If someone were to ask me what life in 1960's America was like, I would probably say that it must have been a time where technological advances created a time of constant excitement and hope for the future. After all, this was a time in which our country would go on to be the first to be able to actually send a man to the moon. And although even today we still feel a sense of patriotism and trust in our leaders, I would imagine that in 1960, there was almost a blind trust that the decisions our leaders made were only made with an eye towards bettering our life. This is why if our country announced the invention of a new pesticide, built by the top scientists of the world to eradicate disease an infections carried by insects, in 1960's I would have probably responded with a sense of pride, security, and the gloating thought that our country was in fact the best country in the world. Therefore, if I were to have read the Silent Spring in 1960's America, many things about the book would have greatly disturbed me. Not only would it have been a wake-up call that those in power don't always make the best decisions, but it would have also made me realize how most technological advances don't usually come without a price.
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In Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, she writes about DDT, one of the most powerful pesticides ever made. Instead of only being able to target a specific kind of insect, DDT had the ability to kill hundreds of insects all at once. The potential for DDT to protect us against diseases carried by harmful insects, made DDT the pesticide of choice. It was thought to be a great technological advance. However, what most people didn't know is that DDT's harmful effects outweighed it's benefits. I could imagine reading Carson's book and feeling as if I had been lied to. For example, Carson writes about how DDT not only kills the targeted harmful insects, but also those that are helpful to the environment.
