Term paper on Rachel Carsons Book

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Beowulf - Analysis Of The Epic-
Beowulf - Analysis of the Epic- The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is the most important work of Old English literature, and is well deserved of the distinction. The epic tells the story of a hero, a Scandinavian prince named Beowulf, who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, a descendent of Cain,

Operation Bluestar
Operation Blue star The lives of thousands, the calm, the friendship and the peace were all taken away when an existing Government lost its power following the elections in India in. To what extent will one go to regain lost power? And how much is it worth? These are questions that one encounters w

Rachel Carson s Silent Spring begins with a short story depicting a made-up town in the

heart of America where all life once lived in harmony with its surroundings. Carson quickly

presents her central issue by quickly describing the disasters this made-up town faces. Because

what silenced the made-up town was the inhabitants and their ignorance to the environmental

hazards they had imposed as a result of their decisions. Although the town does not exist, the

potential of the occurrence of these disasters is an eye-opener for the reader, as well as a great

lead in for the book.

A reoccuring theme in biology, life is a result of the interaction between living things and

their non-living environment. However, this balance is disrrupted when the non-living

environment is contaminated by dangeroud materials. Carson states that since the 1940's over

200 basic chemicals have been created for killing insects, weeds, rodents, and other organisms

considered pests by our society. The introduction of such chemicals into our environment

have caused an unmeasurable amount of damage. The environmental damage caused by a

pesticide must be measured in the totality of life forms it affects, ie., along the entire food chain.

Sprays to kill mosquitoes accululate in fish, in fish-eating birds, and in mammals eating birds

and fish (including man!).

Today s insecticides are no match to the inorganics and the Arsenicals used before World

War I. Of these, the most widely used can be classified as either DDT or the organic phosphorus

insecticides. DDT is a chlorinated hydrocarbon. Many believe this pesticide is harmless

because there have been a substantial number of people that have come in contact withteh

chemical and have suffered no physical damage. But the truth is that DDT is very harmful.

Although the harmful properities of the chemical is not seen immediately, its damageing

characteristics become measurable as the chemical is passed on from organism to organism

through the food chain; becoming more and more harmful with each transfer. Long term

exposure to pesticides may result in the gradual accumulation of a lethal dose. While the residue

at the time of application may be within an acceptable tolerance, fat-soluble compounds may

continue to accumulate in body fat and in substances like milk to very high levels. These

chlorinated hydrocarbons were directly responsible for tremendous environmental damage.

Several species of birds were driven to near extinction before the full impact of the insecticide

was realized. As for Phosphorus insecticides, there are obvious hazards. This chemical is

known for its acute poisoning of people such as people who spray it or people that may come in

contact with it through drifting spray comming from vegetation coated with it. By destroying

enzymes in the body that perform specific functions, the physical harm done to the person is very

quickly. To workers dealing with teh...