"There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings....(1). ...there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh," (2).
The first quote shows how well an ideal small town is doing. However, the next quote in this chapter shows a sudden change. Now there is a clear change for the worst. Even though this town isn't actually real, it gives the reader a glimpse of what could happen in the future. What was once a perfect booming little town is now a nightmare. It shows how quickly the enviroment changed and shows just how quick it can happen in any real enviroment.
".. every one of the disasters has actually happened somewhere, and many real communities have already suffered a substantial number of them. A grim specter has crept upon us almost unnoticed, and this imagined tragedy may easily become a start reality we all shall know" (3)
This perfect little town that Carson describes involves a large variety of plants and animals intermingling in harmony. Healthy and filled with beautiful things, this town is the ideal place to reside. Carson used imagery to her advantage, creating a beautiful image in your mind only to wash it all away, showing the severity that chemicals have on nature, enough to "silence the spring voices".
"Some evil spell had settled...and sheep sickened and died." (Carson,2)
Of course pollution and the disastrous effects of it are harming all forms of life on earth; this chapter is condensing all of that into an example of one town. This fable dramatizes, not in the way of over exaggerating effects, but using gratuitous language to describe the actual danger these chemicals that industries and the human population are dumping into all the ecosystems. I agree on her reasoning's for dramatizing her point. One, because she is writing a novel therefore in interest of literary intrigue one must use such language and literary devices, and two because once people find the rational behind the fable, they will actually take an interest in the writing beyond the first chapter.
"some evil spell had settled on the community" (2) This quote depicts the real life changes in a society as some kind of a magical occurrence. It shows the contrast between the happy little town to the hardships that it now faces. The following paragraphs of the chapter show how sudden and drastic environmental changes can be. Just like the townspeople in the book are miffed, this is also the case with civilians all offer the globe whose hometowns undergo drastic changes with no apparent reasoning.
"There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings"(1). "...every one of these disasters has actually happened somewhere, and many real communities have already suffered a substantial number of them" (3).
At the beginning of the chapter, Carson describes the flourishing ecosystems of an ideal town through the use of imagery. The first quote serves to show what an ideal town would be like, although it may not be real, and eventually progresses to the reality that human pollution and other factors could negatively impact a flourishing town/environment. The second quote relates back to the idea that although the town Carson describes doesn't exist, there are real communities in the world that are suffering from different environmental impacts.
"There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings"(1). "...every one of these disasters has actually happened somewhere, and many real communities have already suffered a substantial number of them" (3).
At the beginning of the chapter, Carson describes the flourishing ecosystems of an ideal town through the use of imagery. The first quote serves to show what an ideal town would be like, although it may not be real, and eventually progresses to the reality that human pollution and other factors could negatively impact a flourishing town/environment. The second quote relates back to the idea that although the town Carson describes doesn't exist, there are real communities in the world that are suffering from different environmental impacts.
"There once was a town...There was a strange stillness" (1-2).
The town that Carson describes in the beginning is a peaceful, beautiful town where everything in nature looks how it should. A quick turn of events, changes the once beautiful town into a place where everything is dark and dirty. This example town shows what the pollution from our race can do to the earth and all parts of it.
"On the farms the hens brooded, but no chicks hatched. The farmers complained that they were unable to raise any pigs - the litters were small and the young survived only a few days," (2).
The farm being described is failing to do what it was created to do. This is because of the side effects of using DDT. Human's negative interference to plants and animals is much worse than what we think it is. Carson writes that people are ruining nature without knowing it.
"The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire" (3).
While Carson's description of the town in America was fictional and not based on any real city in America, Carson indirectly gave an accurate description of the entire history of America. In the beginning of America as a country, America was "...a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards..." (1). Over time, with the introduction of industrialization and with that, pollution, America turned into the wasteland that Carson described in the quote above this paragraph. The burning of fossil fuels combined with the rapid expansion of the human population caused many plants and animals to die prematurely, just as Carson had described. Through pollution and a disregard for the environment, Americans have converted the land they live upon today from a rich, green land full of life to a dirty, withered wasteland by their own actions.
"The apple trees were coming into bloom but no bees droned among the blossoms, so there was no pollination and there would be no fruit," (2-3).
Carson is showing by these few short words, how much the bees matter to way of life. The bees are the way of which pollination travels and without them, life as humans change. Some humans think that we are greater than all life, or there are some people who think they can do everything by themselves, but they are wrong. Humans need the help of other animals to help both species survive, while no matter the help, there is always another person in the equation. Meaning, no matter how much someone thinks they are doing everything on their own, they aren't. There needs to be many people for the world to function properly. This relates to how the smaller species are really needed for all living life on earth.
