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SilentSpringbyRachelCarson“Therewasastrangestillness.Thebirds,forexample—wherehadtheygone?”“Thefeedingstationsinthebackyardsweredeserted.Thefewbirdsseenanywhereweremoribund;theytrembledviolentlyandcouldnotfly.Itwasspringwithoutvoices.”“Onthefarmsthehensbrooded,butnochickshatched.”“Theroadsides,oncesoattractive,werenowlinedwithbrownedandwitheredvegetationasthoughsweptbyfire.These,too,weresilent,desertedbyalllivingthings.Eventhestreamswerenowlifeless.”ThisisastrangescenedescribedbyRachelCarson,whoisregardedas“themotherofmodernenvironmentalprotectionmovement”.SilentSpringisherrepresentativeworkwhichlightedthefireofenvironmentalprotectioninAmericaandthewholeworld.Before1960s,nobooksormagazinestalkedaboutthingslikeenvironmentandecosystem.Suchaphenomenonmeansthatenvironmentalprotectionhadnotcometopeople’smindandthesocialconsciousness.Indeed,themainopinioninhumansocietyfromtheverypastaboutnatureisto“setwaragainst”or“conquer”it.Infact,manyofhuman’sprogressesaremadeonthebaseofsuchopinion.RachelCarsonwasthefirstpersonwhodoubtedthecorrectnessofthebeliefandbroughtthetopicunderfocus.InSilentSpring,CarsondescribedamiserablevillagewhichwasdyingundertheusingofDDT.Thevillageusedtobeprosperousandbeautiful.“Inspring,whitecloudsofbloomdriftedabovethegreenfields.Inautumn,oakandmapleandbirchsetupablazeofcolorthatflamedandflickeredacrossabackdropofpines.Thenfoxedbarkedinthehillsanddeersilentlycrossedthefields,halfhiddeninthemistsofthefallmornings.”Shethoughtthatwiththeusingofvarietykindsofpesticide,especiallyDDTs,thevillagesufferedenormousandirreversibledamageandgraduallywitheredanddied.Soonitbecamejustliketheonedescribedinthebeginning.Fromherfineandsmoothdescribing,Icanevenfeelthegroanofthetown.MoreoverCarsonalsosharplypointedoutthatthedeep-seatedcausefortheenvironmentalproblemisthehuman’sarroganceandignorance.Sosheaskedpeopletocorrecttheattitudetowardthenatureandreconsideredthedevelopingpathofhumanbeing.Carsonthoughtthatbecauseoftheantibodyanddifferentiation,pesticideswouldneverbecompletelyuseful.Onthecontrary,thosemoreandmorepoisonousmedicines,becauseoftheenrichmenteffect,wouldaccumulateinhumans’body.It’squitesarcasticthatwehurtourselvesmuchbadlywhilehurtingtheothers.Thensheanalyzedmanypoisonouscomponentsinpesticides.ThoseareallunfamiliarnamesexceptDDT,suchaschlordane,chloronaphthalene,compound497,etc.Thosethingsreallymakemefeelscared.Weareonthetopofthefoodchain,anditissuchaperfectandfragilesystem.Wehumanbeingsarejustpartofitandwedependonallofthecreatureswhostayonthelowerpositions.Itissohardandridiculoustotrytomatchthenature.”Onlyinthestatedoesmanhavearationalexistence.”Everyspecieshavetheirvaluetobeonthisworld.Thennooneknowswhatwouldhappenedifweforcethemtodisappear.Forexample,let’simaginethefoodchainasameticulouslymadecastlebuiltbybillionsoflittleblocksandwehumanbeingsarethetopone.Theremightbeseveraltinyblocksonthebottomwhichyouthinkisuselessanddispensable.Butwhatwouldhappenifwetakethemaway?Perhapsnothinghappened,andperhapsthewholecastleruined.Destructionisalwaysmucheasierthanrecovery,notcountingthoseincurableones.Humansalwaysthinkthatwearemuchclevererthantheotheranimals,sowebecomemoreandmoreconceitedandfirmlybelievethatwearetheking.Wedidn’tseethatthenatureissomagicalandknowshowtorevenge.Thepaybackismuchmoreviolentandcruel.Weneedbalanceandorder.Thenaturehasitsownrule.Ouraimistouseitandliveinharmonywithit.Theecosystemissodelicatethatevenatinydisturbancecouldleadanunexpectedconsequence,justlikethebutterflyeffect.Atthelastchapter,somescientistscameupwithotherwaystosolvethepestproblem----bioticcontrol.Thereisnowastronglyrunningtideofinterestinchemicalsterility.Thosesterileinsectsarereleasedandmatethenormalonessothattheywon’thaveanylarvaandgetextinctgradually.This“solution”seemstobereasonableandhelpful,butthinkingaboutitcarefully,you’llfindthatitisjustanotherwaytoruinthefoodchaincastle.Notonlyspring,butalsosummerandautumnwouldbestillandsilentinthefuture.ItisluckythatRachelstillkepthermindclear.Shedidn’tagreewiththewayofconqueringthenature.Attheveryendofthebook,shewrote,“The‘controlofnature’isaphraseconceivedinarrogance,bornoftheNeanderthalageofbiologyandphilosophy,whenitwassupposedthatnatureexistsfortheconvenienceofman.”Thissentencecanberegardedasthebook’sthemetopicwhichiswidelyquotedinallkindsofarticlesaboutenvironmentalprotection.Carsonisagreatwomanandfighter.Whenwritingthebook,shewassufferingfromhugepainoftheoperationformammarycancer.Afterthebookwaspublished,thewidelyaffectbroughthernothonorandfortune,butfierceattackfromthechemicalestate.Shediedonlyoneyearafterthebook’spublishing.Onthespringof1964,thegreatwomanpassedaway,butSilentSpringmadehervoiceneversilent.The20stcenturywasatimethattechnologyandeconomydevelopedrapidly,especiallythe40yearsafterSilentSpringwaspublished.Buteveryspring,whenflowersbloom,treessprout,andwaterbeginstoflow,weusedtorecallawomanandherenduringworks.Weopenedthewindow,andwonderifthespringissilenttoday,ifitwillbesilenttomorrow.