Rachel carsons silent spring
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How does the author of the following extract use language to convey changes and contrasts in mood and meaning?
In extracts from the first chapter of Rachel Carson's publication 'Silent Spring', the author introduces the idea of environmental awareness .She leads us from the past 'harmony' in extract one, through 'blight' in extract two and on to the present situation being a 'grim spectre.upon us', finishing with her question about the future and purpose of her book.
Extract one sets the scene of a seemingly idyllic, naturally beautiful and bountiful American town by using images of 'prosperous farms' 'countless birds' and huge varieties of trees and plants that 'delighted the traveller's eye'. This creates a mood of tranquillity and contentment. She writes the first extract in the style of a fairy tale; writing passively in the past tense, beginning 'There was once.', and using long descriptive sentences that encourage reading at a leisurely pace. The author uses images of colour and warmth to invoke feelings of contentment and tranquillity with 'green fields' and 'white clouds of bloom' and of a whole 'blaze' of colour in autumn trees that 'flamed and flickered'. There is a strong sense of nature flourishing with the presence of wild animals behaving naturally; 'foxes barked' and 'deer silently crossed fields'...