"The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire."(3)
Carson is showing how the slightest bit of pollution can affect the look of a landscape. Originally, we would have been able to see the beautiful crops on the side of the road but now we have to look at the harmful affects of pollution. Some of us may forget the fact that our vegitation is also greatly impacted by pollution but it truly is a big problem for farmers
"The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire."(3)
Carson is showing how the slightest bit of pollution can affect the look of a landscape. Originally, we would have been able to see the beautiful crops on the side of the road but now we have to look at the harmful affects of pollution. Some of us may forget the fact that our vegitation is also greatly impacted by pollution but it truly is a big problem for farmers
"The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire... Even the streams were now lifeless" (3).
This town described right away is a model of what the perfect town is. Everything is growing, everything has life. There is color everywhere. Vegetation and animals alike are thriving. The end of the short chapter shows not what could happen, but what has already occurred. The lack of animals, the silence, the colors of fiery leaves turning to brown as if a real fire has come through. The original perfection has turned into a nightmare.
"Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sicked and died."
This was a definite shift of the peaceful view of nature, that was distrubed by the DDT spread. Carson uses this to forshadow and make the reader infer that this is serious, and it will effect the world in such a rapid, and intense way. It set the scene for how most places are beginning to see this problem occur.
"...mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sickened and died. Everywhere was a shadow of death. The farmers spoke of much illness among their families."(2)
This describes the impact one unfamiliar or foreign object or disease can really change the outcome of nature and how it reacts. Plants and animals all strive to live off of what food sources and nutrients they can get but when the response of the foreign object is showing signs of plant death and lesser animals, it shows how quickly towns and small farms can be impacted. This is an ongoing issue with many places around the world in many different circumstances. What was once a joyful and harmless place, took a turn for the worse by just one form of chemicals to change the nature of the plants completely. Pollution and other major harming chemicals all have a high rate of impact because the plants aren't use to the conditions and changes the earth makes naturally.
“The town lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields” (1).
This quote depicts a seamless town that could exist for us, if it weren’t for the corrupted environment we are surrounded by. Though Carson was only imagining this perfect town, it shows how the environment could be, if pollution and other negative human impacts were not present. Carson used a checkerboard to describe the flawless farms to show order. When the ecosystem is negatively altered, this order turns to chaos and destruction.
"Some evil spell had settled ont he community: mysterioyus maladies swept the flocks... sheep sickened and died." (2)
When I first read this line part in the book pollution came to my mind. The "evil spell" seems me to be pollution. At first everyone was well off, they had all of the resources right there, ready for the people to use them. Then something happened, what happened though? Although we are not yet told I came to the conclusion that possibly someone did something to pollute the area. Maybe a town a couple miles over created some steal industry and then the pollution carried over to this town. The perfect town that we just read about has never been introduced to this pollution before so their immune systems and all of the other plant and animals habitats were obstructed causes them to die do to failure to adapt.
"These, too, were silent, deserted by all living things" (pg 3).
This chapter depicts a picture perfect world, one in which society's strive to be. With beautiful landscapes, abundant produce and thriving animals, we're able to find this in many parts of the world. However, the quote I picked depicts the fear that consumes people when it comes to the topic of global warming. As it becomes an increasingly pressing issue, we seem to continue to procrastinate on addressing the what should be done. The damage, such as all living things escaping us, can easily happen if steps are not taken.
"These, too, were silent, deserted by all living things" (pg 3).
This chapter depicts a picture perfect world, one in which society's strive to be. With beautiful landscapes, abundant produce and thriving animals, we're able to find this in many parts of the world. However, the quote I picked depicts the fear that consumes people when it comes to the topic of global warming. As it becomes an increasingly pressing issue, we seem to continue to procrastinate on addressing the what should be done. The damage, such as all living things escaping us, can easily happen if steps are not taken.
In reference to Makenzie's post, I definitely agree. I think Carson chose this as an opening for her book because it foreshadows the events of what's to come and it creates a life that we can relate to
I feel Laura brings up a good point about Carson and his reason for creating this imagined town. Carson wants to show the reader, with a description of a fictional town, that it can happen in any community if we don't take action.
I agree with Liz D's point that she made through her post because it's true that the environment is so unpredictable. There are so many ecosystems around the world where one drastic environmental change could impact a whole community. I believe that there are many environmentalists out there who want more than anything to step up and take action, but that is hard to do when the government hides from society the truth of what is going on.
