Rachel Carson's Silent Spring: Democratic Activism Movement

During the late 1960s, the environmental movement focused mostly on public health and industrial themes. During this time of initial modern development, it received little attention from the champions of the social movements of the times such as civil rights and women’s equality. Most of the emphasis on environmental matters in these early years came from environmentally driven sociologists such as Paul Goodman, Murray Boochkin, and Herbert Marcuse. Many were exhilarated to become the heads of ecologically based institutions that would fight against government and corporation ecological mistreatments. Often times they would research and issue articles that pointed out abuses that directly affected the common household such as Boochkin’s “The Problems of Chemicals in Foods.” This type of research pointed out new types of environmental issues that either did not exist or did not matter before World War II and just now became identified. These types of papers had a message that reached everybody not just select individuals like many of the previous issues such as water management, and land

Carson was an environmentalist who studied the world intensely. Her book, Silent Spring established the significant discovery on the harmful effects of pesticides. Silent Spring stirred up much controversy and even became a best seller since it was the first work on pesticides. The book recognized how individuals felt about the earth and showed what was to come if they would not change their lifestyle. Her book expressed sincere concern for the environment, and even people’s lives. The concern claimed that both nature and individuals would be in danger if people continued to use pesticides. Reaction to her writing was immediate and led to monumental ideas and

Silent Spring speaks of the harmful effects that DDT and other chemicals have on the environment and its inhabitants, including humans. It was especially dangerous because unlike other pesticides that targeted specific species fairly well, DDT is a broad agent that can attack the The main point to take away being the epigraph on the first page of this essay. She urged people to pay attention to what they buy and consume because it could have detrimental effects. Silent Spring was ahead of its time and it received harsh criticism from many readers and other scientists. Linda Lear stated on her website

Carson’s other books, Under the Sea Wind, The Sea Around Us (which stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 86 weeks), and The Edge of The Sea all focus on nature’s strength and the inter-connectedness of nature and all living things. But DDT exposed the vulnerability of nature and I think this influenced the writing of Silent Spring. DDT was the most powerful pesticide in the world at the time of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Unlike most pesticides, whose effectiveness is limited to destroying one or two types of insects, DDT was capable of killing hundreds of different kinds at once. Developed in 1939, it first distinguished itself during World War II, clearing South Pacific islands of malaria-causing insects for U.S. troops, while in Europe being used as an effective de-lousing powder. Its inventor was awarded the Nobel Prize.

In “The History of Earth Day” by Amanda Davis, Amanda Davis states, “On April 22, 1970, more than 20 million demonstrations and thousands of schools and local communities participated in Nelson’s demonstration.” This shows that a lot of schools and communities were willing to help Nelson create a day that helps Earth stay clean. This day also took a lot of work to make happen. Earth Day is still greatly needed as a holiday. It took Nelson heading to Washington, D.C. to get John F. Kennedy to stand up for environmental issues, and having the UN Secretary General signing a proclamation saying Earth Day is a holiday on March 21, 1971, but, most importantly, it is still needed because in 2012 the U.S. made 32 million tons of plastic with only 9% recycled.

She was hoisted to Editor-in-Chief of all conveyances for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Substance associations hoped to shame her as a Communist or crazy woman. Various pulled their advancements from the CBS Reports TV remarkable on April 3, 1963, entitled "The Silent Spring of Rachel Carson." Still, around 15 million watchers tuned in, and that, joined with President John F. Kennedy's Science Advisory Committee Report—which endorsed Carson's examination—made pesticides an important open issue. Carson got grants from the National Audubon Society and the American Geographical Society, and enrollment into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. After a niece passed on in mid 1957, Carson grasped her youngster and relocated to Silver Spring, Maryland, to watch over her developing mother. A letter from a friend in Duxbury, Massachusetts about the loss of flying animal life after pesticide showering persuaded Carson to form Silent Spring. The book basically revolves around pesticides' outcomes for conditions, yet four areas detail their impact on individuals, including

She noticed the demise of many cotton boll weevils, gypsy moths and other pests after the spraying of DDT. She was reluctant to express her worry about the dangers and urged other well-known, influential male writers to take on the task of informing the general public of the hazards of pesticides. Carson encountered many challenges and roadblocks that climate scientists face today. Nonetheless, she took the challenge and wrote the book Silent Spring and expressed the risks and threats of pesticides in the food chain and the natural environment in hopes of making the general public and government aware of these dangers.

