Table of Contents
I. Group Members
II. Sources
III. And No Birds Sing
A. Main Ideas
1. pictures
B. Quotes
C. Summary
D. About the author
Group members
- Jamie
- Carol
- Brianna
- Amira
- Rachel
- Will
- Christine
- Joseph
Sources
- Whaley, Brianna. "Chapter 8 Questions - 1,2,4." English I PrAP. 19 April 2007. 29 May 2007 <http://www.classblogmeister.com/blog.php?user_id=21053&blogger_id=39889>.
- Xylophanes , tersa. "Wild birds information." Wild birds information. 2005. May 29, 2007 http://www.birds-n-garden.com/wild_birds_diseases.html.
- Keller, Geoffery . "American Robin." Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. 2000. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. May 29, 2007 <http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/AMEROB/>.
- Harrison, Karl. "DDT @ 3Dchem.com." DDT @ 3Dchem.com : banned insecticides. August 1997. 29 may 2007 <http://www.3dchem.com/molecules.asp?ID=90>.
- "Elm care.com." Febuary 4, 2007. 29 May 2007 <http://www.elmcare.com/about_elms/about_elms.htm>.
- lear, linda. "rachel carson biography." the life and legacy of rachel carson. 2007. connecticut college. 29 May 2007 <http://www.rachelcarson.org/?v1=About>.
And No Birds Sing
And No Birds Sing
Main Idea of Chapter 8:
Problem: The main problem that occurs in this chapter is a result of pesticides being sprayed on elm trees. The continued use of pesticides onthese elm trees over the course of several years led to the suden decling of birds in the town.
Main Idea:
This chapter is telling about an incident in 1954 that had to do with the spraying of poisons on elm trees to save and protect them. People weren't thinking about the effects that the spray would have on the birds or anything because they were just focusing on the trees. In the story it states that a fungus disease was making its way to the roots of the elm trees and causing them to die. In response to all the trees dying or becoming unhealthy, people began to start buying pesticides whcih tehy believed were harmless. They didn't notice any problems with the decline of brds until the constant use of the spray went on.
(group 4 - Block F)
+ the main idea of this chapter was to explain the beginning effects of DDT. The title "and no birds sing" refers to how quiet at the Michigan University Campus becuase all of the usual robins were dying. They were dying because DDT was being sprayed on the trees that they usually nested in. When the old leaves died and fell to the gound, earthworms ate them and the poison was stored in their bodies. The robins, coming in for spring, ate these worms and therefore infected themselves.
a can of DDT
dead baby birds
dutch elm disease
Quotes
(Amira H.)
1. “Wrens, robins, catbirds, and screech owls, have nested each year in our garden. They are none now. Summer mornings are without bird’s song. Only pest birds, pigeons, starlings, and English sparrows remain. It is tragic and I can’t bear it.”
2. "I have always loved our elm trees which seemed like trademarks on our landscape, but there are many kinds of trees......We must save our birds, too. Can anyone imagine anything as cheerless and dreary as springtime without a robin's song?" Cheerless and dreary springtime makes me imagine a very dull place that lacks beauty and nature because the air is filled with poisons and springtime has no joy.
3. “The sprayed area had become a lethal trap in which each wave of migrating robins would be eliminated in about a week. Then new arrivals would come in, only to add to the numbers of doomed birds seen on the campus in the agonized tremors that precede death.”
4. “The campus is serving as a graveyard for most of the robins that attempt to take up residence in the spring.”
5. ”The greatest enemy of insect life is other predatory insects, birds, and some small mammals, but DDT kills indiscriminately, including nature’s own safeguards or policemen.”
Summary
(Jamie G.)
In the chapter, No Birds Sing, the main point is to inform the readers on the use of chemicals such as DDT and the effect it has on the health of the environment, people, and humans. One species of birds that Rachel Carson especially focused on is the robin. DDT was used on elm trees to keep them free of disease. Elm bark beetles are the main culprits in spreading this disease. The disease is a fungus that invades the water conducting vessels of the tree and secretes poison that clogs and causes the branches to wilt and the tree to die. The robins were dying because of poisoning from the DDT that they got from the trees and the insects that came in contact with the trees. At the time, no one knew what was happening to the birds and other animals in the area. Scientists performed tests and experiments and determined that it was in fact DDT poisoning. The scientists that made these conclusions were Dr. Wallace and Dr. Gromme that compared the sprayed areas and the unsprayed areas. Other birds such as eagles were being affected by the DDT spraying also.
+ In this chapter, it talks about how DDT was being sprayed all over the trees in the Michigan University Campus. This killed off many of the usual robins that migrated there in the springtime.
The Author
(Carol H.)
The author, Rachel Carson, took on many a deal to publicly tell the world about DDT. Before, no one knew about what DDT did to the environment. By publishing Silent Spring, she saved many lives: human and animals alike. Rachel Carson was ridiculed and called crazy for her works, but she took the beating bravely. Her book opened the eyes of all, and since her book, there have been more people concerned for the environment. As a result, saving the environment went political. Now more politicians are adding the environment in their platforms. Despite all of the opposition she faced, she was only concerned about telling the world about the effects of DDT and get most of the people on her side.