The Silent Spring: An Analysis - Book Report/Review Example

The Silent Spring: An Analysis The Silent Spring: An Analysis Introduction The book with the of “The Silent Spring” is an attempt of a writer who had a sour mind because of current environmental situation of the globe. The ancient humanity did not enjoy significant level of control over their natural habitat and therefore, humans of that time, learned to intermingle and coexist with other factors of nature. The humans managed to construct a synergetic relationship with plants and animals in the past. The purpose of the book is to highlight the quietness of the springs that are coming and going in the modern times. The humans gained more than a balanced control over their environment and because of this reason; they initiated to infect the natural course of environment irrecoverably. The application of artificial fertilizers and pesticides are resulting in increased level of harmful hydrocarbons in the human body. They are known to accumulate over the long term and at the final stage, they seamlessly contaminate the intestine system. In this way, the digestive and renal systems of humans tend to degrade. The degradation of key systems consequents a massive failure of all human systems and finally cause a painful death. The increasing usage of DDT in agriculture as a means of eliminating pesticides in crops is in turn killing the consumers as well. The agricultural professionals of the so-called modern world are apparently unaware of the fact that anything that can kill a lower level of organic life can do the same with the higher one as well. In case of humans however, the prolonged use of substandard food items can cause implications in the future. According to the author, humans are naturally blessed with the ability to strive for scientific and economic development and growth. But, as it is believed that too much of something is always disastrous and same goes with the instinct to grow. The human natural instinct for accumulating more technology and knowledge has recently caused the scientists to run experiments that manipulated natural components in order to develop new and dangerous ones. The abovementioned instance is an ideal example of human intelligence that is causing serious health problems all over the world. In the current times, the humans are being exposed to the extremely dangerous chemicals (Carson, 1962). The decreasing life span of humans is a sufficient proof that there is something wrong with the environment. The contemporary pesticides and fertilizers are empowered with an increased strength to kill organic components that have the tendency to harm the yield of the crops while, the trace amounts of these agents can have adverse effects on human health in the long term perspective. The slightest amount of DDT that is equivalent to 17.4 parts per million is found to be lethal for animals and therefore, biological scientists are of the view that the agent can cause very serious difficulties for the next generation of the humanity. Moreover, the growing presence of chemical in the air, water and soil is weakening the immune mechanism of the child in the fetus of the mother. In short, it can be established that an ill mother is going to give birth to a suffering child. The vicious cycle of malnutrition sets in motion once the baby is conceived. In the light of aforementioned argument, it can be inferred that the next generation’s ability to fight illnesses and diseases is dropping and therefore, health related outlook of the future world is appearing to be grim to say the least. Nevertheless, the author highlighted human’s ignorance that is compelling him to destroy fresh streams of water. About seventy percent of earth is covered with water. The most of the water reserves are not ideal for irrigation and human use as they are dangerously high in salt content (Carson, 1962). The water is scarce whereas, it is the most prominent element needed for human survival. The modern day industrial activities are notably engaged in polluting the water reserves and because of this trend, more than half of the human population is looking at a severe water shortage in the near future (Carson, 1962). The human ability to create new water reserves is limited while; the current purification techniques are less than effective. The growing industrialization is causing water shortage to increase and due to this reason, the major percentage of earth’s population is experiencing water distress. The soil is also being polluted by spray of harmful agents and the residents of the soil are killed as an insignificant consequence (Carson, 1962). The consequence is not as insignificant as it initially seems. The microorganisms are majorly responsible for turning solid wastes into soil. Their role is very important in terms of keeping the environment clean. Nonetheless, modern agricultural activities along with increasing deforestation is causing soil to lose its initial and natural alignment and therefore, the winds and flooding carry it away with them. Additionally, the ability of soil bacteria and other agent to decompose the waste is decreasing. The decrement of this ability is playing a notable role in causing air and water pollution. The pollution is being created as waste materials with all of their impurities and fats join the water table and get consumed by humans and other living beings, thusly creating serious health problems (Carson, 