“How to poison the earth” by Linnea Saukko can be seen in two different aspects. The first one would be by looking at it in a literal way, in which it will make it a very harsh, inhumane and cold text. On the other hand, it could be seen as a satire, sarcastic and ironic text in which Saukko expects to catch the reader’s attention. Saukko exaggerates the sarcasm, and satire in her writing in order to make the readers realize and understand the main purpose of her essay, which is to warn readers about threats to the future of our planet.
Scientific terms are used frequently through out the text, but are followed by explanations in a coherent way, hence it makes it clearer and more understandable to the reader. For example, she is writing about substances and their characteristics, one of them is an unusual term called “half-life”, followed by an explanation in a parenthesis with a clearer explanation of the term. That way, it can be understood by the general public. The writing is straight forward and it’s absent of metaphors and similes. It is more an informative reading rather than descriptive, therefore it is lacking details and adjectives.
Saukko starts by pointing out sarcastically how difficult polluting the earth can be. Afterwards, she starts listing efficient methods on contaminating the world, such as “generating as much waste as possible from substances” (Saukko, 246), or building more nuclear plants. At the beginning, it might be shocking to the reader the approach she is taking to make her point. In other words, the readers might not understand why she has such a negative attitude and hatred against the world. The manipulation, exaggeration, and the wor...
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...d for the general public in order to raise social awareness in preventing polluting the world. It is important to raise social awareness on topics of this nature because it is affecting our world. It is important to consider it as every individual problem and concern rather than see it as an external issue. Saukko chose a whole new approach and technique to get into people’s mind. Usually, authors that want to point out and raise social awareness on issues of this nature, tend to be direct and straightforward about it. However, Saukko has taken it to the next level by approaching the readers in a unique way that will catch more of their attention and hopefully move their emotions on the topic.
Works Cited
Saukko , Linnea.“How to Poison the Earth.”The Brief Bedford Reader. Bedford/St.Martin’s Boston: 9th edition ,2006.246-247.
The rhetorical occasion of this excerpt is to inform others about the dangers of chemicals on earth’s vegetation and animal life.
Michael Crichton was an amazing novelist who penned numerous literary works that has impacted today’s societies. In his book, State of Fear, an eBook extra presents a speech given by him called, Why Speculate? Aspects of this speech show the reader that he disapproves of the ways that the media speculates and creates a public that is misinformed about the events of the world. Upon further elaboration, the reader can become aware that Michael Crichton is a critic of global warming, and believes it is nothing more than media speculation. The key idea of the book was the debate of global warming and bioterrorism. Global warming and the emission of greenhouse gases is a concept heavily found in the curriculum, as a student analyzes how different
By citing credible organizations and offering her own eco-friendly alternatives, she proves to the reader that she takes a particular interest in the environment and is educated to speak on it. Pairing powerful understatements and hyperboles to contrast with one another show the reader that the practice is both needless and selfish. These rhetorical techniques have a powerful impact on the reader, whose ignorance prior to reading the excerpt can no longer suffices to excuse the lack of action. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is a deeply persuasive book that not only advocates for an end to pesticides but also speaks to the obligation humans hold to protect their
The environment has become a popular topic this year due to our on-going drought. It has always been a serious issue; something Saukko informs us in her sarcastic essay “How to Poison the Earth”. She uses sarcasm and irony in her essay hoping her readers will do the complete opposite of what she is saying because of the stress she puts on the harming chemicals we use every day. We do not appreciate our environment and take it for granted. This ideal is what Ehrlich's essay “Chronicles of Ice” focuses on by using analogies and scientific definitions to describe aspects of glaciers. The melting of the glaciers introduces us to the topic of global warming and how our society is doing nothing to stop it from getting worse. Gawande’s “The Cancer-Cluster
This quotation opens your eyes, I know of no one who wants to destroy the earth either. The majority of man kind doesn’t think too much about what is happening to the earth due to their actions. When most of us drive a car or spray deodorant we don’t think of the consequences. It is the responsibility of those who create problems to help fix them and prevent them from happening again. In society today it i...
