preview

The Harmful Effects Of Pesticides In Silent Spring By Rachel Carson

Decent Essays

Rachel Carson was a Marine Biologist and a conservationist who wrote Silent Spring, which helped revolutionize modern environmental conservation. She was born on May 27, 1907 in Springdale, PA. Her mother had a vast love for nature which was bequeathed down to Carson. She graduated from Pennsylvania College for Women in 1927 with a major in Marine Biology and later got her M.A. from John Hopkins in Zoology on the year of 1932. Initially, she wrote pamphlets on conservation and natural resources while editing scientific journals, but after World War II and recognizing the effects of synthetic chemicals after the war, she “reluctantly changed her focus in order to warn the public about the long-term effects of misusing pesticides” (Rachelcarson.org, 5). In 1962, she published Silent Spring and although she was attacked by the pesticide, chemical, and some governmental industries, she promptly inspired a new generation globally to appreciate …show more content…

In the novel, Carson argues the potentially harmful effects of pesticides, including DDT (which was still legal at the time). It turned its attention to man vs. nature, and its contribution to the deep ecology movement. Carson believed that “in an interconnected world...man’s newfound power to change his environment needs to be wielded with extreme caution if we are to avoid destroying the very systems that support us” (litcharts, 2). She also argued that in the long run, insects will be able to build a resistance against the chemicals, and the pesticides will kill natural predators, while the pests will remain and increase in numbers. She concludes her novel with stating different methods that can be used for insect control and other methods that have successfully and safely worked. Although Carson’s novel was written 45 years ago, it still bears the same relevance to environmental conflicts we are facing

Get Access