Silent Spring
Chapter 15
1. Summary-basis of Chapter 15:
The balance of nature was threatened by the pesticides, and only natural predators and prey in the environment can fight infestation. Arial spraying had just made populations increase for the certain regions sprayed with DDT. DDT not only reduced pests, it reduced predators that fed on these pests so multiple problems had risen. Bugs that had carried diseases flourished from the pesticides, causing yet another problem. These disease carrying bugs flourished because the pesticides had targeted agricultural bugs, causing the predators of those bugs to then decrease in population as well; the bugs carrying diseases then had no predators to reduce the number of them.
2. POWERFUL QUOTES:
- "The insect world is nature’s most astonishing phenomenon."
-"But the broader problem, which we shall look at now, is the fact that our chemical attack is weakening the defenses."
-"Upsets in the balance of insect populations caused by pesticides."
In the chapter, Carson gave many examples of what occured in the environment, or what had occured before DDT had disrupted everything.
5. STRUCTURE:
6. ETHOS, PATHOS, LOGOS:
Ethos: DDT had stated they had improved the lives of food and crops, and they had destroyed the lives of bugs who had carried diseases BUT overall, DDT had just caused more diseases for human lives.
Pathos: Carson states that not only bugs become dead, but the predators of the bugs no longer survive because of the chemicals in DDT. What is worse than animals and humans dying because of an "improving agricultural" pesticide?
Logos: Carson tops her story off with facts all around to complete her argument, that DDT is not a helpful pesticide, and that it only worsens the lives of people and predators.
7. CLAIM:
Carson claims that DDT is ineffective, and it destroys the lives of bugs as well as their predators, only causing more problems in turn. Yes, we do agree with her claim because the DDT claims that they’re helping with the environment, but in reality they’re just causing more harm, and creating even more problems than the industry had begun with. Not to mention the fact that DDT doesn't even help kill bugs that carry diseases.
BY: EMILY GASKINS, EMILY HAIG, AND AMY WILHELM
3. What we found Suprising:
-Even though many had said the pesticides would help all situations, they had just made matters worse; when people would spray the pesticides, the bugs would know and try to relocate, avoiding the harmful chemicals.
-Why did the pesticides increase the bugs that had carried diseases? If the pesticides where meant to stop the viral illnesses caused by bugs, why did she conclude by saying DDT had only influenced the number of bugs with diseases.