I. Warming up

1.Work in pairs to name five environmental problems that are threatening our world.

2.We are faced with all kinds of environmental problems nowadays. But what is the one that Rachel Carson dealt with in her book Silent Spring?

3.How do chemicals affect the environment and people?

4.Does Carson mean that insecticides should never be used in agriculture?

II. Background

Rachel Carson (1907-1964) biologist, writer, ecologist

Her life

intense love for nature since her childhood→“Humans have now acquired a fateful power to alter and to destroy nature. But Man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.” ―Rachel Carson

She was once bitterly attacked: “an anti-humanitarian crank, a priestess of nature, and a hysterical woman”

But she courageously went on fighting until her idea caught on and more and more people joined in.→the mother of modern environmental movement

Her works:

1. When was it published?

2. Who was the author?

3. What is it about? What is its central argument?

4. How was it received?

5. How significant is it now?

6. Does it still make sense now?

III. Text analysis

1.Theme

Questions for thinking:

(1)What can you infer about Carson’s view of the relation between man and nature?

(2)Was her view common in her time?

(3)How do you arrive at this inference?

2.Structure

3.Logic&Technique

4. Detailed Analysis

(1) Part I: Main Idea

Contrast: a town before &after the disaster

(2) Part II: Discussion

1)Why did the author paint such a beautiful picture of a non-existent town?

2)What was she trying to appeal to?

(3) Part III: Discussion

1)How has man changed the relation between organisms and their surroundings

2)In what way has man’s power changed in character? (para. 11)

3)How do chemicals affect our life? (para. 11)

“passing from one to another in a chain of poisoning and death”

4)What are the two examples given by the author as man’s tampering with nature? (paras. 11-13)

5)Why is man’s change of the world particularly devastating? (paras. 12-14)

(4) Part IV: Discussion

1)Why are pesticides not a good solution? (3 reasons)

They kill indiscriminately, reducing biodiversity. (para. 16)

They contaminate the entire environment. (para. 16)

residual effect

They couldn’t solve the pest problem. (para. 17)

resistance to chemicals

resurgence induced by pesticides

2)What does the “endless spiral” refer to? (para. 17)

3)What does the author mean by saying “all life is caught up in its violent crossfire”? (para. 17)

4)What is the author’s attitude towards man’s use of chemicals? How is it implied?

Rhetorical questions:

“Can anyone believe it is … ?”(para. 16)

“How could intelligent beings…?” (para. 18)

(5) Part V: Discussion

1)What principles should we follow to solve the pest problem? (para. 19)

2)How did the pest problem come into being?

intensification of agriculture (para. 20)

invasion of imported species (paras. 21-23)

3)Does spreading of organisms to new places happen in nature? How does it happen? What is the primary factor in this natural process?

geological element, i.e. separating and rejoining of lands

which took millions of years to complete (para. 21)

4)What are the sensible measures to solve the pest problem?(para. 24)

to avoid suppressing “pests”

to get more knowledge

to promote an even balance

(6) Part VI: Discussion

1)How did Carson’s view contrast with the popular attitude towards nature of her time?

2)Any thoughts about the text, the book and the controversy it arouses?

•What is the right attitude to nature?

•How do you look at human being’s role in nature?

•Is our intelligence a blessing or a curse?

•How should we look at science and technology?

•Where did Carson’s sense of mission come from?