Rachel Carson's Silent Spring
Cara K.
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring Prompt Throughout time, American attitudes towards the importance of the environment have lessened. American farmers have begun to use poisons, such as parathion, which has begun killing animals and humans. Rachel Carson, a noted biologist, published her novel Silent Spring in 1962, in which she illustrates the need for American attitudes towards the environment needing to change, through understanding “plain folks”, an accusing tone, and descriptive imagery. Rachel Carson provides examples of understandable “plain folks” to express her argument to the reader. It was said that, “…In California orchards sprayed this same parathion, workers handling foliage that had been treated a month earlier collapsed and went into shock, and escaped death only through skilled medical attention.” She then goes on to ask, “Does Indiana still raise any boys who roam through woods or fields and might even explore the margins of a river?...” These specific examples illustrate how much Americans do not see that they are causing pain to each other, and in severe cases causing death. Rachel Carson, in illustrating her point that American attitudes toward the environment need to change, points the finger at American farmers who are using parathion and other poisons, which are the cause of death to humans and birds which bringing harm to the environment. What Rachel Carson is trying to get Americans, especially American farmers, to see is that in order to stop all the killing and harm to the environment, and to each other, they need to stop the use of parathion and other poisons. Rachel Carson uses an accusing tone to express her feelings towards her argument that Americans do not worry about the environment enough. Throughout the selection, Carson shifts from what is happening to the black birds, to what is happening to the humans. Both the humans and the birds are dying due to the farmers using parathion. In the text, she says that “The
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring Prompt Throughout time, American attitudes towards the importance of the environment have lessened. American farmers have begun to use poisons, such as parathion, which has begun killing animals and humans. Rachel Carson, a noted biologist, published her novel Silent Spring in 1962, in which she illustrates the need for American attitudes towards the environment needing to change, through understanding “plain folks”, an accusing tone, and descriptive imagery. Rachel Carson provides examples of understandable “plain folks” to express her argument to the reader. It was said that, “…In California orchards sprayed this same parathion, workers handling foliage that had been treated a month earlier collapsed and went into shock, and escaped death only through skilled medical attention.” She then goes on to ask, “Does Indiana still raise any boys who roam through woods or fields and might even explore the margins of a river?...” These specific examples illustrate how much Americans do not see that they are causing pain to each other, and in severe cases causing death. Rachel Carson, in illustrating her point that American attitudes toward the environment need to change, points the finger at American farmers who are using parathion and other poisons, which are the cause of death to humans and birds which bringing harm to the environment. What Rachel Carson is trying to get Americans, especially American farmers, to see is that in order to stop all the killing and harm to the environment, and to each other, they need to stop the use of parathion and other poisons. Rachel Carson uses an accusing tone to express her feelings towards her argument that Americans do not worry about the environment enough. Throughout the selection, Carson shifts from what is happening to the black birds, to what is happening to the humans. Both the humans and the birds are dying due to the farmers using parathion. In the text, she says that “The