Analyzing Rachel Carson’s “the Obligation to Endure” Essay

From the dawn of humanity, nature has been sacrificed for the sake of progression. Forests are chopped down and paved with concrete, while everyday scientists work to enhance species chosen as beneficial while killing those thought of as nuisances. By the mid 20th century, this had become an accepted and encouraged faucet of life, that is, until biologist by the name of Rachel Carson published Silent Springs, a book dedicated to stopping the mass extermination of blackbirds. Through carefully constructed arguments and rhetoric, the novel was able to transform the American mindset of their view on nature. Therefore, Rachel Carson uses figurative language and appeals in order to portray the mass spraying of wildland as harmful.

In the 21st century, society has more concern for nature than ever before. On every corner you see a recycling bin or something that helps to preserve the nature around us. It’s hard to believe that in the 1960s people were destroying it so easily. Rachel Carson wrote a game changing book titled Silent Spring. As a woman of the sexist 60s, Carson wasn't held too highly in the eyes of scientist and men of power. However, when her book was published, people rushed to buy it. Scientist read it to prove her wrong while others read it to gain knowledge about what was happening around them. According to Neil Goodwin, Carson brought into question the integrity of the pesticide industry. The book set up the beginning to a change of normal practices

She wrote using an incredible supply of research and observations as evidence to her claims; she took on the $300 million dollar pesticide industry using evidence-based claims with 55-pages of sources and numerous personal accounts of the negative impacts of DDT. She brought a spotlight to the battles of man versus nature especially following World War II. She pushed not for the outlaw of pesticides, but for the responsible usage of pesticides and full knowledge on how these chemicals impact the systems of nature. She was only one of two women hired at the professional-level of the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries and rose to serve as the science editor for all their publications. Because of her influences, she inspired “green chemistry: the design, development, and implementation of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of substances hazardous to human health and the environment” (Bishop, 2012). Many credit Carson for inspiring the modern-environmental movement and the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Many environmentalists and scientists credit Carson and her writings for their own sense of wonder in nature and their future work in the science field. It’s my opinion that Rachel Carson is a great role-model for persistence and the nature of science because she faced many personal and

Rachel Carson is a famous activist in the environmental movement in the middle of the 20th century. This text, entitled a fable for tomorrow is an excerpt from her most famous book, silent spring. In fact this book raised the alarm about the use of chemicals, especially pesticides, which have a devastating effect on human health and the environment. In this passage Rachel Carson describes a fictitious town in the heart of America where everything is utopian, but in a very short period of time, those nearly ideal conditions of living were disturbed by some kind of white powder. I appreciated this passage for multiple reasons. First of all, the text is simple and easily understandable by the reader. Second of all the author approaches the topic using a fable instead of an argumentative essay.

Rachel Carson in these excerpts reveals the shocking behind the world's unknown ecological disasters. Carson specifically speaks about the disposal of toxic wastes and the use of pesticides such as DDT. Carson discusses how the previously held idea of materials staying in the same part of the ocean is false. Through the discovery of great currents in the ocean, Carson stated that these toxic chemicals could be carried around the world. These chemicals also could be carried by unsuspecting sea life as well. These previous notion of "safe disposal" was trashed by Carson and showed how water systems around the world are in danger of being harmed by this material. Carson also goes on to discuss the use of DDT and its harmful effects on humans and animals alike. These chemicals were originally

In biologist Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring (1962), she suggests that Americans should stop using parathion and other harmful chemical agents. Carson uses cause and effect, a metaphor, and connotative diction to assert her point. She writes to a general audience in a passionate tone. Carson describes the unnecessary cruelty of American farmers to innocent animals and people in order to change Americans’ attitude toward the environment.

This statement is very helpful and understanding so that the public can manage to trust the author. Another example, Carson provides several words such as devils, dangerous, kills, deprivation, invasion, and disease these are part of the pesticides and chemicals. The audience can use their logic to associate these strong words. Perhaps, the audience can connect and understand the reason for Carson’s perspective among the harmful pesticides on earth. Carson stated, “To a large extent, the physical form and the habits of the earth’s vegetation and its animal life have been molded by the environment” (Carson 644). She clearly establishes her own belief perhaps to her opinion that the earth is in danger. More importantly, in terms of ethos appeals,

The environmental movement was and still is a huge part of the political agenda. It emerged from the 1960s civil rights movement, with growing concerns about air and water pollution. Rachel Carson’s most influential book “The Silent Spring” helped form the beginning of the movement in the United States. The phenomenal book generated a lot of controversy over the use of chemical repellent. Carson talks about the harms done by pesticides in eradicating pests in which they were designed to destroy. Science has been a huge part in the human race and its impact on the earth and is the boat we need to sail in uncharted waters. Science also comes into play in the disadvantages of its modern invention on our environment and, therefore, take the lead in solving it. Many would argue that science is the cause of the pollutions suffered today, which is true to an extent. The vast number of scientists have been instrumental in identifying leading environmental problems. Biodiversity is important because of the numerous dangers that come with the land, water, and air pollution.

