Polytechnic University of the Philippines

College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Department of Architecture

Silent Spring

Silent Spring was the most controversial book by Rachel Carson. First lets talk about Rachel
Carson since Ive researched her biography and how did she came up with this kind of book. Rachel
Carson was born May 27, 1907 at Springdale, Pennsylvania. Ever since she was young, she loves nature
to the point that she connects nature everything about her life. She studied Marine Biology, Woods Hole
Marine Biological Laboratory and M.A. in Zoology. After she graduated she was hired in Bureau of
Fisheries. She is also a naturalist and science writer. Thats how she began to write books. One day, she
received a letter from a woman who has private bird sanctuary from Massachusetts that her birds were
outnumbered because some had died because of the DDT and thats the reason why she researched and
wrote Silent Spring. Her research lasted for several years before she finished it.
Now lets talk about the book. It was a non-fiction book. The settings were in towns of United
States. It was published at the year of 1962 where chemicals in insecticides started to grow. It talks about
the use of insecticides and biological controls where the target was the United States resident. As Ive
read the book, the entire chapters have persuasive impulse where she really wants the readers to gain
knowledge of how the insecticides affect the balance of nature and also the human life. She wants to
make the readers to take a step and protect the nature and the biosphere we live in. I really admire what
she did, she was not afraid of what will happen to her or what some people would bash about what she
have done. She really point out those chemical industries and U.S. government officials that are using
such chemicals that can cause harm to both human life and the ecosystem. As you can see at the starting
chapter of the book she already told how great the surroundings and environment were when life were
just simple and war to nature was not happening yet. She narrate it like everything were right in the
towns of United States during spring time which gives enough emphasize of how great life is after the
poison came.
From chapter 2 to 3 she explains how the chemicals greatly destruct the balance of life and
nature. How it affects the food pyramid of the animal kingdom and the process of life of the elements of
the earth. She clearly has the tone of being persuasive or pushing the readers to do something about those
things that are happening, which greatly accepts and gave impact to. To understand clearly how it turned
out like that, she gives an overview to some history of earth and insects. She describes the main chemicals
that are mostly used by the chemical companies. Those chemicals were scientifically termed which makes
your brain crack a little and need to search for it for more in able to understand it fully. But still she
explained it in a simple way which will give you enough information of how the chemicals function and
what are their properties that affects the ecosystem and human lives. She clearly explained the main
chemical which is the DDT. While at chapter 4 to 8 she explains the widespread use of pesticides to soil,
water, plants of Earth and other living things. Again she the tone that she used is persuading where she
give some example events that are actually happening in reality. She investigated some agencies to know
what causes the deaths of those living thing which she captured many readers to read more and able to do
something. As a person who really love natures she explains the history, how the elements of Earth comes
to life, and what are the organisms that composing those elements. Those are the things that really
captures the attention because she explain it further for the people in all ages, for them to really
understand and for them to take responsibility of what were really happening to their surroundings. She
makes the world more familiar to the readers. She gives justice and protection to the different life forms
where she emphasize how vulnerable and fragile it were from the pesticides or insecticides.
Maybe too much information nature were kind of hard to store in our brain, but too much
information about the world gave us the opportunity to be close with it able to understand it by not
destructing the balance of nature and life. She gave us the opportunity to know the world we live in.
Carson doesnt just sabotage the chemical industry but she also gives some alternative methods that are
cheaper, longer-lasting solution and entirely safe to our life and also to the ecosystem. And also at chapter
7 she discuss the Needles Havoc where there are massive spraying operations that causes the killing of
birds and animals instead of their target which are the insects. They killed the non-target life form that I
think causes many eyes to open, ears to hear and body to move in order to protect the ecosystem and
human lives. She organized the chapter and events of the book. She started it with a minimal destruction
up to the massive destruction at the last chapters.
In the remaining chapter she discusses how the insecticides affect the human body. The every
living organism in the Earth has been contaminated by the insecticides through human skin to cells up to
the brain that really think gives alarm to the readers. And also the conclusion chapter, she elaborates that
within the natural resources can come up a resistance to insects because insecticides not only kill the
insects but also the predators of the insects that will really cause the destruction of food chain.
In my own opinion and conclusion, she really gave importance to the nature that she also wanted
to let the people to take action to what is the reality of those chemical industries. For us who just
temporarily living in Earth, we should think and do things that will clearly help the balance of life and
nature or our own ecosystem. Carson gave us enough information that we clearly understand and able to
save our own world, our living place, our life.
This book sold numerous copies but also gave a threat to Rachel Carson where she was attacked
by chemical industry and government officials that made her anti-humanitarian and a crazy woman. She
may be attacked by those people but still she withstand. President John F. Kennedy form a alliance to
investigate the researches that made by Carson and she testified it that formed a new policy which was the
Environmental Protection Act. Shes a brave person. In able to expose the truth and to do what is right,
she exchange her privacy and her life. She accepts all the criticisms. After 2 years the released of the
book, Carson died because of breast cancer. With this book she receives many awards and many people
have spoken and done the things that are right. This book might be controversial and will really give a big
change or impact to reader or even to the life youve live in but still it worth the time. Everything that
youll know will be worth it for it is the truth among all the lies that youve been known.