Rhetorical Essay: Rachel Carson s Silent Spring Published in 1962, Rachel Carson s final work Silent Spring planted the seed

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1 Rhetorical Essay: Rachel Carson s Silent Spring Published in 1962, Rachel Carson s final work Silent Spring planted the seed of change in the minds of people around the globe. The book brought light to the catastrophic effects chemical pesticides had on our environment and questioned the ruinous aftermath of the consequences of our actions. Forty-seven years after publication, Carson s legacy continues to make an impact on the attitudes and awareness of the public today. Silent Spring was a plea for nature, for those whose voices are often unheard or dismissed. She urged humankind to recognize the need for conservative measures when using pesticide chemicals in efforts to maintain the balance of nature and emphasized an urgency for action, for time is the essential ingredient; but in the modern world there is no time (6). Carson extended the term "ecology" to the understanding of the common public. Her labor of research, countless observations, and analogies were well received and caused a movement toward conservation. Rachel Carson was a revolutionary idealist. Carson s life long passion for writing began at the age of ten. She published her first piece in a children s literary magazine called St. Nicholas. As a second year English major at Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham College), Carson came under the influence of Mary Scott Skinker, a zoology professor, and the author changed her path to biology major. Fascinated by the intricate detail found in nature, Carson intertwined her love of writing with science. Her reverence for the natural world and her deep desire to contribute to its preservation fueled by personal witness to the decimation of her hometown, Springdale, from chemical

2 2 pollution during the second wave of the Industrial Revolution. Carson intentionally took another path, a path less traveled, and urged others to follow. Carson s seed quickly sprouted in the organic matter of truth she courageously uncovered. The social climate during the release of the publication was that of fear and intolerance brought on by the Cold War. Super power competition between nations was at a face off, and the cost of U.S. defense spending was at an all-time high. Economically enterprising chemical companies emerged, mass producing and marketing agricultural chemicals such as the pesticide DDT and the herbicide 2, 4D. The profiting chemical industry, trying to contain the confidence of the public and the integrity of their products, launched a personal attack on Rachel Carson s credibility in an attempt to suppress the publication. To the chemical industries dismay, Silent Spring blew a piercing whistle, pointed a confident finger, and insisted government officials take responsibility. Carson warned and educated the public of the potential increase of cancer and neurological effects associated with the use of pesticides. She encouraged other scientists, biologists, ecologists, chemical engineers and the general public to regard chemical pesticides as a cause of cancer, mutations, and neurological diseases. The author warned that the proliferation of cellular destruction is not likely to cease. Toxins continue to mutate cells as they are passed from generation to generation. While treatment of symptoms remains important, the need to eradicate the underlining cause of the symptoms is exceedingly vital. Silent Spring presented a unique structure. In the opening chapter, A Fable for Tomorrow, Carson appealed to the emotion of the audience through a narrative

3 3 story by using concrete verbiage to invoke imagery. By reflecting on the big picture, she set the stage for subsequent chapters. In The Obligation to Endure she introduced the protagonist pesticides as biocides and embedded a question in the minds of the audience, Can anyone believe it is possible to lay down such a barrage of poisons on the surface of the earth without making it unfit for all life? (7). Carson establishes the creditability with her audience as she factually describes the breaking down of a carbon atom in a style that is easily comprehended in the chapter entitled Elixirs of Death. The author warns that chemicals introduced into nature by man, for whom no counterpart can be found occurring in nature, are not biodegradable. It makes sense that these chemicals have a cumulative effect, storing toxins in the body s fat cells and mother s milk. It goes without saying that the ill effects of biocides are still relevant today, as we are the offspring of the mothers in which Carson regarded, Insecticide residues have been recovered from human milk in samples tested by Food and Drug Administration scientists. This means that the breast-fed human infant is receiving small, but regular, additions to the load of toxic chemicals building up in his body (23). The numerous accounts of wildlife and personal desecration are not restricted to the era of its publication. The readers could easily imagine him or her self being personally affected. In one particular case, a family trying to rid their new home of cockroaches used a substance called endrin and inadvertently killed their pet and poisoned their year-old child. Precautions were taken, yet their efforts in vain:

4 4 After the spraying the floors were washed. The baby and dog were returned to the house in mid-afternoon. An hour or so later the dog vomited, went into convulsions, and died. At 10 P.M. on the evening of the same day the baby also vomited, went into convulsions, and lost consciousness. After the fateful contact with endrin, this normal, healthy child became little more than a vegetable unable to see or hear, subject to frequent muscular spasms, apparently completely cut off from contact with his surroundings. (27) Carson was effective in raising an eyebrow on ethical issues as well. She raised a question of moral negligence in the Parathion eradication of the red-winged blackbirds and starlings, Carson asks hypothetically, Who kept vigilant watch to tell the innocent stroller that the fields he was about to enter were deadly? (127). She also influences the audience to ponder the intentions of the manufacturer. The major chemical companies are pouring money into the universities to support research on insecticides. This creates attractive fellowships for graduate students and attractive staff positions (258). This could easily be the case today. Carson proved that propaganda, paid research, and the politics involved with the corrupt chemical companies were common place, and needed regulation. Admittedly, she pointed out the difficulty in overseeing the restrictions and regulations. Although the Food and Drug Administration permits no residues of pesticides in milk, its restrictions are not only inadequately policed but they apply solely to interstate shipments. State and county officials are under no compulsion to follow the federal

5 5 pesticides tolerances unless local laws happen to conform and they seldom do (160). Carson worked diligently to impose a since of responsibility in those officials who distribute and contribute to the mass production of herbicides and pesticides. Silent Spring altered the course of history and forced government to take responsibility. Carson s work led to the banning of DDT and arsenic pesticide use in the United States, although they are still marketed and sold for exportation to other countries. The Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970, largely due to the consciousness that Rachel Carson had raised. The seeds sown by Carson grew into a grass roots movement that continues to flourish. Carson s message is one that provokes thought at the crossroad. Even the smallest protozoa are part of the intricate design of nature. The alteration by which laboratory chemicals are introduced into nature, leaving residual waste, will disrupt and bring unintended results.

6 6 Work Cited Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1962