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Critical analysis of silent spring
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Biologist, Rachel Carson published the book, Silent Spring in 1962. Her book changed the minds of many Americans towards their way of thinking towards the environment. Carson argues that Parathion should not be sprayed because it is harmful to not only birds but other animals or even humans. She uses rhetorical devices such as an agitated tone and diction, metaphors, rhetorical questions, and similes. First, her choice of words shows that Carson is upset of the people trying to get rid of the birds. She also states an example which says that farmers got rid of thousands of black birds that were feeding in their cornfields. She states that "farmers had to persuade others to kill by poison". Before stating the problem she also explains that
The rhetorical occasion of this excerpt is to inform others about the dangers of chemicals on earth’s vegetation and animal life.
In life, actions and events that occur can sometimes have a greater meaning than originally thought. This is especially apparent in The Secret Life Of Bees, as Sue Monk Kidd symbolically uses objects like bees, hives, honey, and other beekeeping means to present new ideas about gender roles and social/community structures. This is done in Lily’s training to become a beekeeper, through August explaining how the hive operates with a queen, and through the experience Lily endures when the bees congregate around her.
In the novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the author, Rebecca Skloot, tries to convince the audience that her argument regarding, Henrietta and her cells is worth thinking about. Skloot argues that the woman whose body contained these life-changing cells deserved to be recognized. While trying to prove her side of the argument, Skloot uses logos within the novel to emphasize to the audience just how important her cells are, by providing the science behind the cells and their accomplishments.
The Baby Boomer generation and the time period has a lasting effect on the economy and the environment. The baby boom for the United States was similar to other countries after World War II. Several economies also blossomed, but overall with very little care for the environment. After World War II the use of industrial made chemicals increased in popularity throughout the United States and the world (The “New Environmentalism” OF THE 1960S). The chemical DDT was originally being used widespread to eradicate disease vectors, such as mosquito carrying Malaria ("The DDT Story."). DDT influenced more than just mosquitoes as it had lasting effects in the environment where it noticeably bioaccumulate in the food chain and caused high mortality in young bald eagles ("The DDT Story."). Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring released to the public in 1962 which is the time period in which environmental health and human health were connected (The “New
Rachel Carson’s seminal 1962 book, Silent Spring, told the real-life story of how bird populations across the country were suffering as a result of the widespread application of the synthetic pesticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), which was being used widely to control mosquitoes and others insects. Carson reported that birds ingesting DDT tended to lay thin-shelled eggs which would in turn break prematurely in the nest, resulting in marked population declines. The problem drove bald eagles, our national symbol, not to mention peregrine falcons and other bird populations, to the brink of extinction, with populations plummeting more than 80 percent (Mildred, 2012).
Carson writes with meticulous detail with almost all of her scientific facts and explanations. She compels her readers with keywords and phrases to gravitate her audience towards her side of the argument. Carson gives an example explaining that “in this now universal contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister and little-recognized partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world –the very nature of its life…chemicals sprayed on croplands or forests or gardens lie long in the soil, entering into living organisms, passing from one to another in a chain of poisoning and death”(43). To begin, Carson skillfully argues her point by describing chemicals as “sinister” which grabs her reader’s attention, and presents her evidence comprehensibly so that her variety of readers feel well informed, rather than stunned and confused. Carson could have simply stated that chemicals can transfer from soil to living creatures and save time without disclosure; however, she instead reaches the decision to describe the process with powerful, yet understandable vocabulary that provides emotional appeal in her argument. By presenting scientific evidence and explanations in a compelling and sentimental manner, Carson’s audience is able to connect with her argument. Every fact and description that she gives deems useful in her argument that pesticides should not be used for the treatment of
Rachel Carson has forever changed the very dynamic of the United States. Her books brought environmental issue to the forefront of public concern. She advocated fiercely and passionately for a change in the government’s policy with the environment. Her work and tireless effort centered on the growing problem of insecticides and pesticides in the general public, namely DDT. The chemical itself was extremely prevalent in the domestic markets but also a popular insecticide used during WWII. In one of life’s great ironies, the creator of DDT, Paul Muller, received the Nobel Prize in Medicine 1948. DDT left a gilded imprint on America’s memory but Rachel Carson was to show the opposite was true. The publication of Silent Spring sent a wave of support for environmental activism through the general public. Her book became a catalyst for ecological change. Her message could not discriminate and disseminated quickly through the US. The word spread far and wide enough to where it reached the highest levels of government, including then President-elect John F Kennedy. Carson led by a powerful conviction, advocated both to Congress and to the public for change. By sheer conviction alone her calls were answered, and in more ways than one. Rachel Carson left behind a truly enviable legacy of charisma, passion, and dedication. But what I believe to be her most important legacy was the fact Rachel Carson proved that one person can make the difference for everyone. As in her case to dramatically alter the way American’s view their environment and the stance of the Federal government on nature.