1962). Sadly, it is not the end of the story because; the carbon based waste products that are produced by decomposing materials become a noticeable part of water vapors that lead to acid rain. The vicious cycle of pollution is complete and living beings have to breathe and drink contaminated air and water respectively. The hydrocarbons accumulate in the bodies and give birth to further complications. The increasing numbers of illnesses that are being discovered on a consistent basis have their stems in the poor environment. In the early 1930s, the locality of Michigan along with Federal agencies worked in terms of fighting off Japanese beetles that were notoriously responsible for destroying crops at that time. The lethal chemical agent with the name of Benzene Hexacholoride was developed to get rid of the undesirable beetles (Carson, 1962). The countermeasure that was developed to do so was fifty percent more lethal than the previous demon of DDT. The agent fulfilled its purpose and annihilated the intended target. However, the precious breeds of birds, rabbits and sheep were wasted and the national authority of wildlife identified the loss as collateral damage (Carson, 1962). The research and development of more powerful agents continued and God knows what these chemists are growing in their laboratories presently. The humans were not satisfied by the results of pesticides that were sprayed by people walking on foot. The authorities stated that they do not cover substantial grounds and therefore, the cost of the operation is escalating then, the technology that assisted the mankind in spraying the killer chemicals from the sky. The technology infected millions of the organisms in the matter of seconds while, increasing air and water pollution as well. The new method killed humans, plants and animals without discrimination (Carson, 1962). The war against the nature is getting brutal to put it mildly (Carson, 1962). The humanity’s survival is based on collaborating with and sustaining the environment. The nuclear technology and mechanized transportation are also lending their hands in destroying the natural habitat of the globe. The environmental biologists state that humanity is sitting on a bomb that can go of any minute. The ill-effects of environmental decay are an integral component of the next generation’s genetic makeup (Carson, 1962). The life expectancy for the newborns has been dropping substantially. Human anatomy is a superficially comprehended world of biochemistry where seemingly insignificant causes lead to disastrous outcomes. The results may not become visible instantaneously but cumulative presence of chemicals may cause long term problems and these issues may become evident in the next generation. The minute chemical imbalance in the present will become an incurable illness in the future (Carson, 1962). The whole idea of the book is based on the belief that small problems and issues can give birth to big ones in the future. In the light of this analysis, it can be argued that humanity’s survival is embedded in collaborative existence with the nature. The deaths of animals and plants are going to give birth to more problems for the humans. The humans should set the theory of economic rationality aside and must attempt to incorporate green and eco-friendly technologies into the industrial setup. The humans must understand that their ancestors have managed to live and survive in the crude environment. The crude environment was indeed a rich one where people had the luxury to live a healthy life (Carson, 1962). The technology and useless ideas of modern management have transformed a rich atmosphere into a poor one (Carson, 1962). The book has been written by following a Catholic philosophy that argues that humans must learn to succumb to the power of God and try to collaborate with nature. The book is attempting to propagate a mindset that humanity must revert towards a simpler and elementary existence. But, in the current times, it is almost impossible to accomplish as people have become addicted to technology and modern way of life and therefore, it will very hard for them to abandon everything that had been developed in the past numbers of centuries. Conclusion According to this paper, the book is written in a dream state and the assumptions made in it are impractical in nature. The humanity’s need to develop and grow is embedded in the blue print of its psychological outlook. The humans are infamous for their ability of clinging on to the familiar and use of technology in every field is the most common thing in the modern era. The book was written in the early years 1960s. At that time, the world was experiencing a rapid transaction from being an agricultural economy to industrial one. The book was authored in order to hinder the process of industrialization while, it is evident that the attempt has failed because industries and technology have successfully become the defining attributes of the world of the 21st century. The human civilization will keep on developing lethal technologies and bio-chemicals so that the economic interests can be met. The humanity will initiate to revert towards simpler existence once the adverse implications of modern life manifest themselves as more profound realities. Until, then the road of technological development will remain a dominant route for humans. References Carson, R. (1962). The Silent Spring. New York: Houghton Mifflin Publishing Read More