Silent Spring Sparknotes

Introduction
Silent Spring is an American non-fiction book written by Rachel Carson and published in 1962. The book is not written as a novel, but rather as an explanation and commentary on the harmful use insecticides. Although not a classic style novel, Carson employs literary and story-telling techniques in order to communicate the information and message that she is trying to convey in a more effective and compelling way. While Silent Spring was only one of many books that Carson had written in her lifetime, it was easily her most famous and influential piece and she received high recognition for it, including a Presidential Medal of Freedom which was granted to her posthumously in 1980. As well, Silent Spring has been credited with beginning
She begins with a description of chemical poisons and how they alter the natural processes of the earth. Carson describes several different kinds of man-made chemicals, and focuses on insecticides – “chemicals created for use in killing insects, weeds, rodents, and other organisms described in modern vernacular as ‘pests’; and they are sold under several thousand different brand names” (Carson 7). She explains where the demand for these chemicals came from and the deadly affects that they have across nature: from water, to soil, to plants, to animals and humans. Once the reasons for the introduction of insecticides and the extremely harmful ways they affect the environment are explained, Carson brings evidence of the terrible affects that large insecticide spraying campaigns have had. Several different incidences are described where governments and institutions tried to solve an insect problem by spraying massive amounts of insecticides over large areas of land. In each case, unforeseen consequences arise that result in death of non-targeted species, ranging from birds, to salmon, to vegetable farms. The book then transitions to insecticides’ direct effect on humans by first establishing that every person on earth has some level of contamination from insecticides. The book describes the possible ways these chemicals can affect humans, including
It uses extraordinary rhetoric and accurate scientific accounts to confront the dangerous use of insecticides such as DDT and the negative impact that they have on humans and the surrounding environment. While there are countering viewpoints that believe that the benefits of using insecticides like DDT outweigh the negative affects they can have, I believe that the main essence that Carson was trying to portray, which is that these man made chemicals can be very harmful if not used properly, is still very accurate and