...English 101.11 4 October 2013 Rhetorical Analysis: Exigence: When Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published in September 27, 1962, it triggered a storm of disputes over the use of chemical pesticides. Her book helped raise awareness for the environment, warn humans of the dangers of using pesticides such as DDT, preserve several plant and animal species, and make the atmosphere cleaner. Her intent in writing Silent Spring was to warn the public of the dangers related with pesticide use. Throughout her book are countless case studies documenting the harmful effects that chemical pesticides have had on the environment. Along with these facts, she explains how in many occasions the pesticides have done more harm than good in eliminating the pests they were supposed to destroy. Carson points out that many of the long-term effects that these chemicals may have on the environment, as well as us humans, are still unknown in addition to her report. The argument in Carson’s Silent Spring led to the passing of environmental legislation and the establishment of government agencies to better regulate the use of these chemicals (Griswold 2012). Kairos: While working for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, Miss Carson first became aware of the effects of chemical pesticides on the natural environment. Her main concern was the government’s use of chemical pesticides such as DDT, a colorless substance used as an insecticide that is toxic to humans and animals when swallowed or absorbed...
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...Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring gives a strong argument against the use of pesticides such as parathion. Silent Spring was aimed at people with similar ideas to her own, and her goal in writing this book was to inspire those people to rally together and take action against what she believed was unjust and cruel. Her book proved to be a successful motivator and transformed America’s views on the environment. One of the things that made Carson’s book so powerful was its almost apocalyptic tone. Her word choice was extreme at times, but not so much that it was ineffective. Her very first sentence from the passage talks about the “habit of killing” and how humans choose to “eradicate” creatures that annoy them. Already she establishes an extremely negative view on the use of pesticides...
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...Christina Barnett4 Floresta Jones English-122-031RL 24 April 2016 Birdsong A humble woman born to a small family near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Rachel Carson exemplified her passion for natural things from an early age and into adulthood. Her compositions as a published eight year old and novels as a world-reowned fifty-eight year old both equally reflected her passion, capability, and love of all things natural, though certainly on different levels. Carson stated in her most sucessful book Silent Spring that, “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts”(Silent Spring). As exhibited by the primary focuses and actions that Carson displayed during her lifetime, find strength...
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...Silent Spring - How Rachel Carson Changed the World On September 27, 1962 Rachel Carson released her sixth book, Silent Spring. On publication day, the advance sales of Silent Spring totaled 40,000 copies and another 150 copies were sent to the Book of the Month Club (Frontline: Fooling With Nature, 1998). Silent Spring remained on the bestseller list for almost a year. The world was beginning to take notice. Countless experts and organizations have proclaimed Rachel Carson’s book the starting point of the environmental movement. Carson described numerous case studies where the use of hazardous pesticides, insecticides, and other chemicals led to environmental problems all over the world. Whether directly or indirectly, everything in the environment is connected and affected by each other. Silent Spring describes, in depth, the harmful effects that chemical control has placed on all components of the environment. They include: air, water, land, wildlife, plant life, and humans. I will discuss each of these categories as examined in Silent Spring along with my personal analysis. First I will discuss the damage from chemicals released in the air. Aerial spraying of pesticides, mostly DDT, began on a small scale over farms and forests. With the development of new insecticides and the availability of planes from the war, the sky almost literally turned into a shower of toxic chemicals. The justification behind the massive sprayings of the 1950âs was to exterminate exotic species...
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...Silent Spring: A Journey to a Radical New World Synopsis Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson, describes the catastrophic effects of humanity’s interference with nature. The novel focuses on the overuse of pesticides and the toxic contamination it can cause. Carson highlights the damage done to wildlife, livestock, domestic animals, and humans; at both a visible and molecular level. She explains the futility of chemical methods in controlling insects and gives examples of effective biological alternatives. This book was instrumental in banning the insecticide DDT, as well as in raising public awareness of environmental needs. Agreement with the author I agree with the majority of the opinions that Carson expresses, and particularly...