The over use of DDT, dieldrin and other pesticides eventually poisoned an entire world of living things. Silent Spring not only recognizes the severity of the chemicals usage but recognizes the effect of substance use on a community. It helped people to look at the whole picture, to look into the future instead of the now. Carson helps to change this way of thinking by offering solutions to the existing problems. She helps to show that nature will take care of nature. Many times the best solutions are the introduction of other plants or animals. For many thousands of years man has been battling nature, when if he took a step back, he would see that if he just worked with it his problems could be solved. Rachel Carson helped many people to see this ideal and is partly responsible for starting the environmental movement that has become so apparent in today's society. There are many people that do not support Rachel Carson's findings about DDT. These people challenge her experiments and say that the results would have been worse had the controls not been manipulated. The direct effect of DDT may be different on all types of animals. What the people fail to notice that challenge her statements are the chemical bonds that are produced with DDT and other chemical substances. The significance of Rachel Carson's book was not the scientific accuracy but instead the position it took on DDT. Why this book is so recognized has nothing to do with the actual

    Firstly, the book that covers environmentalism is the Lorax. This is about someone, named the Once-ler, that discovers the Truffula trees and the marketing potential of the Thneed, a product he created using the trees. Soon his mind is infiltrated by materialism and he starts mercilessly cutting down the Truffula trees, despite the Lorax’s attempts to stop him. Animals start leaving, due to the pollution, lack of food, and substances in the pond. The Lorax has virtually no hope left, so he leaves. I believe that this has a lot to do with the real world. Before, many people still believed in environmentalism. As society grew more advanced, people’s minds changed. Materialism began to take over, and people began

In the article “The History of Earth Day” by Amanda Davis states, “In 1962 Gaylord Nelson decided to do something needed to be done to the environment.” Earth Day is an important day to Earth. We need to take good care of our home and care about it. I think we need Earth Day because Nelson thought about the Earth and cared about it, now because of Nelson more people care about the Earth, and now Earth Day is an official holiday.

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.

Rachel Carson, a marine biologist, environmentalist and writer, forever changed the dynamic of the United States. (Growing up) She wrote many books which brought environmental issues to public concern. She passionately advocated for a change in the government’s policy with the environment. Her work was centered on the growing problem of insecticides and pesticides in the general public, mainly DDT.

According to the article on npr.org, Rachel Carson wrote a book by the name of “Silent Spring” where she received multiple attacks by the chemical and agricultural industry. After World War II, the government needed to eradicate insects and other types of pest by fumigating with pesticides farms and houses. In the book, Carson explained the consequences to the environment and human health by using these pesticides. For this reason, she described as a hysterical person who was unqualified as a scientist and if people would follow her book, the world would go back were insects and diseases were dominating the Earth. Rachel was misguided because her intention with the book was not to stop using pesticides but from

The environment has always been a part of everyday human life. It makes up all of the living and non-living factors of life, including water, air, and forests. During the 1960s, people started to realize how the environment affected their everyday life. Since Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring, an environmental science book about the harmful effects of chemical fertilizers on nature, people started to take a stand and the environmental movement was born. The environmental movement continued to gain support in the 1970s. In fact, in 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22nd, organized by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which was also created in 1970,

In today’s modern day, the green living movement “intersects local state and federal politics. it impacts business practices, art and the media, education and health in the united states” (Gordon). The green living movement’s purpose is to control pollution or protect plant and animal diversity. In the 1960’s until the present, there has been a lot of controversy. Fallout from testing air pollution from millions of factories, cars belching chemicals into the atmosphere, and deliberate destruction of pristine rivers and lakes (such as Ohio’s Cuyahoga River, that famously caught fire). These disasters, including the disappearance of farmland and forests under suburban development, were a concern to many citizens. These concerns are still