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Silent Spring Synthesis Essay

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I am so excited to be starting at Conn. Only a few more days until the 24th! I cannot say I am not nervous, however. It will be a completely new environment for me in so many different ways. I live in a massive city, but have always gone to comparatively small schools; my graduating class had just 80 students in it. I hope I can adjust quickly, and make the absolute most out of my time at Conn.
Over the summer I was asked to read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, and may I say I have not read such a compelling narrative in a very long time. The plight for environmental awareness was not completely new to me prior to reading. One of my courses in my final year of high school concerned environmental activism and religion. Having gone to Catholic school for over ten years, I figured my …show more content…

The problems brought on by the excessive use of pesticides and insecticides have left ripples that we will continue to see if no change occurs right now. In the twelfth chapter Carson spoke of the health risks dieldrin poses to humans over extended periods of time and the arguments people used to deny her claims: “‘But,’ someone will object, ‘I have used dieldrin sprays on the lawn many times but I have never had convulsions like the World Health Organization spraymen- so it hasn’t harmed me.’ It is not that simple.” This line in particular stood out to me, and quite honestly made me laugh, because it is the very same argument used today to deny any allegations of harm being done to our environment: it has not affected me directly, so it must not exist. It is precisely this denial that we must combat; we must strive to educate the masses on environmental awareness, and learn to put the good of our future ahead of that of our present circumstances. What lies ahead is a long and difficult road, but surely one we can get through if we stand

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