Linnea Saukko, non-fiction, “How to Poison the Earth” (1975); suggests that the human race will continue on its path to destruction of the planet’s natural resources and offers advice on how accelerate the process. Saukko cites scientific studies done by government agencies to emphasize the damage humanity has already done to the planet. Saukko’s purpose is to bring attention to mankind’s proximity to self-destruction in order to inspire an urge for change. Saukko creates a satirical tone to inform the common Westerner of his or her
“Carson used the era’s hysteria about radiation to snap her readers to attention, drawing a parallel between nuclear fallout and a new, invisible chemical threat of pesticides throughout Silent Spring,” (Griswold 21). She described radiation as the creation of human’s tampering with nature, and warned that similar dangers would become inevitable with the continued use of pesticides (Carson 7). Carson also knew that a large percent of her audience would be housewives, who she could use as example of those who found poisoned birds and squirrels in their gardens. She angled much of Silent Spring towards this audience, which helped her book become the catalyst for environmental change (Griswold
Linnea Saukko wrote, “How to Poison the Earth.” She writes in details on the consequences of pollution and encourages pollution. In it, she mocks the people who trash and pollute their one and only planet that they can live in. She also mocks corporations who were supposed to reduce and regulate the pollution being produced by factories and experimentations done by the government. She uses some of satire techniques like the list, details, and distortion. She uses these techniques to make her purpose clear the audience: to inform the readers of the dangers of pollutions and the action of the people and corporations who produce too much waste.
Americans had knowledge of the events taking place during the war, but Carson shed a light on the ripple effects that the environment was experiencing. Silent Spring brings the focus to different threats that had arisen because of the war. In a way, Carson places the blame for the deterioration of the environment on mankind as a whole. In the past, wars had been fought without any use of nuclear weaponry. Carson’s writing really emphasizes the fault of mankind’s decision to hurt the environment. “Along with the possibility of 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, 181). The writing technique Carson uses in Silent Spring has a way of making the reader feel guilty, especially considering that at the time of publication there was so much environmental destruction occurring. Carson’s writing helped to educate the American population of the harm to the environment caused by the Cold War. Because the war’s dangerous strategies provided such a strong backbone for Carson’s argument, the American public was very receptive of the content and themes presented in Silent
Chasek, P. S., Downie, D. L., & Brown, J. W. (2014). The Development of Environmental Regimes: Chemicals, Wastes, and Climate Change. In P. S. Chasek, D. L. Downie, & J. W. Brown, Global Environmental Politics (6th ed., pp. 101-173). Boulder: Westview Press.
PURPOSE: To persuade my audience that we must take action now to control air pollution
This persuasive speech was given in Rio de Janeiro, and was a plea to the individuals in attendance at the United Nations Earth Summit to recognize how they are contaminating the environment with hopes that these audience members will revise their future proposals.
The poem “Warned’ by Sylvia Stults, first seems to be about the ways human are hurting nature. However, when we look at the poem through the lens of John Shoptaw’s essay “Why Ecopoetry,” we see the evidence that this is an ecopoem and is asking people to take action to protect the environment. The poem is about the destruction of earth. The poet also tries to raises some awareness about the environment. Additionally, the internal meaning of the poem is that we, humans depend on the world’s resources, therefore we should take care of the natural world.
...wledge that current human activities are destroying the earth. Humans taking responsibility toward sustainability is urgent because much of the injury inflicted on earth is irreversible. Drastic, comprehensive changes in all levels of society have to be made before long because the effects of environmental damage are permanent.
Are you aware of the detrimental impacts that we have had on our environment? Every second, the Earth is being polluted by poisonous gases, waste products and due to human activities, the world’s climate is dramatically changing. In other words, these impacts do not only harm our environment but also our health. It has been scientifically proven that air pollution causes respiratory diseases and cancer, due to the inhalation of all the harmful chemicals. Water pollution can also lead to typhoid, diarrheal diseases and other waterborne disease, due to the intake of bacteria and parasites. Many people have died due to these health-related illnesses. So why are we still living in this awful condition? Air sustains us and water is a basic necessity, so we should do what we can to prevent pollution. In short, we should protect our environment to ensure a healthy life a...