Evaluation of Silent Spring. Miss Carson, what do you eat? Chlorinated hydrocarbons like everyone else. ( Rachel Carson: )

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1 1 Sample Research Essay (BSU) Evaluation of Silent Spring Miss Carson, what do you eat? Chlorinated hydrocarbons like everyone else. ( Rachel Carson: ) Rachel Carson s Silent Spring, published in 1962, altered the course of history and changed man s attitude towards nature for generations to come. It is rare for a book to shift the entire world s perspective on such a topic. Carson did just this by challenging the judgment of the industries distributing chemicals (i.e. pesticides), but by also challenging the general public to take part in questioning the short and long term effects of using chemicals like DDT. Silent Spring, a non-fiction work focusing on Environmental Science, is credited for being the final shove needed to initiate the environmental movement, and for also taming the control of nature mentality of man. Reading Silent Spring is an essential part of understanding the interrelationship between nature and man s actions, and also what actions man can take to ensure that the footprints left behind are not destructive. Silent Spring is a work that many generations should treasure, so that humanity can begin creating a sustainable, secure future. Rachel Carson was born in Springdale, Pennsylvania, and her love of nature as well as in writing erupted at a very young age. Carson was encouraged by her mother to embrace nature and indulge in its wonders. After graduating from Parnassas High School, she went on to attend the Pennsylvania College for Women to pursue an undergraduate degree in English, but soon after switched to Biology. She then attended graduate school at The Johns Hopkins University where she then earned a Master s degree in Zoology as well as Genetics in Carson developed a strong interest in sea life, which then led her to further postgraduate research at the

2 2 Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts. Carson was teaching, but, after the sudden death of her father in 1936, decided that she needed to find regular work and was hired by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries (the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) in Washington, D.C. Her fascination with marine life led to her first book Under the Sea Wind (1941). Carson later published The Sea Around Us (1951), which proved to be a better success than her previous book. What made The Sea Around Us different than Under the Sea Wind was that it allowed nonscientists, or laymen, to understand the sea s history and biological importance. This same approachable style was seen again in Carson s Silent Spring. While working on Silent Spring, Carson faced many challenges, such as the death of her mother and being diagnosed with cancer. Carson persevered and finished Silent Spring, ultimately paving the way for the environmental movement. Carson received many awards for her work, including the Gold Medal of the New York Zoological Society and the John Burroughs Medal for Excellence in Natural History Writing. Despite Carson dedicating her life to studying wildlife, biological systems within the environment, and receiving numerous acknowledgments for her dedication, there were still critics who sought to discredit her work. Some of the criticisms Carson received not only attempted to discredit her work itself, but her as a person. These acts of Ad Hominem arguments made against Carson were relentless. Carson was described as a quiet, private person, fascinated with the workings of nature from a scientific and aesthetic point of view ( Rachel Carson: ), but this did not keep her critics from claiming that Carson knew nothing about the scientific area of study. Carson s primary attackers were chemical company representatives or industry scientists. Carson, sticking true to her quiet, private self, rarely responded to any personal attacks. She said in an interview

3 3 that she would let the book speak for itself ( Rachel Carson: ) to anyone who was willing to read it, of course. The main reason why Carson received so much criticism was because many believed she was against the complete use of pesticides. William Darby, one of the harshest critics of Carson, chair of the Biochemistry Department at Vanderbilt University, and known for his review of Silent Spring around the time it was published, suggested that Carson s book would be the end of human progress (qtd. in Smith). Darby, as well as many other scientists and workers who relied on the economic success pesticides brought, believed that if Carson was taken seriously, there would be a complete economic collapse that will only make things worse. In fact, Carson was not arguing for the elimination of pesticides, but wanted those responsible to stop indiscriminately distributing pesticides without any consideration of ecological consequences. Carson did not discard science s benefits to humanity in using pesticides, but only shook her finger at the careless, regressive path science had taken with regard to pesticides (qtd. in Smith). Carson does describe the harmful effects that pesticides could and did bring about. However, at no point in Silent Spring did Carson directly say that she was for the banning of such chemicals. Carson brought to the attention of many oblivious persons the consequences of using pesticides indiscriminately. Regardless, many blame Carson for the banning of some pesticides, primarily DDT, even though Carson died eight years before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its decision to ban DDT. RachelWasWrong.org issued a statement directly blaming Carson for the devastation that the banning of DDT brought along in regards to control of human disease: In fact, today millions of people around the world suffer the painful and often deadly effects of malaria because one person sounded a false alarm. That person is Rachel Carson, (qtd. in Smith). Carson herself

