Rachel Carson (1907-­‐1964) was educated at John Hopkins University and conducted research at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. She worked as a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and served as chief editor of publications from 1947 to 1952. She wrote many books and articles about the sea, including Under the Sea-­‐Wind (1941); The Sea Around Us (1951), which won a National Book Award; and The Eagle of the Sea (1955). Carson was among the first scientists to raise environmental issues for the general public, and her vies and insights have greatly influenced the environmental movement. The readings that follow – “A Fabled for Tomorrow” and “The Obligation to Endure” – are the first two chapters of Silent Spring (1962), a book that “changed the course of history,” according to former vice president Al Gore. It led to John F. Kennedy’s presidential commission on the environment, as well as the banning of the use of the poison DDT in agriculture. Excerpt from "Silent Spring" By Rachel Carson, 1962 I. A Fable for Tomorrow There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings. The town lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields. In autumn, oak and maple and birch set up a blaze of color that flamed and flickered across a backdrop of pines. Then foxes barked in the hills and deer silently crossed the fields, half hidden in the mists of the fall mornings. Along the roads, laurel, viburnum and alder, great ferns and wildflowers delighted the traveler's eye through much of the year. Even in winter the roadsides were places of beauty, where countless birds came to feed on the berries and on the seed heads of the dried weeds rising above the snow. The countryside was, in fact, famous for the abundance and variety of its bird life, and when the flood of migrants was pouring through in spring and fall people traveled from great distances to observe them. Others came to fish the streams, fish flowed clear and cold out of the hills and contained shady pools where trout lay. So it had been from the days many years ago when the first settlers raised their houses, sank their wells, and built their barns. 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 was a shadow of death. The farmers spoke of much illness among their families. In the town the doctors had become more and more puzzled by new kinds of sickness appearing among their patients. There had been several sudden and unexplained deaths, not only among adults but even among children, who would be stricken suddenly while at play and die within a few hours. There was a strange stillness. The birds, for example—where had they gone? Many people spoke of them, puzzled and disturbed. The feeding stations in the backyards were deserted. The few birds seen anywhere were moribund; they trembled violently and could not fly. It was spring without voices. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, jays, wrens, and scores of other bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh. On the farms the hens brooded, but no chicks hatched. The farmers complained that they were unable to raise any pigs—the litters were small and the young survived only a few days. The apple trees were coming into bloom but no bees droned among the blossoms, so there was no pollination and there would be no fruit. The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire. These, too, were silent, deserted by all living things. Even the streams were now lifeless. Anglers no longer visited them, for all the fish had died. In the gutters under the eaves and between the shingles of the roofs, a white granular powder still showed a few patches; some weeks before it had fallen like snow upon the roofs and the lawns, the fields and streams. No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the birth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves. This town does not actually exist, but it might easily have a thousand counterparts in America or elsewhere in the world. I know of no community that has experienced all the misfortunes I describe. Yet every one of these disasters has actually happened somewhere, and many real communities have already suffered a substantial number of them. A grim specter has crept upon us almost unnoticed, and this imagined tragedy may easily become a stark reality we all shall know. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rhetorical Précis: Okay vs. Better “The Ugly Truth About Beauty” Model
1
2
3
4
Okay
In "The Ugly Truth about Beauty"
(1998), Dave Barry argues that
women obsess about their
physical appearance too much.
Barry first supports this claim by
describing how men care little
about their looks, then showing
women as being self-conscious,
and finally explaining the
differences between men and
women.
He speaks of these differences in
order to make women feel
better about themselves.
Barry adopts a humorous tone for
his audience of men and women.
Better
In "The Ugly Truth about Beauty" (1998), syndicated columnist Dave
Barry argues that "...women generally do not think of their looks in the
same way that men do" (4).
or
In "The Ugly Truth about Beauty" (1998), Dave Barry satirizes the
unnecessary ways that women obsess about their physical appearance.
Barry illuminates this discrepancy by juxtaposing men's perceptions of
their looks ("average-looking") with women's ("not good enough"), by
contrasting female role models (Barbie, Cindy Crawford) with male role
models (He-Man, Buzz-Off), and by comparing men's interests (the Super
Bowl, lawn care) with women's (manicures).
He exaggerates and stereotypes these differences in order to prevent
women from so eagerly accepting society's expectation of them.
Barry ostensibly addresses men in this essay because he opens and closes
the essay directly addressing men (as in "If you're a man...”) and offering
to give them advice in a mockingly conspiratorial fashion; however, by
using humor to poke fun at both men and women’s perceptions of
themselves, Barry makes his essay palatable to women as well, hoping to
convince them to stop obsessively "thinking they need to look like
Barbie" (8).
Use the space below to write an accurate, sophisticated, structured rhetorical précis.
Rhetorical Précis Practice
Sentence 1 – Name the author, [optional: a phrase describing author], genre and title of work date in parentheses
(additional publishing information in parentheses or note); use a rhetorically accurate verb (see partial list
below) and a that clause containing the major assertion (thesis statement of the work).
Sentence 2 – Explain how the author develops and/or supports the thesis, usually in chronological order.
Sentence 3 – State the author’s apparent purpose followed by an “in order to” phrase to show insight.
Sentence 4 – Describe the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience and
address the essay’s tone.
Passage Analysis: Rhetorical Précis Review and Practice
Name:______________________________________________ Period: ____________ 1. Speaker – Evaluate Rachel Carson based on the short description found above the passage. Pleases write
in several complete sentences.
What can we assume about Rachel Carson? How might Carson’s background shape her point of view?
2. Use the chart below to analyze the entire passage for content, purpose, and style.
Para. What is the content?
Style - List the
What is the purpose?
#
rhetorical strategies the
Focus on the main idea and specific
Use a rhetorically accurate verb to
author uses to deliver
details from the text to write an easy describe what the author is trying
the major points of the
to understand version of the
to accomplish in each paragraph.
passage.
passage.
Be sure to include a short
elaboration, as well.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
3. What is the major assertion of this passage? What is Carson’s message?
4. Determine the tone of the passage. Use the chart below to analyze Carson’s tone. Then, record two
specific tone words to capture the complexity of the speech.
D I D L S Diction – What words does the author choose? Consider his/her word choice compared to another. Why did the author choose that particular word? What are the connotations of that word choice? Images -­‐ What images does the author use? What does he/she focus on in a sensory (sight, touch, taste, smell, etc.) way? Do the kinds of images the author puts in or leaves out reflect his/her style? Are they vibrant? Prominent? Plain? NOTE: Images differ from detail in the degree to which they appeal to the senses. Details -­‐ What details does the author choose to include? What do they imply? What does the author choose to exclude? What are the connotations of their choice of details? PLEASE NOTE: Details are facts or fact-­‐lets. They differ from images in that they don't have a strong sensory appeal. Language -­‐ What is the overall impression of the language the author uses? Does it reflect education? A particular profession? Intelligence? Is it plain? Ornate? Simple? Clear? Figurative? Poetic? Sentence Structure -­‐ What are the sentences like? Are they simple with one or two clauses? Do they have multiple phrases? Are they choppy? Flowing? Sinuous like a snake? Is there antithesis, chiasmus, parallel construction? What emotional impression do they leave? If we are talking about poetry, what is the meter? Is there a rhyme scheme? Tone Word #1:
Tone Word #2: