Silent Spring Evaluation

Cristina Cahill

Prof. Melissa Santos

Eng 102-016

October 30, 2017

Silent Spring Evaluation

 The book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson was published in 1962 when the negative effects of DDT and other pesticides were not yet well known. Carson was determined to educate the public about these negative effects, through her book, and it was extremely effective. Although pesticides are still used today, there are stricter regulations and people are very aware of the harm they cause. DDT is one pesticide that is dangerous and was widely used, but was banned in 1971, following the publication of this book. Silent Spring explained the chain of effects that pesticides have on the environment and how it is not only causing harm to the bugs intended, but also to the birds and ourselves. The way this book is written is explained in a review of the book by Tim Radford, it says, “Most of the time, she lets the information do the work, and confines her poetic urges to chapter headings and the odd, throwaway conclusion. The book is a study in how to put an argument and win it” (Radford 2011). Carson gives the reader the evidence, but lets them interpret what it means, and this is the reason the book was so effective.  

Silent Spring is a historically important book that made a huge impact after it was published and even while in the process of being written. It is a unique and influential book because it is extremely informative, but also a beautifully written piece of literature. You can see just how beautiful the writing is immediately just by reading the opening of the book. Carson paints us this desolate scene that is the predicted result of a world where the use of pesticides is not limited. This is how Carson convinced people that this was a serious issue. Carson also effectively questions society about why we accept this use of pesticides. For example, she says, “How could intelligent beings seek to control a few unwanted species by a method that contaminated the entire environment and brought the threat of disease and death even to their own kind?” (The Obligation to Endure). She proves in the book how pesticides are linked to causing cancerous tumors so it seems senseless to continue with the use of these chemicals.

At the end of the book Carson offers alternatives to pesticide usage and it really completes and ties the whole book together. She clearly explained the extent of the problem and then instead of just leaving it there, she offered a variety of solutions. Some of these solutions include using sound to lead bugs away or sterilizing the bugs All of the solutions are harmless to people and she questions why they are not already in use.

If you go into this book knowing what to expect then you will not be disappointed. The only downside to this book is that some may find it repetitive, although anyone could still benefit from reading it. The book made the point that it was trying to make very early on in the reading and the rest is a continuation of facts that prove the point being made. Carson defended her stance with so much evidence that she left no room for people to argue that the effects of the pesticides were not serious, and this was exactly what she was attempting to do with the book. Good books make people question life and society and that is exactly what this book does.

Work Cited

Carson, Rachel. Silent spring. Penguin Books, in association with Hamish Hamilton, 2015.

Radford, Tim. “Silent Spring by Rachel Carson – review | Tim Radford.” The Guardian,

Guardian News and Media, 30 Sept. 2011, www.theguardian.com/science/2011/sep/30/silent-spring-rachel-carson-review.

Shabecoff, Philip. “'SILENT SPRING' LED TO SAFER PESTICIDES, BUT USE IS UP.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Apr. 1986, www.nytimes.com/1986/04/21/us/silent-spring-led-to-safer-pesticides-but-use-is-up.html?pagewanted=all.