Silent Spring...man vs. nature

A detailed Summary of Silent Spring...man vs. nature

While nature in America has evolved, so has mans relationship to it. Since the earliest American settlers, their has been two conflicting viewpoints on nature. Native Americans or the Indigenous people view the natural world as part of themselves. They believe that both are part of a continuous cycle of giving and receiving. To them, nature is perfect and does not need to be modified. The contrasting view is that of the early American settlers up to present day Americans. Most Americans see nature as something to perfect, considering themselves outside of nature. Most feel that it is their right to rule the land and to modify it to better humans. Perrin explains both relationships that humans have with nature. Silko and the film The Emerald Forest reveal the attitudes and values of the indigenous people. Carson presents Americans attitudes toward the natural world, and suggests that these attitudes change if we want to survive. In Noel Perrin's "Forever Virgin", Leslie Silko's "Pueblo People", and Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring", the two relationships of nature introduced, will raise issues involving consequences between the relationships of man and nature, and what must be done to insure mans surviva

By altering America we have altered our own being. We are no longer purely natural. We too are manmade beings that continuously alter ourselves as well. Why can't we just accept the fact that these alterations are making us imperfect. That originally we all were perfect natural beings that were living proof of the unexplained. Now when you look around a room we see people that strive to be what they are not and then rely on mans substances for their ultimate happiness.

Perrin explains that as nature in America evolved, so did mans relationship to it. The way the Native Americans treated nature is very different from the way the early settlers and present day Americans treat it. Nature can be defined as everything that exists that has not been made or altered by man. The Indigenous people saw themselves as part of nature. They believed that they were both part of a continuous cycle. What they took from it was used to its fullest and then returned to nature. The relationship with the natural world consisted of both giving and receiving. What man took from nature was out of love. Everything was used to the fullest and what was excess was given back to the earth with love. Therefore, what was taken from nature must eventually be returned to it.

Rachel Carson reflects on the consequences of Americans relationship with the natural world. Carson not only explains Americans viewpoints but she also recommends that we change the way we interact with the natural world if we intend to survive. By our trying to play God we have introduced a lot of Man made substances to the world. A lot of these substances have not yet been recorded to directly affect humans, but there is a vast amount of evidence of there harm on nature. Our modifications of nature are, "destruction directed not only against the earth we inhibit but against the life that shares it with us" (85 C.). We created chemical insecticides to kill unwanted bugs and pests. We did not intend to affect all aspects of wildlife. When conservationists questioned the control agencies, the agencies denied any affiliation. The losses of wildlife were severe. Acid rain affected humans as well as the animals. If the fish were infected and the fisherman ate the fish than he to was introduced to the chemicals. Either that or there were no more fish for the fisherman to catch. There were no birds for the birdwatcher to watch. Not only were these agencies developing hazardous chemicals but they did not even try to find a non hazardous natural alternative. Turns out there were affective natural alternatives to kill the Japanese Beetle. The agencies would have known this if the would have stopped trying to control the planet and actually learned to work with it... as a team.

Carson warns humans that, "we need to change our philosophy, abandon our attitude of human superiority" (261 C.). If we don't change our attitude then nature is bound to change its. Mother Nature has a way of handling things and I don't think that our actions have been too protective of the land. Nature is, "a dangerous road" (275 C.). Though we have awesome technology and science programs we still lack sufficient knowledge. We can't control

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Approximate Word count = 2139
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English