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...Keith Lyman Professor Patrick Welsh AMH2020 – 218620 21 October 2016 Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring Book Review In the environmentally historical book Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, the horrific consequences of insecticide use on the environment and ecosystem are chronicled. Carson’s novel was originally published as a three-part journal article in the New Yorker in June followed by the publication of the book in September of 1962. The book is known for beginning the modern environmental movement, which eventually led to the banning of “the domestic production of DDT and the creation of a grass-roots movement demanding protection of the environment through state and federal regulations” (Carson/Lear 9). Carson used her widespread knowledge...
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...and improvement of the natural environment is what the environmentalist of the 1960s wanted to accomplish. They also had a main goal of the restoration between humans and their natural environment. This movement gained recognition through a publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson’s. Silent Spring is an environmental science book that documented the detrimental effects on the environment with the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Carson’s book opened the eyes of many because it showed the harmful toxins that were being released. This brought concerns to the American public about their safety and brought many to be concerned with their environment....
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...energy we will investment in cancer prevention. The foreword concludes with the story of the “de-normalization” of smoking and a passionate call for the same precautionary approach to other known and suspected carcinogens. I myself do not smoke, but I am a victim of second hand smoke directly, because my mother smokes and has since I was born, (that is 22 years of second hand smoke). The book opens with Steingraber introducing us to her home state of Illinois. She paints a picture of a flat agricultural state devoted to growing mostly corn and soybeans that is such a wonderful place to be! We read about the agricultural and industrial chemicals used here and about the changes, these chemicals have brought. Rachel Carson is introduced here too. Carson’s book, Silent Spring, was...
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...Silent Spring Analysis Silent Spring is a book that makes just about everyone think, except for the major chemical companies that it was attacking. This is definitely one book that help shaped how we look at the environment today and also how we approach it. Rachel Carson aimed for a book that was going to open peoples eyes to what really was happening and who and what was doing it. She nailed this right on the head, while the book was very technical when it came to talking about the details of DDT, it was written at a level that everyone could understand and relate too. Easily this could be one of the most important books written in American history, where would we be without it and how would our future have turned out. While this book was aimed for the public to be able to understand, it also directly attacked the companies who were manufacturing the chemicals that people were using, especially DDT. If one were to try to explain how DDT worked at the chemistry level, most people would think your insane, but Carson is able to explain the devastating effects of this chemical in a way that everyone can understand. She does this by explaining the process chemically first, but then switches gears into how it is hitting people at home. This starts in the first chapter where she begins with “There once was a town…”. This is the beginning of the account that shaped Americans way of looking at the environment, especially when it came to using chemicals and other harmful substances...
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...ever considered how many different types of chemicals are on the food you are eating for dinner? That is exactly what Rachel Carson writes about in her novel Silent Spring. Pesticides are all around us, they are in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the ground we walk on. Their effects on our bodies and the environment are unknown, but chances are that they are not going to be good. Rachel Carson dedicates an entire novel to try to prove her point of how horrible they are for the world. She argues constantly that we need to find an alternative before it is too late. Within her arguments, Carson uses several different methods and types of evidence while trying to convey her point. Throughout the entire novel, Carson is constantly putting down the use of pesticides. However, everything she says would be useless if she did not have evidence. She uses qualitative and quantitative data several times throughout the book. Her use of qualitative data begins with her first paragraph. She describes the beauty of nature and how much life is abundant in it. Then as her fictional story continues, she begins to start explaining how none of this would be with the continuous use of pesticides. Carson also goes into detail describing the disastrous effects that it could leave on the environment as a whole. Her realistic descriptions of the possible harms of the pesticides can really appeal to the reader. With the vivid descriptions that she has, the reader can imagine the world as she...
