Rachel Carson : Qhetorical Analysis : The Obligation To Endure

Carson’s primary argument is that the ecosystem is unable to adjust and rebalance itself due to the rapidity of the introduction of chemicals into the environment. She points to the common knowledge that it took hundreds of millions of years for life to evolve to its current state. She goes on to explain how, given time (eons), the environment adjusted to natural dangers such as radiation emitted from certain rocks and short-wave radiation from the sun, but that it is impossible for the earth to adjust and rebalance in the face of man-made threats in the relative miniscule timeframe of decades. Her appeal is both logical and emotional. Logically, chemicals sprayed on croplands, forests or gardens will kill not just “pests” but other living organisms, and that some amount of these chemicals will end up in ground water, causing problems for anyone or anything that depends on this water. Emotionally if the possibility of permanent gene damage, which cause deformities, cancers, and early death, is not enough to encourage a second look at this issue then there is no hope for the planet’s future.

Bill McKibben in “The Environmental Issue from Hell” and Rachel Carson in “The Obligation to Endure” both believe that environmental issues are some of the most important issues facing mankind today. In “The Environmental Issue from Hell,” McKibben argues that Americans need to take a moral approach to solving the global warming problem. He is passionate about the problems associated with global warming, but he fails to provide concrete support. Carson argues in “The Obligation to Endure” that humans have ignorantly tampered with the delicate balance of nature through the use of pesticides. She presents a valid argument; however, it is weakened by her failure to cite her sources and her sole reliance on her own credibility as a biologist

In fact, Carson outlines her evidence and claims for the global environment and the whole of humanity. In addition to this, it is worthy to mention that, Carson was directing her message to policymakers because they had the power to ban the manufacture of the pesticides and insecticides. Furthermore, Carson’s messages were directed at certain companies and the manufacturers of pesticides such as DDT. The catalyst of this message stemmed from the widespread use of insecticides both at home and in offices. As it seemed, there was a widespread rate of ignorance and misinformation across the public on the harmful effects of these pesticides.

In her essay “The Obligation to Endure”, Rachel Carson alerts the public to the dangers of modern industrial pollution. She writes about the harmful consequences of lethal materials being released into the environment. She uses horrifying evidence, a passionate tone, audience, and the overall structure of her essay to express to her readers that the pollution created by man wounds the earth. There are many different ways that pollution can harm the environment, from the nuclear explosions discharging toxic chemicals into the air, to the venomous pesticides sprayed on plants that kills vegetation and sickens cattle. The adjustments to these chemicals would take generations. Rachel

“Along with the possibility of the extinction of mankind by nuclear war, the central problem of our age has therefore become the contamination of man’s total environment with such substances of incredible potential for harm-substances that accumulate in the tissues of plants and animals and even penetrate the germ cells to shatter or alter the very material of heredity upon which the shape of the future depends” (Carson, 1962).

In the article “The Obligation to Endure” by Rachel Carson she explains the danger and harm that comes with using toxic chemicals such as pesticides on our crops. By doing so Carson brings to light that are numerous amounts of people that are un aware of the toxic chemicals that they are unknowingly inviting into their homes and bodies. This is also seen in “Preface” when author Carl G. Herndi  says, “Writers need to make the invisible visible” (xxiv). Furthermore, this can be seen as a wake up call to all humanity. Both Carson and Herndl want to inform people onto what is going on in the world we live in, and to get people to start questioning rather harmful toxics are truly needed, and if so to what extreme.

Carson speaks about the diminishment of us as a human being. With the amount of harmful pesticides we use without fully understanding its consequences, we are slowly killing our human race. When pesticides are sprayed on crops and insects, they end up getting into our bodies. Adopting the easy way of getting rid of insects is harming us in the long run.

First and foremost , to understand Rachel Carson’s perspective, context is crucial. Rachel is a white female that grew up in a river town located in Springdale, Pennsylvania. Growing up, her mother instilled an appreciation of the natural world which proved to be instrumental towards her perception of the world around her. Her culture, ethnicity, and gender all played a role in placing her in a position that allowed her to become a hardcore environmentalist. Similarly, I consider myself to be environmentally aware, but growing up as an African American in the inner city I wasn’t exposed to the natural world in the same way she was. I lived in an area with few greenery, but a ton of grey. As a result, I never developed that personal relationship Rachel has because I wasn’t awarded the same privilege. These factors are essential when understanding how I

Rachel Carson had received several attacks by chemical and agricultural industries due to her book “Silent Spring”, where she explained the consequences to the environment and human health of using pesticides. She was being accused of radical and unqualified scientist, who wanted to keep alive all the insects that spread diseases in humans and plants. She was described as being hysterical woman and her work as junk science. However, if we read who was Rachel Carson, the arguments are misguided. Rachel Carson was an outstanding scientist and science

It is our actions that have directly, and indirectly, caused such environmental destruction; now it is us that must help save them. As John Sawhill said, "In the end, our society will be defined not by what we create, but what we refuse to destroy." We are their only hope; future generations of animals and mankind alike are depending on us.

Imagine a lifeless world scared by fire, covered in ash. A world in which nothing grows and not even the faintest of whispers are sounded across this dead planet. Here this ire silence lays in the wake of nature’s wrath. The remnants of a once magnificent world filled to bursting with the life hundreds of species are now all but gone. Fallen, has the beauty of this world. Erased from the memory of time with no trace of existence to be had. This planet is ours. We were the ones who killed it. In Rachel Carson’s “The Obligation to Endure,” a passion struck article, Carson paints us this picture of a world on the brink of utter

Albert Einstein once said, "Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty." Similar to Einstein, the author Rachel Carson believed that human kind should embrace nature's and help preserve its beauty and life . In the passage from the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, the author informs and persuades her audience against the dangers and misuse of pesticides. Rachel Carson is a renowned writer, ecologist, and scientist who dedicated her life to the conservation of the environment. Throughout her career as an editor in chief, marine biologist, and environmental activist, Carson continued to educate the public about the

Rachel Carson played a pivotal role in shaping the Environmental Movement and American culture because of her honest, direct disclosure of the matters at hand. Although Carson was not the first person to make these scientific discoveries, she was able to radically change the way millions of Americans perceived the environment and the dangers of toxic chemicals to themselves through vivid, articulate, yet easily understandable language. For instance, in her chapter titled “Elixirs of Death,” she says “For these chemicals are now stored in the bodies of the vast majority of human beings, regardless of age. They

According to Carson we have given rise to a new range of health problems because the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and everything else in our environment is polluted. As a result the total

We as members of the human race, need to recognize the disregarding we show towards the environment because it may not be long before until this devastation can occur. Though, the way Carson brought up her perspective, may not be an opinion of what the reader may see when taken into deep consideration. The different tactics Carson approaches this topic lets readers think out of the box. It is a matter of opinion of what the reader may see when taken into perspective. We all have different outlooks and aspects when reading, watching, or listening to a scenario. However, one thing we all have in common is our unique minds to how we perceive it, just like how Rachel Carson distinctively uses imagery and rhetorical devices to convey her aspect, unlike any other