Course Hero. "Silent Spring Study Guide." Course Hero. 8 Jan. 2018. Web. 17 Nov. 2018. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Silent-Spring/>.
Course Hero. (2018, January 8). Silent Spring Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Silent-Spring/
(Course Hero, 2018)
Course Hero. "Silent Spring Study Guide." January 8, 2018. Accessed November 17, 2018. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Silent-Spring/.
Course Hero, "Silent Spring Study Guide," January 8, 2018, accessed November 17, 2018, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Silent-Spring/.
Biologist Rachel Carson sounds the alarm about indiscriminate use of pesticides, particularly dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). DDT, viewed as a "wonder chemical" in the 1950s and early 1960s, showed great promise in the fight against disease-carrying and crop-destroying insects. However, in 1962 when Silent Spring was published, the safety of DDT had begun to be questioned. The potential hazards were not widely understood by the public, however. Carson explains the potential effects of DDT on all living things in the environment. She discusses the research and, perhaps more importantly, the gaps in the research. Carson cautions against proceeding with pesticide use before fully understanding both the immediate and long-term effects.
Carson begins with a thought-provoking fable introducing her claim pesticide use is not just a scientific issue, but a moral one. Next, she explains the interdependence of all aspects of nature, including humanity, and shows the deadly effects when synthetic chemicals are introduced into the environment. She argues targeting one species for eradication impacts many other parts of the environment, and humans are not immune. Carson explains the effects of pesticides on water, the soil, plants, and animal life, the inevitable result being death and destruction. She paints the picture of a "silent spring" in which no birds sing. Carson shows the effects of chemicals on the cells of living things. She proposes this evidence as a "window" to the long-term, more damaging effects on the broader environment. She argues humanity cannot get away with imposing its own controls on nature while assuming it is immune to the impact.
Carson argues indiscriminate pesticide use is not the only choice. She urges readers not to passively accept the risks, but to become educated and speak out. She proposes if we opt for the easy road of seeking quick chemical solutions to complex environmental issues, rather than "the one less traveled," i.e., the seeking out of alternatives, we will pay a heavy price.