Silent Spring - A Review

             "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson is a passionate and scientific look at the harsh reality of the effects of chemical pest controllers otherwise known as pesticides. Released in 1962, this piece of Carson's writing history would become the founder of the modern environmentalism and start a social movement that is still in existence today and very much a part of our daily lives. Carson not only reveals the deadly truths about the use of pesticides, but also the biological alternatives that are emerging and stand to replace chemical pesticides such as DDT, aldrin and dieldrin. Moreover, Carson sets out to show us how the natural world is a delicate balance and how man strives to conquer it. She maps how the environment is interconnected in a way that keeps our world sustainable for continuous life. Carson also dramatically writes about some of the dramatic effects that pesticides have had on the human and non-human population both scientifically and emotionally from her love of the environment.
             In the opening essay by Linda Lear, she states "Like the rest of nature, we are vulnerable to pesticides; we too are vulnerable. All forms of life are more alike than different". In many ways, "Silent Spring" was Carson's way of saying just that: Inflicting harm on one species inevitably has a negative effect on another species and the environment as a whole. Carson tells us that nature is a delicate balance. As she proves in the first several chapters of her book, the soil, water, and plant world all work together to maintain this balance. For millions of years, the world stood ever-changing as it adapted to it's natural environment. The appearance of man brought a species that at one time respected and honored nature as a "God"-like object. As Hunters and Gatherers, we took from nature what we needed and then moved on, giving it time to heal and replace itself. However, as Carso...

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Silent Spring - A Review. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 15:08, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/13379.html