Module 1.2- A Turning Point Event for Environmental Science, Rachel Carson: Silent Spring
1. Point of View
The video explains Rachel Carson's beliefs in her book, Silent Spring. While watching this video, the majority of it discussed how her book gained attention from the population and became the most controversial book during her time. Quite a few people started to believe that human indecency rose over nature. However, the video showed the other side of this topic. Chemists and biologists spoke out and claimed that humans are progressively controlling nature. These were the two sides of this controversy, that is mainly why her book was deemed controversial.
2. Purpose
The purpose of the video was to show how Rachel Carson's book affected the majority of the population. How people viewed her once she released the book, and all the opinions surrounding the book. She was either viewed as a heroic woman, trying to save the environment, or a communist. The video showed why people had those opinions on her. She wanted to gain attention from the population in order to get on the right path to keep the environment alive. Once she got this attention, she played a huge role in discoveries of harmful substances to the environment.
3. Questions at Issue
The biggest issue that was presented in this video was that the usage of DDT. Scientists discovered that DDT decreased the cases of malaria, typhus and other deadly insect-borne diseases. Thus, it was spread all around the environment and was saving thousands of human lives. However, Carson explained that DDT was causing damages to the wildlife. This pointed out problem areas with DDT. She warned the public and stated that if humans continue to use DDT without caution and limitation, then the chemicals would damage the environment.
4. Information
The time period was 1962, around the height of the Cold War. Rachel Carson released her book Silent Spring. This became one of the nation's best sellers, and the book eliminated the anxieties and doubts about the future for most individuals. She was a marine biologist during part of her life, so she seemed to be knowledgeable about her claims. With her book, she opened people's eyes to how they might soon destroy the environment. She singlehandedly created an environmental movement around the globe. However, it quickly became the most controversial book of the year.
5. Interpretation and inference
While there was controversy about humans damaging the environment and the negative effects of DDT, there were some solutions to help some of the issues. One of the solutions was to limit the usage of DDT, When Carson wrote about how DDT was harming wildlife, experts did not want an article of her statement released to the public. This made it hard for her to get her point across. Once her concerns were publicized, the government soon changed the regulations of chemicals. They placed limitations to the usage and spreading of DDT, only using it when necessary. There were strong opinions on this action, some agreeing to the limitation, and others arguing against it. Not long after the regulation of the chemical, it was banned nationwide. It was not allowed to be used agriculturally.
6. Concepts
When Carson released her book, she stated that people might soon destroy the natural world. with this powerful statement, she encouraged individuals to think about and ask questions about the environment, making it a very popular topic during that time period. There were people that worried harming the environment and made changes to their daily life to improve it. Carson was arguing for caution of nature. Her theory throughout her book was that once harmful pesticides entered the environment, that it would not only kill bugs, but it would eventually move up the food chain and kill the population of bird and fish. Once that happens, then the effects can even move up to the population of children. This theory opened many people's eyes, and this is what started the limitation of DDT and possibly other pesticides.
7. Assumptions
Throughout the video, Carson had published her book under the assumption that the people in the world will read it and understand how they are affecting the natural world. She believes that the balance of nature plays a major role in the survival of humans. This assumption was most likely drawn out from her passion of learning about the patterns of the environment and how it affects everyone living on earth. I believe she published this book to not only show humans how we are harming the environment, but to encourage people to think about and ask questions about the environment.
8. Consequences
When Carson explained that DDT was harmful to wildlife, these concerns had the possibility of being published where other experts will read it. There were concerns of how to filter this information to the public, since there are many opinions on this topic. That is when Carson pushed to write about being cautious of using DDT and how much people use. However, reader's Digest did not want that article to be released. They believed housewives would not want to know about the dangers and cautions of using DDT. This created a hardship for the acknowledgement of the dangers of the chemical. These concerns were displayed in her book, but it needed to be brought up again.
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