ipl-logo

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Silent Spring By Rachel Carson

716 Words3 Pages

In the excerpt from Silent Spring, Rachel Carson accusingly delivers a powerful argument against aerial pesticides, especially parathion. Carson emphasizes that farmers who eradicate “distasteful” birds with parathion are heartless. She deploys a variety of language to support her central argument: exemplification, rhetorical questions, diction, and emotional appeal. Carson believes poisoning birds--with parathion--is cruel and inhumane. Foremost, Carson evokes pity towards the defenseless birds, and anger toward the farmers for their actions, with emotionally-charged words. The repetition of the word “killing” supports Carson belief that the destruction of birds is savage path farmers choose, because the word connotes evil. The evil, associated with the word, arouses anger at the farmers for their ill doing; additionally, the word …show more content…

The severe allegation is coupled with the purpose of parathion application; the poison was applied “to ‘control’ concentration of birds [through elimination]”. Then, Carson references the “Fish and Wildlife Service”, because both parties agree that “parathion treated areas constitute a potential hazard”. As a result, her credibility is established, because she has other people opinions to support her argument. In addition, Carson provides an example--”Southern Indiana ”--to illustrate the harmful extent to which parathion application could reach without outside control. Ironically, the farmers choose the expensive, non effective method over “a slight change in agricultural practice”, and only because they were “persuaded the merits of killing”. She excoriates that there are no explanation that could justify such amounts of pointless killing, they are just

Show More
Related
267 Words | 2 Pages

Biologist, Rachel Carson, in her book Silent Springs discusses a growing issue of uneducated individuals harming and even killing various animals. Carson’s purpose is to convey the idea that individuals need to educate themselves before making rash decisions that can affect countless other species. She employs oblivious diction in order to appeal similar feelings and opinions in her environmentalist readers. Rachel Carson initiates her excerpt of Silent Springs by describing in exquisite detail an incident occurring in Southern Indiana which negatively impaired multiple innocent species. She appeals to her caring audience by concluding that the rash crimes committed by the farmers were intended to “eradicate” the creature, purely because the

Read More
109 Words | 1 Pages

Josie Appleton’s piece opens with her introducing the fact that body modification has lost its mark of being taboo. Appleton then transitions into describing the different kinds of people that modify their bodies and why they do it. The fact that people used to mostly use tattoos to identify with a group and are now using them to define themselves is heavily enforced. The rest of the piece describes in great detail the different ways people use piercings and tattoos to better understand themselves and mark important milestones. The piece concludes with Appleton claiming that body modification should only be for fashion, because bringing significance to it causes problems.

Read More
478 Words | 2 Pages

As a social worker and reformer, Florence Kelley utilizes asyndeton, juxtaposition, and rhetorical questions in her ardent speech for the attendees of the convention for the National American Women Suffrage Association to “enlist the workingmen voters” in helping with the implementation of more stringent child labor laws to encourage the protection of children, especially girls, from working in factories at such young ages. Kelley’s employment of asyndeton in the second paragraph as she states, “Men increase, women increase, youth increase in the ranks of the breadwinners…”, makes her speech more passionate and effective by speeding up its rhythm and pace. She applies this rhetorical strategy to segue into the fact that despite the increase across different demographics, none is so exponential as the growth of “girls between twelve and twenty years of age.” She describes this fact before the convention to depict the extensive hindrances this particular contingent faces.

Read More
123 Words | 1 Pages

In her work “What’s Wrong with Animal Rights,” Vicki Hearne challenges common beliefs of animal rights, arguing that animal rights groups do very little to actually benefit animals. She argues that natural selection should be allowed to take place for wild animals, and animals such as cats and dogs should not be seen as property. To persuade the audience to support her position, she uses ethos, pathos, and logos. Her credibility as a trainer makes the logic behind her views reliable, her logic reinforces the examples she uses, and she appeals to emotion using her relationship with her Airedale, Drummer, to support everything her argument is saying. Through these strategies, Vicki Hearne effectively counters the current, popular views of the

Read More
1221 Words | 5 Pages

Bryson Esplin Mr. Johansen ENG 101 1 February 2023 Rhetorical Analysis of Julie Petersen’s “Analysis Essay: Is Macbeth A Tragic Hero?” One true problem with writing posted to the internet is the inability to prove what, if anything, is true or credible. With common phrases such as “Don’t believe everything you read” and “Fake news,” it has become more important than ever to know what articles are reliable. One example of a source that claims to be trustworthy but is questionable at best is the website AskPetersen.com. Julie Petersen, who runs the website, claims to have everything to help readers “write a perfect essay” (Petersen, “Blog”).

