Silent Springs Argument Essay

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Rachel Carson’s “ Silent Springs” was written with the intent to warn the public of the harmful use of chemical pesticides such as DDT. Soon after excerpts of Carson’s “ Silent Springs” started appearing in The New Yorker and succeeding in warning the general public of DDT and other pesticides; chemical manufactures took to the public as well to express the positive outcomes of DDT and other pesticides. Thus leading to one of the biggest controversial arguments on a book that Justice William O. Douglas called the “ most important chronicle of the century”. (Indiana.edu) Before writing “ Silent Springs” Carson had a career as a Marine Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wild life Service. Having grown up with a passion for nature and the talents …show more content…

However, after the war DDT was used by farmers in the U.S. and all over the world to ward off pest from their crops. DDT heavily affects wildlife in many ways. In a recent report that I did on the Bald Eagle, I discovered that DDT played a huge role as to why the Bald Eagle was listed on the Endangered Species list in 1967. It was discovered that DDT accumulates in fatty tissues and impairs the egg formation, making them thinner then normal, causing a decline in reproduction. This was not only the case for the Bald Eagle but also for a numerous amounts of other birds. Not only does DDT have an affect on birds but other mammals by attacking the nervous system and attacks aquatic life at the plasma membrane says Cruising Chemistry, a website used by Duke University. Throughout “ Silent Springs “ Carson gives multiple examples of the unpredicted dangers of DDT. One example is when she discusses a real problem that occurred at Michigan State University

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