In response to Barbie A's comment, I agree that Carson is saying that humans are ruining the earth with their pollution. People need to be more aware of how much they pollute the planet. The town went from being described as beautiful and lively to dirty and full of chemicals.
In response to Graham, the way Carson describes the perfect town, then basically proceeds to explain how it's really not below the surface, is almost eery in a way that isn't abrupt but it really makes the reader think of how much we don't know about what goes in our atmosphere and around us.
Already we, as readers, can tell that Carson is taking a very traditional story-telling approach to this novel. By setting the stage with something so beautiful, as we read on the audience can then understand the significant contrast when they come across something so devastating, especially when these images, however scattered, are being all compiled into one. So i guess the question is does it take something this devastating and serious for people to realize the problem may be themselves and to then do something about it?
In response to Meaghan Moynihan, who said in her comment "Even though this town isn't actually real..." and the many others who included the quote "This town does not actually exist...(3)," I ask you this:
Is actually knowing that every one of the disasters happened somewhere in the United States enough for you to ultimately feel the impact of her story? Since we know that these events as a whole never happened all in one place, would your reaction be more overwhelming if the author hadn't mentioned anything and we were left to think they were solely based in one area on the map? Or is it more powerful being presented the way Carson has done? Would you feel it was less relatable and less of a concern if these events had instead occurred outside the U.S.?
In response to Barbie A, i agree how this book really shows how humans affect the earth and climate changes based on the pollution factor. It seems we are oblivious to how much we really affect this earth and the organisms within it.
In response to Barbie, I completely agree. America started out a green life-filled plot of land where the water was clean and the air was clear. As humans continue to dump waste into the ecosystem, we fall further and further from the clean land that was America before industrialization, just as Carson described.
In Response to Mary, I agree, the way Carson dramatizes and condenses everything into one town, one example, it is a novel she is writing and this short powerful example is a smart way to start the book.
In Response to Mary, I agree, the way Carson dramatizes and condenses everything into one town, one example, it is a novel she is writing and this short powerful example is a smart way to start the book.
34 comments:
"There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings....(1). ...there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh," (2).
The first quote shows how well an ideal small town is doing. However, the next quote in this chapter shows a sudden change. Now there is a clear change for the worst. Even though this town isn't actually real, it gives the reader a glimpse of what could happen in the future. What was once a perfect booming little town is now a nightmare. It shows how quickly the enviroment changed and shows just how quick it can happen in any real enviroment.
".. every one of the disasters has actually happened somewhere, and many real communities have already suffered a substantial number of them. A grim specter has crept upon us almost unnoticed, and this imagined tragedy may easily become a start reality we all shall know" (3)
This perfect little town that Carson describes involves a large variety of plants and animals intermingling in harmony. Healthy and filled with beautiful things, this town is the ideal place to reside. Carson used imagery to her advantage, creating a beautiful image in your mind only to wash it all away, showing the severity that chemicals have on nature, enough to "silence the spring voices".
"Some evil spell had settled...and sheep sickened and died." (Carson,2)
Of course pollution and the disastrous effects of it are harming all forms of life on earth; this chapter is condensing all of that into an example of one town. This fable dramatizes, not in the way of over exaggerating effects, but using gratuitous language to describe the actual danger these chemicals that industries and the human population are dumping into all the ecosystems. I agree on her reasoning's for dramatizing her point. One, because she is writing a novel therefore in interest of literary intrigue one must use such language and literary devices, and two because once people find the rational behind the fable, they will actually take an interest in the writing beyond the first chapter.
"some evil spell had settled on the community" (2)
This quote depicts the real life changes in a society as some kind of a magical occurrence. It shows the contrast between the happy little town to the hardships that it now faces. The following paragraphs of the chapter show how sudden and drastic environmental changes can be. Just like the townspeople in the book are miffed, this is also the case with civilians all offer the globe whose hometowns undergo drastic changes with no apparent reasoning.
"There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings"(1). "...every one of these disasters has actually happened somewhere, and many real communities have already suffered a substantial number of them" (3).
At the beginning of the chapter, Carson describes the flourishing ecosystems of an ideal town through the use of imagery. The first quote serves to show what an ideal town would be like, although it may not be real, and eventually progresses to the reality that human pollution and other factors could negatively impact a flourishing town/environment. The second quote relates back to the idea that although the town Carson describes doesn't exist, there are real communities in the world that are suffering from different environmental impacts.
