The Story behind Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
Book Review / Social Issues

The Story behind Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring

The Story behind Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring

 

“Man has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall. He will end by destroying the earth.”(Albert Schweitzer)

The Story behind Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring

 

Silent Spring

A letter was received by Rachel Carson from her friend Olga Owens Huckins. The letter described the dead robins that Olga had found in her yard. The birds had died due to pesticides called DDT sprayed for controlling mosquitoes. Olga sought Rachel’s help if she could do something to save the singing birds.

Rachel started studying and learning about pesticides and their effect on nature. The havoc that humans unleash in their efforts to control nature through scientific advancement became a serious concern on her part. She fingered the Chemical Industries, the government agencies as the culprits for the worldwide ecocide.

People tried to stop her, and discourage her. But she was determined in continuing her survey in discovering how pollution and pesticides were threatening the lives of birds, insects, fishes and other animals as well as human life.

Rachel’s research was a dangerous attempt. It was against the chemical factories and associated beneficiaries. Her well-wishers felt worried about her. But she was determined and stubborn. She kept her new project a secret. She checked and rechecked her documents.

Her health deteriorated. She was struggling with cancer. In 1958 her mother had a stroke and then within a few days, she died. Rachael stopped her work. She lost her mother and then her own health was diminishing her power. But she knew her work was very important for this Earth and she must finish it before she died. So with severe pain and anguish, she resumed her writing. When she was writing this she was also fighting cancer.

 

 

And she finished her visionary piece of work SILENT SPRING, which jolted the world with its atomic brilliance and insight.

“ What has already silenced the voices of spring in countless towns in America? This book is an attempt to explain.”

This book by Rachel Carson tried to alert the world of an impending environmental disaster that is too grievous to ignore.

We are constantly facing the repercussions of the unchecked use of pesticides. We ignore the alarm bells. We are hollowing out the ground where we live. We are acting like the fool of the story, cutting the branch where we sit. Our blatant disregard for the delicate ecosystem not only weakens our environment but also threatens our existence. It will be not very late to stand in the desolate, deserted spring where “the hens brooded, but no chicks hatched, the litters were small and the young survived only a few days. The apple trees were coming into bloom but no bees droned among the blossoms, so there was no pollination and there would be no fruit.”

Ecology and livelihood are closely related. Breaking the symbiotic bond between nature and life for lucrative riches is not a wise option.  Development cannot be synonymous with destruction.

There are seven chapters in this book that discusses different issues like the harmful effects of pesticides, atomic radiation, synthetic creation, contaminants, toxins, insecticides, herbicides, chemical villains, and notorious DDT. The book starts with a storytelling manner (“fable for tomorrow”). Centred around an imaginary town Carson shows the viciousness of destruction propelled by human greed. Pesticides disrupt basic biological processes like mitosis. Pesticides are also responsible for cancer, birth defects, and chromosomal abnormalities.

Carson pulls the rug out from under the self-interest of the pesticide industries and wages a direct war against them.  Human’s boasting of controlling nature is a commercial stupidity that is well explored by her.

She not only underpins the vulgar effect of man-made pesticides but also suggests a natural way out from it. Biologically pests can be controlled by diversifying crops rather than planting monocultures(growing a single species over a wide area). This will ensure the security of the food chain and there will be no necessity to use synthetic pesticides.

 

 

 

“And the rest, as they say, is history. Silent Spring burst onto the American scene in late 1962 with unprecedented effect. Once the book was out, there was no turning away, no going back. The world, in many ways, can be divided into “before Silent Spring ” and “after. ”

This quote is enough to prove how powerful and revolutionary was the effect of this book.

 

Characters:

The Chemical Industry- It stands as a monolithic shape of evil power in this book.

The Government A great villain whose interest is not associated with people but profit.

The Public Public is the major concern in Silent Spring. The public begins to ask questions. Their response is very urgent for raising consciousness.

Nature Main character of this book.

With a persuasive tone, Rachel incites her readers’ attention to a serious problem. Her style is serious and clear.

The AuthorShe is the fighter, the spokesperson, and the voice of Mother Nature.

 

Alvina’s Verdict:

 The idea of progress was linked with advanced technology by the Government and Industries without paying heed to the destruction they are going to cause as its after-effect. In the name of controlling nature,  nature was destroyed, or shaped according to human interest. And today we are waiting at the verge of being an endangered species on this earth for our own fault…for our own vicious greed and imbecility.

She wishes to warn the people, she tried to save this Earth. But are we aware of our own danger yet? The question goes on lingering ever and ever in the boozy alleys of human consciousness smoked by the imprudent frenzy of egomaniacs.

 

 

Spread the love

Author

munu.ruku2020@gmail.com
Hi, I'm Munmun here and welcome to my book blog. I'm an English Teacher. But more than that I love to read books and write down my thoughts. I feel we can change the world by circulating the introspections of great columnists throughout the world. You are free to contact me at munu.ruku2020@gmail.com.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Verified by MonsterInsights