For a long time, farmers have had a problem with the animals and insects that invade their property in pursuit of finding food. To reduce the amount of crops lost, farmers utilized poisonous substances known as pesticides, to eliminate the invaders. However, the application of these pesticides has gradually increased while the population of animals and insects has declined. By only focusing on eliminating the pests, farmers haven’t closely considered the consequences that pesticide usage has caused. In the late 1950’s, Rachel Carson found an interest in conservation, focusing especially on environmental health. She believed the environmental problems were mostly caused by synthetic pesticides. Carson wrote the environmental science book called Silent Spring, to alert the public about pesticide misuse and the urgency for regulation. Carson displays the dangers of using pesticides through her characterization of the farmers as misguided and selfish, recognition of the effects on innocent wildlife and humans, and calling out the public’s negligence and their responsibilities to advocate for pesticide usage reform.

How are humans leaving a footprint on the environment? Carson’s descriptions regarding the impact of pesticides on many species in her text “Silent Spring”, discourage readers to take action because the problem seems too big. There are several reasons that deter readers from trying to mend the situation.

She uses words such as “evil”, “sinister”, and “irrevocable”. These words, in and of themselves, stir a foreboding strong inner sense of future misfortune. Her disquieting phrases command contemplation, and they speak to the gravity of the matter at hand. Phrases such as “no time”,” the very nature of this life”, and “barrage of poisons” hammer the reader on an emotional level throughout the excerpt. Thoughts of death for humans and extinction of the human race menacingly creep in and it is next to impossible to keep those thoughts at bay. It is in the nature of humanity to push such thoughts by the wayside, not think about such horrors, yet this is exactly where Rachel Carson takes us. Again and again, she eloquently presents the human actions regarding pesticides and immediately follows with a dark nefarious consequence. The tendrils of consequence are far reaching, and Carson is clear in her argument that with the use of pesticides humans are putting their future in grave danger. She states “It is ironic to think that man might determine his own future by something so seemingly trivial as the choice of an insect spray” (757). Carson’s use of the word “trivial” in this statement puts before us the responsibility of paying attention to what we as humans do. It requires us to take a look at the behaviors we would not normally examine. It forces us to regard

Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, a book that is often viewed as a landmark work of environmental writing, was the result of several different events that caused her to pay attention to the results of the use of different pesticides to control insect populations in America following World War II. In her book she discusses the different kinds of chemicals our governments have been using and the damage they have all been proven to be causing to the environment, animals, and of course, humans. She provided evidence towards the correlation of cancer cases in combination with these chemicals, and advocated for the possibility of biological pest control. In Silent Spring, Carson attacks pesticides and notes their effects on the world’s ecosystems

During the early twentieth century, advances in chemistry produced a battery of pesticides that were originally hailed for raising crop yields and controlling disease-carrying insects. The most famous of these pesticides was DDT. DDT’s discoverer, Paul Muller, even won the Nobel Prize. However, people were oblivious to the dangers pesticides posed to people and the environment. For example, when DDT is repeatedly sprayed, toxic amounts begin to accumulate in the environment. Rachel Carson, a marine biologist, was greatly concerned about such dangers, and wrote Silent Spring to raise public awareness. In Silent Spring, Rachel Carson brought awareness of such dangers, reporting that even small doses of pesticides applied regularly can build up to enormous quantities over time. Once accumulated, pesticides present in the environment pose a threat to people and animals alike. For example, many pesticides are carcinogens that Carson attributes to the spike in cancer rates during the mid-twentieth century. Animals are not immune from the deadly effect of pesticides. In Silent Spring, Carson describes entire lakes that became almost completely devoid of life after DDT was applied (Carson 45-49). Silent Spring triggered a powerful public response immediately after its publication. Many people were convinced of the hazards of pesticide use, but some accused Carson of exaggerating the danger. Despite its critics, Silent Spring eventually triggered an outburst of environmentalism that

In her novel Silent Spring, conservationist Rachel Carson writes, “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” This demonstrates Carson’s ability to express the beauty and incredulity of nature. As a scientist, she knew that nature has the strength to restore itself. In Silent Spring, she wants readers to consider the serious dangers that pesticides could have on the environment. The use of these artificial chemicals to control insect populations release harmful substances into the air, water, and soil, and have the potential to poison animals. Carson describes chemicals as the “sinister and little-recognized partners of radiation” (Carson 15). Carson later explains how poisons

Many global issues today, such as global warming, pollution, and radiation, involve the environment and stem from actions and inventions of people. Environmental advocates address these issues and call for change, but at times their efforts seem futile, because many people do not seem to care or know enough, and thus continue to harm the environment and themselves by selfish greed or ignorance. In “The Obligation to Endure,” Rachel Carson points to man as the main cause of environmental threats, and quotes Jean Rostand in saying “the obligation to endure is the right to know.” To live and deal with these problems in the environment, people must fully understand the influence of greed on technology and the environment. Although it would be unrealistic to eliminate greed and indifference towards the environment, the public and the government must work together in promoting more active attitudes and regulating safer technology to reduce the severity of these environmental issues.