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...any of these methods be effective solutions for the long-term welfare of the City? Harsh punishment and ridiculous expenditures are often seen as ‘radical’ and ‘extreme’ solutions to seemingly nominal problems. But it seems that America has pursued just that – extreme initial measures to combat social and environmental problems. America has seemingly disregarded the long-term impact of instituting policies that wholly accept or reject solutions to national problems. The implementation of DDT, the prohibition of hemp, and the damming of Hetch Hetchy Valley are all follies that are now causing environmental repercussions to the nation. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been the source of controversial debate since its widespread use in 1939 to its international ban in 1972. Its intended application was to stop the spread of malaria and typhus through mosquitoes and lice to the Allies during World War II. Soon its chemical properties to repel and exterminate pests became known, allowing it to be used in agricultural development. However, there were no specified amounts of DDT allowed per acre or area. In areas that were indeed regulated, enforcement was nearly impossible due to the sheer size of the given area. The wonders of DDT made it the most popular agricultural combatant to crop pests. With seemingly no harm, DDT was soon used in excessive amounts. When WWII was over, DDT had inspired a whole new...
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...word peregrinus, which means “to wander”. The name fits, given that they have one of the longest migrations in North America and are found on every continent besides Antarctica. Peregrine Falcons hunt pigeons, crows, waterfowl, starlings, jays, and other small to medium sized birds. They are also known to hunt for bats and other small mammals (Defenders of Wildlife). They are best known for their spectacular hunting methods in which they catch their prey mid-air. If that is not impressive enough, they do it while plunging at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, killing or stunning its prey instantly (National Geographic). What is even more impressive than any of this is the fact that the Peregrine Falcon was on the verge of extinction and has made a remarkable comeback. The cause of their brush with extinction was the result of the use of organochlorine pesticides, mainly dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) (The Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group). DDT was first synthesized in 1874. However, its effectiveness as an insecticide was not discovered until 1939. This discovery was made by Dr. Paul Herman Müller of Switzerland. Müller worked as a laboratory technologist at the great dye-manufacturing firm of J.R. Geigy. Müller started working on inventing new insecticides in 1936 and by 1939 had synthesized DDT. After years of perfecting the new compound, he proved its effectiveness in controlling Colorado Potato Beetles on crops. During WWII, he also found it just as effective...
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...Negative Impacts and Criticism of the Organic Movement …………………………….12 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….13 Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………..14 Many organic practices simply make sense, regardless of what overall agricultural system is used. Far from being a quaint throwback to an earlier time, organic agriculture is proving to be a serious contender in modern farming and a more environmentally sustainable system over the long term. -David Suzuki The organic movement has been in swing since the early 1900’s. Many different companies, consumers and governances have all joined the bandwagon and work to further the goals of an organic world. The organic movement is no where near complete and many dedicated individuals are working to further its progress. Many retailers such as Whole Foods, Alfalfa’s, Wild Oats, and Trader Joes, are all companies dedicated to selling all-natural and organic food products to consumers. Even larger retailers like Wal-Mart and Target have opened their doors to a line of organic products. But what exactly does organic mean? Organic is best described as a way of growing food. It’s a form of agricultural that does not utilize synthetic fertilizers. Organic farming has developed in response to the increasing use of...
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...EPA to ban its use in the United States. Some of the risks range from reproductive effects to carcinogenic (cancer causing) effects (“DDT -...
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...CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT Unit 46 Assignment Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................ 2 I. The development of global, European and national policies relating to sustainability. 2 1. Changing attitudes of public, politicians and businesses to the environment since 1945 .................................................................................................................................... 2 2. Brundtland definition of ‘sustainable development’ .................................................. 4 3. The international and UK policies to sustainable development since Earth Summit of 1992 ................................................................................................................................ 4 4. Triple bottom line........................................................................................................ 5 II. The commercial case for considering social and environmental matters in business management .......................................................................................................................... 6 1. 2. 3. Stakeholders and how they impact on business policies ........................................... 6 Is adopting CSR policies cost-saving? .......................................................................... 7 Primark Ethical Trading ................................
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