Fable For Tomorrow Rachel Carson Analysis

Man-made disasters are only addressed if they begin to affect mankind. If an action will benefit humans in the present, we will do it no matter what the consequences to our environment. Rachel Carson and Terry Tempest Williams articulate this in each of their works showing that environmental concerns do not matter when there is something to gain, until it begins to seriously affect humans. The most striking point that Carson makes in her writing “Fable for Tomorrow” is this, “No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves” (117). Think about what Carson is saying. She is driving home the point that these disasters are completely caused by mankind. From that,

It is easy to dismiss the environment when we are not being affected directly, but when it becomes something happening in our backyards, we must take notice. This is the point when it is realized that human messes can only be cleaned up by humans. Unfortunately, they must become a reality for people before action will be taken. The reality of man-made disasters is painfully real to Terry Tempest Williams. In her piece, “The Clan of One-Breasted Women” she describes how her mother, grandmother, and six aunts died of breast cancer caused by atomic testing (118). She states that “above ground atomic testing in Nevada took place from January 27, 1951 through July 11, 1962” (Williams 120). Furthermore, the government believed that because these areas low population and had little to offer, it was the perfect place for that testing (Williams 120). It wasn’t until a court case on May 10 1984 that the government even came close to admitting there was a problem, it was, “the first time a federal court had determined that nuclear tests had been the cause of cancers” (Williams 121). The only reason that any notice taken was that people stood up and said that nuclear testing was causing cancer. Before that, when it was just the environment