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Basic Hermeneutics for Youth Workers, written by Anthony Delgado, provides the basic Bible study tools necessary for most youth workers, in a single compact, easy to understand volume. This book will aid busy youth workers in their orthodox understanding of God's word. Anthony Delgado
05 Jul. 2008
A Fable for Tomorrow
Rachel Carson’s “A Fable for Tomorrow” is a fictional tale of destruction designed to address factual effects of pesticide use society. It is a compilation of problems that have taken place in real localities as a result of pesticide use, intended to support the author’s view that pesticides are dangerous for human life, animal life and the ecosystem. This dark tale contrasts the destruction of a town with its vivacious beginnings, using three major methods of persuasion to convince the reader that pesticide use is detrimental to all life weather animal or human. Carson speaks of death and the inability to reproduce as a way to address the primary ethical issue; the right to sustenance of life. Carson builds a logical argument that all of the destruction is grounded in factual events that took place in other American communities. Finally, she addresses the emotional response through the destruction of the town. Specifically, she chooses to address common environmental pleasures such as song birds and flowers as an attempt to generalize the audience and relate to something that all Americans enjoy.
The first ethical element in the story is the development of illness which began to cause unexplained death. “Everywhere there was a shadow of death” (Carson 82). In all cultures across the globe, sustenance of life is an ethical issue. Mankind’s natural morality is based in man’s ability to exist. According to the USCCB, the “Judeo-Christian moral tradition”, which the United States was founded upon, “celebrates life” (USCCB).
Ethical persuasion is used further as it is explained that they are unable to sustain the remaining life because they are unable to breed their livestock and due to a lack of insects, pollination would not take place on the fruit trees. This affects the town’s ability to produce food which has ethical consequences of its own in addition to death. SUSTAIN, a group set out to improve nutritive quality of food in developing countries says that “poor access to safe, affordable, and nutritious foods compromise the well-being and productive potential of many of the world’s people (SUSTAIN).” In the story, this element is brought into this American town, specifically the well-being of the town’s people and the productive potential of them as they are unable to produce food.
The story opens by generalizing the town as a way of appealing to the general American audience. She describes the town as, “in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings” (Carson 81). The story was published in 1962 when the average American living outside of major metropolitan areas could relate to this natural surrounding. This generalization is the foundation for the logical argument contained in the conclusion of the tail, that where all of these ailments have not taken place in one location, to her knowledge, they have all taken place somewhere in American. She implies that instances are increasing when she says, “real communities have already suffered a substantial number” directly after saying that, “every one of these disasters has actually happened somewhere” (Carson 83). The erroneous element of the argument is that she does not spend much time relating to Americans and merely suggest they are the audience without providing factual evidence.
Carson continues the theme of a generalized audience when she begins an emotional argument addressing the affects of the pesticides on common environmental pleasures such as song birds and flowers. “On the morning that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of robins…and scores of other bird voices there was now no sound;” (Carson 82). This is a statistical appeal to the emotional side of man as most are indwelled with a deep respect and appreciation for wildlife.
The author takes the emotional argument to an extreme by introducing fantastic elements into a seemingly realistic story when she says, “Some evil spell had settled on the community: (Carson 82)” The idea of evil strikes fear in men because it is the unknown. She then clarifies the metaphor of an evil spell by explaining that it is “mysterious maladies” (82) which have “swept the flocks…, the cattle and sheep” (82). The explanation gives the reader a respect for the true depth of the problem.
The authors use these three methods of persuasion succeed in convincing readers of the detrimental effects of pesticide use to all life, animal and human. Carson attacks mans greatest moral issues by challenging mans ability to sustain life. She reasons with the reader by generalizing the environment in order to relate to the majority of rural American communities and then grabs at your heart through the destruction of the town and all that is good in it, which the reader is now relating to their own; a successful persuasion on the argument of pesticide use in America.
Works Cited
Carson, Rachel. “A Fable for Tomorrow.” The Mercury Reader. Ed. Natalie Danner.
Houghton Mifflin Company. 81-83.
SUSTAIN. “Expertise In Food Technology Can Reduce Malnutrition And Poverty.”
5 July, 2008. <http://www.sustaintech.org/activities10.htm>
USCCB. “Moral Principles.” 5 July, 2008.
<http://www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/euthanas/nutmoral.shtml>
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