Silent Spring presentation.

Authors Avatar

SILENT SPRING PRESENTATION

Introduction

        Silent Spring is a novel written by a woman named Rachel Carson, which was published in 1962.  With advance sales of 40 000 copies the book went on to be recognised in 1992 as the most influential book of the last 50 years, and was held in much the same respect and admiration as great works such as Karl Marx’s ‘Das Capital and Charles Darwin’s ‘The Origin of Species’.

About the book

        The book takes an in depth look at the hazardous and detrimental consequences of the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in not only agriculture, but in other activities particularly leisure.  It looks in detail at the effects on soil, rivers, wildlife and humans.  As well as providing information on research into such effects, a brief philosophy on the solution to cancer and suggestions for less toxic means of pest control, Carson also questions the role of science.  The author queries humanity’s faith in scientific and technological progress, and for the first time looked at the responsibility of industrial society in the initiation of large scale environmental suffering.  Setting the stage for the environmental protection movement.  In addition, Carson disproves her former belief that nature was too great and powerful a thing to ever be effected by humans and their actions.

About the author

        Rachel Carson was born on a farm in Pennsylvania in 1907.  She graduated from Pennsylvania College for Women in 1928 and went on to study a Masters in Marine Biology at John Hopkin’s University in Baltimore.  She continued her academic career teaching at the University of Maryland before finding employment at the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  She spent 16 years as an aquatic biologist with the service and soon began writing novels.  The first to be published was ‘Under the Sea Wind’ in 1941, later ‘The Sea Around Us’ and the ‘Edge of the Sea’, her last publication being Silent Spring.

Join now!

        Carson’s life was not however totally successful as she suffered consecutive emotional and family difficulties.  Her father died in 1935 leaving Rachel to support her mother and the following year her sister died leaving her two daughters dependant on Rachel.  In addition to other health problems she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 1960 and died as a result two years after the publication of Silent Spring, in 1964.

Approaches

        Rachel Carson began investigating the subject of pesticides by contacting scientists from across the field, including biologists, chemists and geneticists.  Her book was based on and created from ...

This is a preview of the whole essay