"There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings"(1). "...every one of these disasters has actually happened somewhere, and many real communities have already suffered a substantial number of them" (3).
At the beginning of the chapter, Carson describes the flourishing ecosystems of an ideal town through the use of imagery. The first quote serves to show what an ideal town would be like, although it may not be real, and eventually progresses to the reality that human pollution and other factors could negatively impact a flourishing town/environment. The second quote relates back to the idea that although the town Carson describes doesn't exist, there are real communities in the world that are suffering from different environmental impacts.
"There once was a town...There was a strange stillness" (1-2).
The town that Carson describes in the beginning is a peaceful, beautiful town where everything in nature looks how it should. A quick turn of events, changes the once beautiful town into a place where everything is dark and dirty. This example town shows what the pollution from our race can do to the earth and all parts of it.
"On the farms the hens brooded, but no chicks hatched. The farmers complained that they were unable to raise any pigs - the litters were small and the young survived only a few days," (2).
The farm being described is failing to do what it was created to do. This is because of the side effects of using DDT. Human's negative interference to plants and animals is much worse than what we think it is. Carson writes that people are ruining nature without knowing it.
"The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire" (3).
While Carson's description of the town in America was fictional and not based on any real city in America, Carson indirectly gave an accurate description of the entire history of America. In the beginning of America as a country, America was "...a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards..." (1). Over time, with the introduction of industrialization and with that, pollution, America turned into the wasteland that Carson described in the quote above this paragraph. The burning of fossil fuels combined with the rapid expansion of the human population caused many plants and animals to die prematurely, just as Carson had described. Through pollution and a disregard for the environment, Americans have converted the land they live upon today from a rich, green land full of life to a dirty, withered wasteland by their own actions.
- Veronica Abt -
"The apple trees were coming into bloom but no bees droned among the blossoms, so there was no pollination and there would be no fruit," (2-3).
Carson is showing by these few short words, how much the bees matter to way of life. The bees are the way of which pollination travels and without them, life as humans change. Some humans think that we are greater than all life, or there are some people who think they can do everything by themselves, but they are wrong. Humans need the help of other animals to help both species survive, while no matter the help, there is always another person in the equation. Meaning, no matter how much someone thinks they are doing everything on their own, they aren't. There needs to be many people for the world to function properly. This relates to how the smaller species are really needed for all living life on earth.
"The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire."(3)
Carson is showing how the slightest bit of pollution can affect the look of a landscape. Originally, we would have been able to see the beautiful crops on the side of the road but now we have to look at the harmful affects of pollution. Some of us may forget the fact that our vegitation is also greatly impacted by pollution but it truly is a big problem for farmers
"The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire."(3)
Carson is showing how the slightest bit of pollution can affect the look of a landscape. Originally, we would have been able to see the beautiful crops on the side of the road but now we have to look at the harmful affects of pollution. Some of us may forget the fact that our vegitation is also greatly impacted by pollution but it truly is a big problem for farmers
"The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire... Even the streams were now lifeless" (3).
This town described right away is a model of what the perfect town is. Everything is growing, everything has life. There is color everywhere. Vegetation and animals alike are thriving. The end of the short chapter shows not what could happen, but what has already occurred. The lack of animals, the silence, the colors of fiery leaves turning to brown as if a real fire has come through. The original perfection has turned into a nightmare.
"Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sicked and died."
This was a definite shift of the peaceful view of nature, that was distrubed by the DDT spread. Carson uses this to forshadow and make the reader infer that this is serious, and it will effect the world in such a rapid, and intense way. It set the scene for how most places are beginning to see this problem occur.
"...mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sickened and died. Everywhere was a shadow of death. The farmers spoke of much illness among their families."(2)
This describes the impact one unfamiliar or foreign object or disease can really change the outcome of nature and how it reacts. Plants and animals all strive to live off of what food sources and nutrients they can get but when the response of the foreign object is showing signs of plant death and lesser animals, it shows how quickly towns and small farms can be impacted. This is an ongoing issue with many places around the world in many different circumstances. What was once a joyful and harmless place, took a turn for the worse by just one form of chemicals to change the nature of the plants completely. Pollution and other major harming chemicals all have a high rate of impact because the plants aren't use to the conditions and changes the earth makes naturally.
“The town lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields” (1).
This quote depicts a seamless town that could exist for us, if it weren’t for the corrupted environment we are surrounded by. Though Carson was only imagining this perfect town, it shows how the environment could be, if pollution and other negative human impacts were not present. Carson used a checkerboard to describe the flawless farms to show order. When the ecosystem is negatively altered, this order turns to chaos and destruction.
