Module 1.1 - A Turning Point Event for Environmental Science | Silent Spring

Rachel Carson (Left) and person getting sprayed with DDT (Right)

1. Point of View

PBS (2017) states that in the book "Silent Spring", Rachel Carson warns that we are destroying the environment. This really sets the framework or mood for what is going to be talked about in the rest of the video. This is also proving what side Rachel Carson was on and what the rest of the guests in the video are discussing. Since this is talking about a very important discovery that effected the environment, they are able to explain why it is hurting the environment. Rachel Carson's (n.d.) mindset was that maintaining the environment is essential to the human race's wellbeing. This is very helpful in understanding what the rest of the video shows because the video is a reference that supports her mindset.

2. Purpose

This video informs people of when a very important insecticide was discovered and produced to all over. Rachel Carson was trying to caution people about the dangers of what they were doing. She wanted them to be aware and careful because whatever affects the environment also affects us. They say that Rachel Carson is an "instigator" (2:56). They even explained how she was able to make people think about the environment which is also why they include her in this video. Another purpose of this video is to talk about DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) which is the pesticide that was used in 1939. It shows how beneficial it was and how dangerous it was.

3. Questions at Issue

One of the things that bothers me about this video is that the people were setting up "spray stations" and they were spraying each other with pesticide. Deborah Blum (2017) says that it is "not obviously toxic to people" (5:28). Even though this is the case, it is still a bit of an issue because it affects the environment. This is due to how much they were using the pesticide which seems to have led to overuse. They were covering whole islands in DDT, and of course it is concerning because of the effects that it has on the environment. There were even problems with the wildlife in the areas that were sprayed with DDT. Rachel Carson tried to warn them of the effects. She told them to be careful with this discovery (William Souder, 2017, 8:41). 

4. Information

Rachel Carson warned people to be careful with the environment. People were also calling her a communist. The Fish and Wildlife Service started researching what she talked about and thought the public needed to know about it. Scientists started researching the impacts of DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) which was created in a lab. This is a synthetic pesticide that is extremely toxic to pests but does not seem to have much of an impact on people (4:24). According to William Souder (2017), Paul Mueller was the one who discovered what it did and its effects on insects. It quickly killed bugs by being absorbed into their bodies through their feet. Then it affects different parts of its brain and nervous system until it has convulsions and paralysis. It then eventually dies, but this happens after hours of no symptoms. DDT was rushed to the front lines (after the bombing of Pearl Harbour) and to Italy to keep people from getting insect-borne diseases. Whole islands were sprayed with this pesticide. Mark Lytle (2017) states that they considered it a "miracle substance" because it was able to save many people's lives (7:42). DDT damage to wildlife was being researched and it was discovered that it was actually causing a lot of harm to the environment. 

5. Interpretation and Inference

The video's conclusions and solutions include being careful when it comes to DDT. It does appear to be very helpful, but it is also very harmful to the environment. According to William Souder (2017), Rachel Carson was trying to tell people that it seems to be a good thing, but we have to be careful because it can be bad for the environment. 

6. Concepts

The Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to preserving fish, wildlife, and other natural environments. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was commonly used as an insecticide but became famous because of its harmful effects on the environment. Paul Mueller is a Swiss chemist who discovered what DDT really was. Rachel Carson was a scientist and writer who was very passionate about protecting the environment especially during the time that DDT was spread. 

7. Assumptions

In the video, it is assumed that you know who Rachel Carson is and what she did. It only talks about how she was associated with DDT and how she is a celebrated American writer who loves the environment. Everything else is supposed to be assumed. They (PBS, 2017) say that what she "was arguing was caution" (1:54). It is to be assumed exactly what she would be arguing about in her writings. It feels like her efforts do not get the recognition that she deserves.

8. Consequences

The end results were that DDT caused bad things to happen to the environment. Animals started dying because of this insecticide. Rachel Carson (n.d.) wrote a paper about the potential harm to wildlife because of DDT (8:01). This is an event that really affected the environment and has now been a part of its history.

References

AmericanExperience, P. B. S., Souder, W., Blum, D., Lytle, M., Oreskes, N., & Kinkela, D. (2017, January 17). Chapter 1 | Rachel Carson | American experience | PBS. YouTube. Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeJNRaE11A0 

Photo:

Aranha, J. (2017, August 19). Mocked for being a 'woman studying genetics,' how Rachel Carson got DDT banned. The Better India. Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://www.thebetterindia.com/112481/rachel-carson-silent-spring/