4 4 was not entirely responsible in causing the government to reconsider its regulations on DDT. However, she is thought to have stirred up enough controversy to get the movement actually going, leading to the banning of DDT. Another thing to point out is that there are many countries that banned DDT, but there are also many countries that are still using DDT to fight diseases like malaria. Many others helped to make the environmental movement possible, but Carson s approach in Silent Spring on the issue of pesticide regulation made her more iconic. Yaakov Garv, a scholar, compared Silent Spring to Murray Bookchin s Our Synthetic Environment that was published earlier in Bookchin identified many of the same concerns Carson did, but the major difference was each author s approach. Carson took more of a risk in confronting and questioning the structure of capitalism. Garv explains that Carson s credibility would have been strengthened if she had addressed the hurting economy and examined why extensive pesticide use was necessary in the first place. It is understandable that many critics may have wanted Carson to do this because it would have made her arguments less biased. Carson did not choose to do this for an obvious reason: she wanted to get her point across, and only hers. William Darby was also known for issuing sexist remarks against Carson. Darby s review titled Silence, Miss Carson! appeared in Chemical and Engineering News (1962). The title itself expressed the attitude of many critics of Carson that were mainly men. These men felt that Carson was an uninformed woman who did not know what she was talking about and was speaking in a man s world, the inner sanctum of masculine science (qtd. in Smith). Others claimed that Carson was too emotional, irrational, and sentimental in expressing her arguments. Carson was passionate about nature, and that especially showed in Silent Spring. It is expected that Carson would be dramatic about an issue that she felt needed to be taken very seriously.

5 5 Also, adding emotion into Silent Spring worked in Carson s favor because this is how she was able to produce a strong connection between herself and her readers, as well as a strong response from readers. Carson s credibility as not only a scientist but a writer should not be discredited. In making Silent Spring very approachable to the general public, Carson uses imagery and real life anecdotes to propose solutions to the problems as effectively and persuasively as possible. She uses imagery to enable her readers to visualize the beauty in nature that should be preserved, such as in the opening chapter A Fable for Tomorrow. Carson paints a picturesque image of a glorious town where life is abundant and in a natural state, but suddenly begins to transform into a wasteland: Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community: mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sickened and died. Everywhere was a shadow of death (Carson 2). The words strange, evil, mysterious, and death create a devastating scene in the minds of readers.. Carson makes it clear at the end of the chapter that this town does not exist, but it may easily happen to many real towns, if it has not already. Carson also uses anecdotes shared by the general public to act as evidential support. In No Birds Sing, Carson writes about the town of Hinsdale, Illinois where a housewife wrote to Robert Cushman Murphy, Curator Emeritus of Birds at the American Museum of Natural History: Here in our village the elm trees have been sprayed for several years. When I moved here six years ago, there was a wealth of bird life After several years of DDT spray, the town is almost devoid of robins and starlings, (Carson 103). Many observations noted by the public, such as this housewife s, contributed to Carson writing Silent Spring in hopes that man could change before it was too late.

6 6 In addition to all of the criticisms, others felt that the potential solutions Carson proposed would actually add onto the damage of those affected by the bad economy. Carson s solutions were thought to be unrealistic because pesticides were necessary in order to produce crops and rid of horrid pests. However, the alternatives Carson proposes do seem realistic in regards to all of the scientific advancements humankind has been able to achieve. In Beyond the Dreams of the Borgias, Carson suggests two reasonable solutions where one is simply educating the general public of which harmful chemicals to avoid when purchasing insecticides, while the other involves an alternative to ridding of pests: Agricultural use of insect diseases is already being tried in California, and more extended tests of this method are under way. A great many other possibilities exist for effective insect control by methods that will leave no residues on foods (Carson 184). Like these proposals, Carson s other alternatives, such as pushing for more research into other methods of agriculture, are doable. As for research, Carson states that money being used to produce these chemicals can go to research into seeking better, healthier alternatives. The contents of Silent Spring work well to support her claim in regulating the use of chemicals in the environment. Silent Spring fits into the subject of Environmental Science. Carson had the scientific research to make Silent Spring a scientific novel and the writing skills to make it a good read. In the final few sentences of Darby s review of Silent Spring he recommends that those who would enjoy Silent Spring are, the organic gardeners, the antifluoride leaguers, the worshippers of natural foods, and those who cling to the philosophy of a vital principle, and pseudo-scientists and faddists (qtd. in Smith). Darby s recommendation of Silent Spring fails to credit Silent Spring with the integrity it deserves. Although, Silent Spring is Carson s attempt to inform the general public and educate anyone who would like to understand

7 7 the effects human actions have on earth and, most importantly, how to sustain a better planet, those pursuing a career in the sciences, particularly the life sciences, should take interest in this book. Works Cited Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring: The Classic That Launched the Environmental Movement Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Print. "Rachel Carson: " PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 16 Mar Smith, Michael B. "'Silence, Miss Carson!' Science, Gender, And The Reception Of 'Silent Spring'." Feminist Studies 27.3 (2001): 733.Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar Working Bibliography Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring: The Classic That Launched the Environmental Movement.Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Print. Dasch, Pat. "Rachel Carson." Water: Science and Issues. Ed. E. Julius Dasch. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, Biography In Context. Web. 19 Mar Hecht, David K. "How To Make A Villain: Rachel Carson And The Politics Of Anti- Environmentalism." Endeavour 36.4 (2012): Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar "Rachel Carson: " PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 16 Mar

8 8 "Rachel Carson Dies of Cancer." Environmental Issues: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. Brenda Wilmoth Lerner and K. Lee Lerner. Detroit: Gale, Biography In Context. Web. 19 Mar "Rachel Carson Dies of Cancer; 'Silent Spring' Author Was 56.". The New York Times, April 15, Smith, Michael B. "'Silence, Miss Carson!' Science, Gender, And The Reception Of 'Silent Spring'." Feminist Studies 27.3 (2001): 733.Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar