixth book, Silent Spring. On publication day, the advance sales of Silent Spring totaled 40,000 copies and another 150 copies were sent to the Book of the Month Club (Frontline: Fooling With Nature, 1998). Silent Spring remained on the bestseller list for almost a year. The world was beginning to take notice. Countless experts and organizations have proclaimed Rachel Carson’s book the starting point of the environmental movement. Carson described numerous case studies where the use of hazardous pesticides, insecticides, and other chemicals led to environmental problems all over the world. Whether directly or indirectly, everything in the environment is connected and affected by each other. Silent Spring describes, in depth, the harmful effects that chemical control has placed on all components of the environment. They include: air, water, land, wildlife, plant life, and humans. I will discuss each of these categories as examined in Silent Spring along with my personal analysis. First I will discuss the damage from chemicals released in the air. Aerial spraying of pesticides, mostly DDT, began on a small scale over farms and forests. With the development of new insecticides and the availability of planes from the war, the sky almost literally turned into a shower of toxic chemicals. The justification behind the massive sprayings of the 1950âs was to exterminate exotic species...
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...if not it goes back to observation step Environmental movement -Impact of Silent Spring on the environmental movement Silent Spring, written by Rachel carson, a marine biologists, brought about the idea of harmfull pesticided to the public. She initiated environmental awareness which started the modern environmental movment. DDT was banned also. -know what the Environmentalist's Paradox is Over the past 40 years, human well-being has improved, BUT, Natural Ecosystems that provide us with goods and services have declined. -what types of environmental degradation were citizen becoming aware of in the 1950s Citizens were becoming aware of air and water pollution in the 50’s. Also the loss of soil was a concern in the 50’s. -what impact did the Great Depression have on conservation Durring the great depression, conservation provided environmental protection jobs. The CCC was created. Surring the great depression, factories were created creating pollutiin. -what are some improvements to human well being Increased life expectancy and better health. The production of crops has improved and improves nutrition for many people. -what environmental improvements have occurred -purpose and importance of EPA The EPA passed laws controlling pollution and protecting wildlife. -important individuals – Carson, Kennedy, Nixon...
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