The Obligation to Endure by Rachel Carson - Article Example

Rachel Carson created one of the most persuasive essays of the 1950s. This essay is known as “The Obligation to Endure” is a collection of scientific facts and explanations clearly outlined in a convincing manner. This way, Carson was able to convince her audience on the harmful effects of the pesticide DDT, and eventually led to its ban. This is a rhetorical analysis of the article “The Obligation to Endure” by Rachel Carson, on how she connects and explains her information to ensure her audience is convinced with her argument.

Initially, Rachel gives an explanation of the harmful effects of pesticides on the environment, she then explains why there is no need of using pesticides and finally proves wrong the notion that pesticide use is a necessity in the maintenance of farm production. Her argument kicks start with scientific facts where she explains that pesticides contain some chemicals, which cause environmental pollution and cause irreversible damages to living creatures. She claims pesticides are evil pollutants so that the audience can get a negative perception of them.

The audience is, therefore, able to understand that pesticides cause more harm than good, making them question whether there is a need for the use of pesticides. Rachel goes on to answer this question by referring back to the principle of natural selection by Charles Darwin. She argues that, with pests possessing the capability of evolving, this necessitates the constant creation of new pesticides. With this information, she argues that it is unnecessary to keep developing new pesticides to deal with the pests’ problem.

Afterward, Rachel changes her tone to address the real problem of crop production; she views overproduction as the main problem. She explains that the surplus of the cross has caused U.S citizens to pay over a billion dollars to cover for the cost of crop production. These connections prove that Rachel had carried out wide research to ensure she had a basis under which her argument would be supported. She expertly connects the facts obtained from her research to present her audience with several counts of reliable evidence, which serve the purpose of gaining her the support she needed.

In the presentation of her argument, Rachel gives her audience the freedom of understanding her argument by laying down her facts in such a way that they are meant for a general audience. She digs deeper by giving detailed scientific facts and explanations. She employs the use of keywords and phrases which serve in convincing the audience so that they support her opinion. For instance, “In this now universal contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister and little-recognized partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world -the very nature of its life…chemicals sprayed on croplands or forests or gardens lie long in the soil, entering into living organisms, passing from one to another in a chain of poisoning and death”(pg.84). In this case, she refers to chemicals as sinister to attract the reader’s attention and then presents her facts in the simplest manner possible to ensure that the readers understand them easily.

Rachel had the option of simply stating the facts but prefers to use powerful vocabulary to emotionally compel her audience. This way, she is able to emotionally connect with the audience and win their support. Each scientific fact and explanation are skillfully placed in the entire essay on why it is unnecessary to use pesticides for the treatment of pests. Rachel in writing this article starts with a major point and then follows up with a well-researched fact giving an explanation, which strengthens her argument.

For instance, she states “the devotion of immense acreages to a single crop…set[s] the stage for explosive increases in specific insect populations” (pg.87). This is a reference to a time in the past when towns had been infected by a disease-carrying beetle, which she uses to prove the validity of her argument. This way, the reader is forced to agree with her since she gives evidence that arguing against is almost impossible. Rachel created this article in the perfect way, where she used scientific facts and arguments instead of statements derived from her own opinions.

This way, she succeeds in persuading her reader's audience since a persuasive essay requires a true argument backed up by convincing evidence instead of pointless words. Rachel’s skillful use of scientific evidence and facts effectively ensures her audiences gain the understanding that, use of harmful pesticides is unnecessary. Pesticides are harmful pollutants that cause damages to the environment and living creatures. Considering that pests keep evolving necessitating constant creation of new pesticides, it is, therefore, necessary to avoid the use of pesticides.

Rachel by the use of this essay “The Obligation to Endure” is able to educate the public on the negative impacts of pesticide use leading to banning some of them.