SILENT SPRING

A book written by an American biologist over a hundred years ago continue to inspire and influence nature lovers all over the world.

We have kept two round mud pots on the railings in our terrace- garden, filled with fresh water. Every morning, the moment I fill them with water, birds start alighting hurriedly, one after the other, to drink water from the pots. May be the reflection of water in the pots attracts them so swiftly to the pots. Some birds like Mynah bathe in it; others like pigeons sit in the pots for a long time. Sometimes, during very hot summer, I have spotted even herons, wood peckers, parrots and Kingfishers stealthily taking a peck at the water.

Watching these birds, I always feel how they have made our life so lively and colourful. Then the morbid thought comes to my mind-what happens if they disappear altogether? Then I am reminded of Rachel Carson who had the same thoughts much before me.

Who was Rachel Carson?

Rachel Carson- is a name well known to those who care for the environment, and her book 'Silent Spring' is a perennial source of inspiration for time to come.

Rachel Louise Carson (1907-64), American biologist, was born on May 27, 1907, at Springdale, Pennsylvania, USA. Rachel joined Pennsylvania College for Women, with English as main subject, wanting to be a writer, but changed to biology and took a bachelor’s degree in 1929. She graduated from John Hopkins University. In 1931 she joined the faculty of Maryland University, where she taught for five years. She also taught in the John Hopkins summer school from 1929 to 1936, and did postgraduate studies at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. In 1936 she joined the US Fish and Wild Service in Washington DC as marine scientist. She worked as a writer, editor as also as editor-in-chief of the service’s publications until 1952. She died of cancer April 14, 1964, Silver Spring, Maryland at the age of 56.

Works   Rachel developed a deep interest in nature and the natural world, early in life. She portrayed the impact of humans on the natural world through her powerful writings. She was known as the scientist-poet of the sea (to quote her: “the lobster feels his way with nimble wariness through the perpetual twilight.”). Published in 1941 her first book, Under the Sea-Wind, was on the life of birds and animals living near the sea.

The Sea Around Us (1951), a virtual biography of the sea, became an international best seller, winning the National Book Award, and was translated into 30 languages. Her third book, The Edge of the Sea, focused on the eco systems of the eastern coast from Maine to Florida was published in 1955. It was acclaimed that 'all three books were physical explanations of life, all drenched with miracle of what happens to life in and near the sea'. But it was Silent Spring (1962), serialized in The New Yorker, that became a sensation.

 

Significance: Rachel Carson is celebrated as one of the finest nature writers in the world. All her books were noted for their 'scientific accuracy and thoroughness, combining an elegant and lyrical prose style'. It is true that as a scholar working for the government, she could easily take advantage of the latest scientific materials available. As a biologist, she could attain world-wide acceptance and that it could influence government policy.

Quotes:Here are some of her famous quotes—"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life”.

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction”.

“In every out -thrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth.”

“In nature nothing exists alone”. “Man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself”.

Positive impactThe title 'Silent Spring' was inspired by a line from a poem by John Keats “La Belle Dame sans Merci” that evokes a ruined environment in which “the sedge is wither'd from the lake, / And no birds sing”(ref: The Guardian dated 26th May, 2012 ). It seemed that the very title of the book could shake the conscience of ordinary Americans; for them a spring bereft of the songs of birds was indeed bleak and desolate. No wonder the sales of Silent Spring soared, reaching a million by her death in April 1964. Silent Spring explained how indiscriminate application of chemicals and pesticides polluted our streams, harmed bird and animal populations, and caused severe health problems for humans. She questioned 'the scope and direction of modern science' and over turned the widely held notion that humans could have mastery over nature by using chemicals and bombs, and through conquest of space. She pointed out that our planet's ecosystem was reaching the limits of its sustainability. 

Negative reactionsFor, her views on the use of pesticides she faced threats of lawsuits from the chemical industry. Personal attacks on her by the vested interests were vicious. Some even accused that she was a communist.  Carson was suffering from breast cancer and the effects of radiotherapy. Yet she fought back. She continued denouncing the unholy links between science and industry. Despite all personal attacks and the propaganda against her Silent Spring was a huge success. Carson died from cancer less than two years after Silent Spring was published, but she lived long enough to know that she could indeed make the desired impact.

The Impact: President John F Kennedy instructed his science advisory committee to investigate her claims, which found them to be real. Her influence led to tighter control of pesticides, including DDT, despite opposition by the chemical industry. Ten years after the publication of her book, the production of DDT and its use in agriculture was banned in the US. Britain officially banned its use some years later.

The book inspired grass roots environmental movements. It also caused the passage of the Clean Air Act (1963), the Wilderness Act (1964), the National Environmental Policy Act (1969), the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act (both 1972); and led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, in the US in 1970. Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace trace their origins directly to Silent Spring. Rachel, according to environmentalists, 'raised the consciousness of a generation; she became the trusted public voice of science in America'.

Honours: Rachel Carson was posthumously awarded the Freedom Medal by President Jimmy Carter.

Relevance:Wrote Rachel "One way to open our eyes is to ask yourself what if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I will never see it again?"

Carson's words were indeed prophetic. Not only humans suffer, but also, birds and animals, and in fact, all organisms. Today they are pushed to the edge, due to environmental pollution. Little birds like house sparrows which flitted around our backyards have disappeared; vultures which congregated near waste dumps are nowhere to be seen, and, owlets hiding in dark spaces near our homes no longer stare at us and so many creatures that inhabited even nooks and corners of our homes have disappeared. Barring domestic animals, many others have withdrawn to the interiors or perished. The tragedy is that we are no longer shocked by silent springs; we are now attuned to them.

(First published by the author in the Annual issue of Life Stream magazine, 2019)

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Ref: en.wikipedia.org/www.rachelcarson.org/www.brit annica.com/www.womenhistory.com/The guardian dated 7th December, 2012.