Using “eradicating” is an example of amplifying and emotional diction. “Eradicating” is too powerful for something that merely “annoys.” The hyperbole “eradicating” and understatement “annoys” work together to ridicule what the farmers are doing and shock Carson’s audience. This comparison is used throughout the first part of the excerpt. Carson states, “a slight change in agricultural practices” to make a suggestion for what the farmers could have done. She follows that with “sent the planes on their mission of death.” Yet another understatement followed by a hyperbole reveals the excessive, unnecessary solution chosen by the
Women’s Brains deals with the abuse of scientific data in order to “prove” negative social analyses with prejudiced groups such as women, blacks, and poor people. Evolutionary biologist Stephen Gould points out the flaws in the scientific methods of various scientists and correctly asserts that many scientists incorrectly used anthropometric data to support social analyses that degrade prejudiced groups.
In 1962, the publication of Silent Spring Rachel Carson captivated the American public. Carson wrote about the harmful effects of chemical pesticides in the environment, and her writing was very reflective of the events occurring at the time. There is a strong connection between Carson’s writing and the Cold War. In fact, if it were not for the war, the American public may not have responded in the same way to Carson’s writing. Carson used tone and content as methods of getting her point across to the public. Silent Spring shined a light on the damage done to the environment as a result of the Cold War, and this issue was finally being recognized by American public.
The subject of death is one that many have trouble talking about, but Virginia Woolf provides her ideas in her narration The Death of the Moth. The moth is used as a metaphor to depict the constant battle between life and death, as well as Woolf’s struggle with chronic depression. Her use of pathos and personification of the moth helps readers develop an emotional connection and twists them to feel a certain way. Her intentional use of often awkward punctuation forces readers to take a step back and think about what they just read. Overall, Woolf uses these techniques to give her opinion on existence in general, and reminds readers that death is a part of life.
Manipulation of language can be a weapon of mind control and abuse of power. The story Animal Farm by George Orwell is all about manipulation, and the major way manipulation is used in this novel is by the use of words. The character in this book named Squealer employs ethos, pathos, and logos in order to manipulate the other animals and maintain control.
One of the thing that Carson accomplishes quite well is establishing credibility. She brings in a multitude of facts and real events that make it known that she knows what she’s talking about. Carson writes about a specific event in which a group of farmers came together to engage a spray plane to treat an area of river bottomland with parathion. She writes: “The problem could have been solved easily by a slight change
“The pen is mightier than the sword.” This is a popular saying that explains that, sometimes, in order to persuade or convince people, one should not use force but words. In Animal Farm, by George Orwell, animals overthrow the human leader and start a new life, but some animals want to become the new leaders. To make the other animals obey the pigs, they first have to persuade the farm’s population. Squealer is the best pig for this job because he effectively convinces the animals to follow Napoleon by using different rhetorical devices and methods of persuasion.
Like it or not, people have a huge impact on the environment. A lot of the time, ‘the impact is detrimental to the environment. The detriment that people cause can affect the food we can't eat and the air we can't breath in it. I think the enrollment is bad because when people smoke the same goes into the air. And the wildfires the smoke goes into the air and it’s worse because it’s a lot of smoke.