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May 2008To Coin a Phrase: silent springRachel Carson was born May 27, 1907. In her 56 years, the biologist and writer wrote beautiful prose that led readers to reflect on her notion that "man is a part of nature and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself." In 1962, two years before her death, Carson published Silent Spring, credited with helping launch the environmental movement. The phrase silent spring quickly caught on with the public. Read more. Initially, silent spring was used the way Rachel Carson had, to name a spring without songbirds caused by use of toxic chemicals that poison the food chain and destroy the balance of nature. The phrase then came to name an ecological disaster, such as one caused by the unrestricted use of toxic chemicals. Eventually, silent spring also became a byword for a groundbreaking book which has the same effect on public opinion as Carson's book. Interested in reading about more allusions? See Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Allusions. |