Lesson 2
Dialectical Journal for “a Fable for Tomorrow”
in Silent Spring, by Chris
Quote
Analysis
“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
sickened and died.
Everywhere there
was a shadow of
death” (20).
This description of the illness and “maladies” befalling the harmonious community is very
concrete and leaves vivid images in my mind, as well as questions that are longing to be
answered. The word blight, used in the first sentence of this quote has several connotations
such as: a destructive force, ruin, disease, damaging, or rot. These hidden meanings help
Rachel Carson convey her message of the “grim specter [that] has crept upon us almost
unnoticed.” It’s similar to how the population views the issue of global warming and
pollution today. Most people both don’t care because they think they won’t be affected in
their life time or they are naive and uniformed about the scale of the crisis. Global warming
has snuck through our back door. Even so, how does this relate to “A Fable for
Tomorrow”? The “evil spell” that has befallen the community can not only be interpreted
as only a natural disaster but more a natural disaster that we have created. Just as an evil
witch brews her concoctions and exposes herself to the fumes and after effects, Rachel
Carson is telling us that we are doing the same thing to our planet. Why does she refer to
the diseases among the livestock as “mysterious maladies”? ‘Maladies’ does not merely
refer to a disease. It also has the denotation of a problem that requires a remedy or a
situation that becomes problematic. “Mysterious maladies” could simply imply that when
the changes caused by the pollution of our earth begin to show, the ordinary man or
woman has no explanation. They don’t know at first that they themselves created these
problems. What I predict as Rachel Carson’s purpose for writing this fable was to
communicate with the general public that the time to start finding a remedy to these
problems is now, not when it’s too late.
“A grim specter
has crept upon us
almost unnoticed,
and this imagined
tragedy may easily
become a stark
reality we all shall
know” (21).
As a concluding line, this statement is very strong in that Rachel Carson sums up her entire
argument into one sentence. Through her use of diction, a story is told, all in one sentence.
The “grim specter” refers to the global pollution problems that man-kind is facing today.
Specter also carries several connotations, the strongest being: darkness, death, stealth,
invisible, and unpleasant. By implying these meanings onto environmental issues, a vivid
image comes to mind. That of a big black ghost (representing in this case a giant cloud of
black smog), creeping up and engulfing the earth before anyone has time to notice. Why
though, then does she refer to it as passing “almost unnoticed”? It seems to me to sound a
tad bit arrogant in that the scientific world (including her) has noticed, but in the political
and economical worlds, it has been sufficiently ignored. This is true however because in
the worlds of economics and politics, sometimes being environmentally friendly isn’t
always cheap. I also presume that this is what she means by “imagined tragedy” in that
scientists have given the world fair warning. Most people now are aware of the problems
(not always to their fullest extent but they know they are happening). Scientists as well as
writers have predicted what will happen to us and our planet as conditions get worse.
Rachel Carson seems to imply that the world is procrastinating on the global issues that
need attention now. She says that if we keep doing so, one day, without warning, the
environment in some places may become beyond repairable. The world will not be able to
procrastinate anymore as the tragedy painted in “A Fable for Tomorrow” will become “a
stark reality we shall all know.”
The Reader’s Journey, Volume 1
© 2010 Duke University Talent Identification Program
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