Read More
257 Words | 2 Pages

For pathos appeals Carson uses emotions such as fear, alarming, and concerns. This appeal is strong for this argument because of the use of pesticides and chemicals. An example for alarming, Carson poetically asserted that “to still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams, to coat the leaves with a deadly film, and to linger on in soil” (Carson 645). The audience can create a polluted and an unclean stream of land that is deeply contaminated. Carson uses this song as a concept to show the purpose and create such fearful emotions.

Read More
289 Words | 2 Pages

When someone people see blind people, they think that they can't do anything, but working together with those that can see, blind people can achieve amazing things. Helen Keller fights for the right of the blind and persuade the reader to help them. Through the use of persuasive language and grammar, she creates a persuasive essay to help the blind. Through the use of pathos, ethos and logos, Helen Keller makes her argument stronger and more believable. In the fourth paragraph she uses pathos “ blind men will not be content to be numbered amoung those who will not, or cannot, carry burden on sholder or tool in hand.

Read More
1009 Words | 5 Pages

America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. This phrase is sung with pride and passion by American citizens. However, some of America’s hardest working citizens are shackled down by a factor that they have no control over. Poverty, is what’s keeping citizens imprisoned while they should be living free. An appalling 44 percent of homeless Americans are employed (http://nationalhomeless.org/).

Read More
331 Words | 2 Pages

Writing a rhetorical analysis on a specific text is something that I have never had to do before in prior classes, so when I found out that I had to write an entire paper on a rhetorical analysis on a text of my choosing I was a little worried. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to give lengthy and accurate descriptions at a college level. Once I read in the textbook what a rhetorical analysis exactly was, my worry was overcome with ease to say the least. I decided to do my analysis on a speech written by one the most inspiring people in my life Gloria Steinem. Gloria Steinem is an American feminist and social political activist who wrote an article in the New York TImes “ After Black Power, Women’s Liberation” which brought her fame as

Read More
812 Words | 4 Pages

Richard Louv, a novelist, in Last Child in the Woods (2008) illustrates the separation between humans and nature. His purpose to the general audience involves exposing how the separation of man from nature is consequential. Louv adopts a sentimental tone throughout the rhetorical piece to elaborate on the growing separation in modern times. Louv utilizes pathos, ethos and logos to argue that the separation between man and nature is detrimental.

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

In 1962, Rachel Carson, author of the book, “Silent Spring” paints the image of a disgusting world filled with contamination that is not too far away for the citizens of America in 1962. A world filled with waste and chemicals due to the lack of knowledge that humankind has about the environment would hurt the air, Earth, rivers, and seas, causing both the environment and the human race to be in danger. Carson idealizes change in the environment through use of an abundance of rhetorical devices. Carson utilizes devices such as, imagery, logos, pathos through childhood, compare contrast organization, and shifts in persona. By using rhetorical devices, Carson reveals the truth about the contamination and waste in the environment.

Read More
629 Words | 3 Pages

Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild investigates the life and adventures of Chris McCandless. The author provides information about Chris’ life to illuminate his journey. Krakauer also uses rhetorical appeals to defend Chris’ rationale for his journey. Through Krakauer’s use of pathos, ethos, and logos, he persuades the audience that Chris is not foolish; however, Krakauer’s intimacy with Chris and his adventures inhibits his objectivity.

Read More
756 Words | 4 Pages

The manipulation of Squealer’s propaganda techniques does not benefit the animals of the farm but they selfies

Read More
847 Words | 4 Pages

An element of propaganda the animals used to influence others is the scare tactics technique. The scare tactic technique is when one is trying to warn the audience that some disaster will overtake them if they do not do what is suggested. To illustrate this method, the author writes “It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. You know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty?

Read More
265 Words | 2 Pages

In the beginning of the first paragraph, there was an intentional structure that created a pace and emphasized important ideas. Within this structure Goodall utilizes specific diction such as "disruption, killed, and death" to appeal to the readers emotions. Also when Goodall uses the word "their death" (paragraph 1, last sentence) she makes a direct allusion to the victim. Throughout the text Jane uses the words "manner of creatures "(paragraph 5, 5th sentence) to appeal to the reader's logic. She mainly uses these words to provide the readers with more information and to make sure their sentiments are going in the right direction.

Read More

More about A Rhetorical Analysis Of Silent Spring By Rachel Carson

Open Document