"Some evil spell had settled ont he community: mysterioyus maladies swept the flocks... sheep sickened and died." (2)
When I first read this line part in the book pollution came to my mind. The "evil spell" seems me to be pollution. At first everyone was well off, they had all of the resources right there, ready for the people to use them. Then something happened, what happened though? Although we are not yet told I came to the conclusion that possibly someone did something to pollute the area. Maybe a town a couple miles over created some steal industry and then the pollution carried over to this town. The perfect town that we just read about has never been introduced to this pollution before so their immune systems and all of the other plant and animals habitats were obstructed causes them to die do to failure to adapt.
I agree Laura, I think we had similar thoughts regarding chapter 1
"These, too, were silent, deserted by all living things" (pg 3).
This chapter depicts a picture perfect world, one in which society's strive to be. With beautiful landscapes, abundant produce and thriving animals, we're able to find this in many parts of the world. However, the quote I picked depicts the fear that consumes people when it comes to the topic of global warming. As it becomes an increasingly pressing issue, we seem to continue to procrastinate on addressing the what should be done. The damage, such as all living things escaping us, can easily happen if steps are not taken.
"These, too, were silent, deserted by all living things" (pg 3).
This chapter depicts a picture perfect world, one in which society's strive to be. With beautiful landscapes, abundant produce and thriving animals, we're able to find this in many parts of the world. However, the quote I picked depicts the fear that consumes people when it comes to the topic of global warming. As it becomes an increasingly pressing issue, we seem to continue to procrastinate on addressing the what should be done. The damage, such as all living things escaping us, can easily happen if steps are not taken.
In response to Barbie, I agree that she's saying that the any bit of climate change can completely change how a landscape looks.
In reference to Makenzie's post, I definitely agree. I think Carson chose this as an opening for her book because it foreshadows the events of what's to come and it creates a life that we can relate to
I feel Laura brings up a good point about Carson and his reason for creating this imagined town. Carson wants to show the reader, with a description of a fictional town, that it can happen in any community if we don't take action.
I agree with Liz D's point that she made through her post because it's true that the environment is so unpredictable. There are so many ecosystems around the world where one drastic environmental change could impact a whole community. I believe that there are many environmentalists out there who want more than anything to step up and take action, but that is hard to do when the government hides from society the truth of what is going on.
In response to Barbie A's comment, I agree that Carson is saying that humans are ruining the earth with their pollution. People need to be more aware of how much they pollute the planet. The town went from being described as beautiful and lively to dirty and full of chemicals.
In response to Graham, the way Carson describes the perfect town, then basically proceeds to explain how it's really not below the surface, is almost eery in a way that isn't abrupt but it really makes the reader think of how much we don't know about what goes in our atmosphere and around us.
"There once was a town . . . (1)"
Already we, as readers, can tell that Carson is taking a very traditional story-telling approach to this novel. By setting the stage with something so beautiful, as we read on the audience can then understand the significant contrast when they come across something so devastating, especially when these images, however scattered, are being all compiled into one. So i guess the question is does it take something this devastating and serious for people to realize the problem may be themselves and to then do something about it?
In response to Meaghan Moynihan, who said in her comment "Even though this town isn't actually real..." and the many others who included the quote "This town does not actually exist...(3)," I ask you this:
Is actually knowing that every one of the disasters happened somewhere in the United States enough for you to ultimately feel the impact of her story? Since we know that these events as a whole never happened all in one place, would your reaction be more overwhelming if the author hadn't mentioned anything and we were left to think they were solely based in one area on the map? Or is it more powerful being presented the way Carson has done? Would you feel it was less relatable and less of a concern if these events had instead occurred outside the U.S.?
In response to Barbie A, i agree how this book really shows how humans affect the earth and climate changes based on the pollution factor. It seems we are oblivious to how much we really affect this earth and the organisms within it.
In response to Barbie,
I completely agree. America started out a green life-filled plot of land where the water was clean and the air was clear. As humans continue to dump waste into the ecosystem, we fall further and further from the clean land that was America before industrialization, just as Carson described.
In Response to Mary, I agree, the way Carson dramatizes and condenses everything into one town, one example, it is a novel she is writing and this short powerful example is a smart way to start the book.
In Response to Mary, I agree, the way Carson dramatizes and condenses everything into one town, one example, it is a novel she is writing and this short powerful example is a smart way to start the book.
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