Answer to either
1. Can you connect Robert Frost's "A brook in the city" (anthology p. 172) to the chapter "Surface Waters and Underground Seas" (196-205) by Rachel Carson? How?
2. Do some research on Carson's book, Silent Spring. What is its importance and do you think it has become outdated? Why (not)?
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2. Silent spring is the one of the most influential environmental books ever written. It was published around the time when “In 1957, the United States Department of Agriculture decided there was a fire ant problem. To tackle the problem, the USDA began the aerial spraying of dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT ), mixed with fuel oil and other pesticides. DDT is a chemical best known for its long-lasting nature and its aggregation in animals at the top of the food chain” This book studies many cases which detail the impact of pesticides on natural environment and on humans. The intension of spraying most of the pesticides described in silent spring was to target a specific pest but the ecological consequences were often far broader, and it led to the poisoning of wildlife (environment) and of humans. In her book Carson “questioned the logic of releasing vast amounts of synthetic chemicals into the environment without fully understanding their effects on the ecosystem and human health.” Silent Spring catalysed an environmental movement which contributed to the creation of The United States Environmental Protection Agency and a ban across the Unites States on the agricultural use of DDT. Today, scientists have stated that the U.S. ban on DDT is a major contributor to the comeback of the national bird, the bald eagle, which had been near extinction before 1972.
ReplyDelete“If humankind poisons nature, nature will in return poison humankind.”
Both Robert Frost and Rachel Carson talk about human intervention into nature. Frost wrote a poem about a forgotten brooke, that was built over in order to accommodate the people living there. His poem expresses that the narrator is sad with the way the landscape was changed. The narrator remembers a brook, that is now gone and can only be found in his memories and on old maps.
ReplyDeleteCarson's writing, on the other hand, is more based in fact. Her text talks about the destructive effect people have had on nature (specifically water) when trying to make their surroundings accommodate them better. Her text starts with a description of a town, where people intervened in nature, and in that way destroyed it so much, that it can now no longer support life. The text goes on to reveal that that town does not exist, but it might, if people are not more careful about their intervention in nature.
Frost's poem talks about the narrative sadness about the way people changed the landscape. Carson's text is a warning about the dangers people pose to all forms of life (including themselves).
2. The book talks about the negative effects of chemical pesticides that were part of agriculture in the US. Carson explains that humans have a powerful, and frequently negative effect on the natural world. Pesticides have harmful consequences on the environment and they don't only target unwanted pests selectively, they can get transmitted through water, as well as passed on in the food chain. Pesticides can kill birds that feed on dead or dying insects, traveling through the environment and food chains. A great variety of species can ingest these chemicals and it can disrupt the balance of whole ecosystems. Instead of solving problems, they create even more.
ReplyDeleteSince pesticides are still used in the US today, I don't think it has become outdated and I think people should get educated and look for less invasive alternatives to deal with pests. They should research about the effect of human actions on the environment. As Carson says, we should look into more environment-friendly ways of dealing with pests.
1. In both of their writings, Robert Frost and Rachel Carson criticize human interference in Nature. Although they discuss different aspects of this interference, they both emphasize the damage that is brought upon Nature when people cannot see past their own interests, putting them before all common sense and, in the case of Carson's "Surface Waters and Underground Seas", before their own well-being: "man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival".(199)
ReplyDeleteIn both texts, it is also emphasized how this human interference can "snowball" beyond our control and affect other aspects other than those originally intended: "we are reminded that in nature nothing exists alone".(205)
2. Silent Spring is considered the book that started the global grassroots environmental movement. Therefore, I don't think that the book has become outdated. Released in 1962, it focuses on the negative effects of chemical pesticides that were, at the time, a large part of US agriculture and are still used in US agriculture today. They have a negative effect on the food chain and can be passed through the ecosystems, contaminating flowing water. They also decrease the general biodiversity of the soil. Furthermore, nitrogen fixation, which is necessary for the growth of many large plants, is hindered by pesticides that can be found in soil. This can lead to a large decline in crop yields. Application of pesticides to crops that are in bloom can kill honeybees, which act as pollinators. This also decreases crop pollination and reproduction. So, in general, I do not think that Carson's book is outdated and it is an environmental issue which holds significance today.
ReplyDelete2. Silent Night by Carson, I believe still holds importance today. The use of pesticides in US agriculture has negative effects on humans, animals and the natural environment. Therefore, it is important that we acknowledge this in todays society. Animals may be poisoned by pesticide residues that remain on food after spraying. An application of pesticides in an area can eliminate food sources that certain types of animals need, causing the animals to relocate, change their diet, or starve. Poisoning from pesticides can even make its way up the food chain; for example, birds can be harmed when they eat insects and worms that have consumed pesticides. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, because they are sprayed or spread across entire agricultural fields. It is without doubt that this is not good for the environment.
ReplyDelete(2) “Silent Spring” (1962) was a very important book as it was the first to expose the threats of the chemical age. It was also responsible for the birth of the modern environmental movement, and for passing a law that banned the use of DDT. Carson’s book remains quite relevant. We still see a lot of negative effects on humans, animals and nature caused by the use (and misuse) of pesticides in agriculture. Furthermore, humankind still interferes in nature thought the use of pesticides for recreational use, in other words, chemicals that harm the environment are still being used for the sole propose of accommodating people.
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