Critical Assessment of the book Silent Spring - Essay Example

?Critical Assessment of the book “Silent Spring” Order No. 497651 Part Tombstone – Silent Spring s) – Rachel Carson  Publisher, Publication - Pub. Houghton Mifflin, 1962]. Silent Spring. Mariner Books.  How you obtained the book – I picked it up from the site carletongreen wiki About the Author Rachel Louise Carson was born in Springdale, Pennsylvania, USA on 27th May, 1907. Even though she tried to pursue her studies in creative writing, yet her genuine love for the natural world enticed her towards the subject of Biology. In 1932 she completed her Masters in the subject and thereafter worked at the St. John Hopkins University. Her greatest asset was a keen and observant biological eye which she made use of whenever she worked. Carson’s book ‘Silent Spring’ shot her to fame when it featured at the top of the bestseller lists. She was greatly encouraged by her mother to explore the natural world around her in which Rachel found immense solace. Her books were quite appealing due to their simplicity, style, lyrical value and thoroughness for which she was widely reviewed and honored. She adopted a visionary approach which was quite novel to the mainstream scientific community. Through her writing Rachel Carson handed down to us a legacy of scientific knowledge. She died on April 14th, 1964 at Silverspring, Maryland, USA. Part 2 Outline Structure of the Book  The book Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson, was first published in the year 1962 and became an instant best seller. Silent Spring was written as a serial article for the magazine, The New Yorker but later was published as a book. Carson’s reputation as a writer and scientist helped in establishing the credibility of the book. This book had an enduring and enormous impact on the world. This book was not written for a narrow scientific audience but for the layman and it has been credited with kick starting a debate on the limits of technology, responsibility of science and the use of pesticides. She was of the view that "The best and cheapest controls for vegetation are not chemicals but other plants." (pg.75) Carson meticulously described the process whereby the entire world food supply chain was contaminated by DDT. DDT entered the food chain and got accumulated in the fatty tissues of man and animal. A single application of the chemical on crops killed not only the targeted insects but also the other organisms present for weeks and months. These chemicals remained toxic even after dilution with rain water thereby causing irrevocable harm to animals and birds. "Carrots absorb more insecticide than any other crop studied;...In the future it may become necessary to analyze soils for insecticides before planting certain food crops. Otherwise even unsprayed crops may take up enough insecticide merely from the soil to render them unfit for market." (pg.59) The author implicitly states that these chemicals in the environment caused cancer. The scientist-author meticulously gathered evidence to show the adverse effect caused by the indiscriminate application of mineral based agricultural pesticides and synthetic phosphates and chlorinated hydrocarbons. She argued that not only was the environment being degraded but the very fabric of American natural beauty was being laid threadbare. The indiscriminate use of the chemicals resulted in the development of resistant strains. When they reached high levels of concentration in the water bodies it led to the death of aquatic flora and fauna. “It is not possible to add pesticides to water anywhere without threatening the purity of water everywhere. Seldom if ever, does nature operate in closed and separate compartments, and she has not done so in distributing the earth’s water supply.”(pg. 42) The efforts of Carson were rewarded when the Government of the United States of America regulated the use of pesticides by enacting the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act of 1972. Silent Spring is a book which still holds currency for the debate it still raises. The readers are compelled to evaluate their relationship with the natural world. This book is relevant in the present day as it coaxes the reader to ponder upon the actions of man on nature and provides us with an in depth view of our ruthless and selfish actions which need to be corrected for the benefit of mankind. Part 3 Point of the Book – The Author’s reason for writing the book The impetus for writing this book was provided by her friend, Olga Huckins, who wrote to her bemoaning the sudden loss of a large number of birds due to DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) spraying. The author amalgamated information about pesticide misuse, ill-effects of exposure to chemical pesticides and their impact on the environment. This book reveals the dangers of pesticide poisoning and the ecological degradation caused due to the indiscriminate use of insecticides, weed killers, and other common products as well as the use of sprays in agriculture. . "As applications of pesticides continue and the virtually indestructible residues continue to build up in the soil, it is almost certain that we are heading for trouble." (pg.61) Through Silent Spring, Carson sought to regulate the use of chemicals that were capable of causing long term damage to man, animals and plants. Carson’s feelings concerning pesticide use are best summarized thus- "It is not my contention that chemical insecticides must never be used. I do contend that we have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals indiscriminately into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their potential for harm." (pg 12) Part 4 Connection with the course The author’s reasoning about the dangerous use of pesticides and its outcomes fall very much within the parameters of my course since my course is all about studying and safe – guarding the natural world around us. When the book was written in the 1960s there was a very positive attitude towards the use of pesticides and it was deemed that they helped in the sustenance of the human race. With the passage of time the words of the author now has proved to be prophetic and the world at large is aware of the harmful effects of pesticides. I completely agree with the author on this point because even today current literature tells us how harmful pesticides could be and the many diseases that could be brought about by their careless and indiscriminate usuage. In fact I share no difference of opinion with the author as I have learned in my course how harmful certain substances could be. The worldviews of organizations such as the WWD, NEP or HEP are quite in tandem with Carson’s views on the subject and it has helped these organizations to improve the quality of their services by understanding the dangers of different pesticides used by them. ‘Silent Spring was a radical get away from her previous book describing the wonders of the sea and hence writing a book on the dangers of pesticides needed tremendous courage and determination. During the time the author lived, the pesticide DDT was very much in use and there was tremendous positive response from all quarters. Hence, when Carson released her book describing the dangers of DDT, chlorinated carbons and other pesticides it was like disturbing a hornets nest. She instantaneously received overwhelming publicity – some of which was positive while others quite negative. It took quite a long time to make people understand how dangerous the careless use of pesticides could be. Some of the dangers included accumulation of animal fatty tissues, immunity of the common housefly and biological magnification through the food chain. In those days it was a bigger task to make people understand the dangers of pesticides than it is today. The reason for this being that there is a higher rate of literacy and people have become much more health conscious than they did years ago. In my opinion, Rachel Carson’s book ‘Silent Spring’ is even more relevant today than it did earlier and I totally agree to all the aspects of dangerous pesticides that she had mentioned. Her book seems to be even more accepted in these contemporary times because people have become more aware of the dangers in the wrong usage of pesticides. The book is a pioneer in its own right because it served to change the perception of people on the usage of pesticides. Carson’s book is quite relevant to the course I am taking as it is not only a great eye -opener for all nature lovers but it also serves as a warning to mankind to take good care of mother Earth. References Biography of Rachel Carson www.biographyshelf.com/rachel_carson_biography.html Carson, Rachel (2002) [1st. Pub. Houghton Mifflin, 1962]. Silent Spring. Mariner Books.  http://www.rachelcarson.org/ Read More