It has been called the book that started the modern environmental movement, and also the voice of the birds and the bees. The book is Silent Spring, and its legacy still endures over fifty-four years after it was published in 1962. Rachel Carson, the author of the novel is no longer with us, but her words continue to inspire environmentalists and readers alike with a promise of singing birds and clean air free of pesticides. Linda Lear, Class of 1962, is a well-respected author like Carson, and in her own right, has become an expert on all historical knowledge pertaining to Silent Spring and its famous author. On Oct. 19, the college community came together for a talk given by Ms. Lear to discuss the acclaimed novel and why its legacy still endures.
As part of the new Connections curriculum, all first-years were required to read Silent Spring over the summer. The assignment of the book was only the beginning of the discussion on this classic book. The talk titled, “Writing as if Life Matters: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring” reflected on the importance of Carson’s book on our society. Carson, like Lear, gave a voice to a time in history that is often overlooked due to anti-Vietnam war sediment and the Civil Rights Movement. Yet the 1960s and the Cold War Era were a time of change that awakened America’s consciousness. Rachel Carson woke up the American public and gave it the chance to launch an environmental movement that still inspires generations looking for a planet free of pesticides and where all animals could roam free. Carson, like Lear, considered herself a “witness” for nature. She struggled to earn the respect of the people, but found allies like President John F. Kennedy and Senator Abraham Ribicoff of Connecticut who would soon see the need for environmental legislation and shape public opinion. It was Senator Ribicoff who called Carson a modern day Harriet Beecher Stowe. Carson’s book, like Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin changed the world; to this day, Silent Spring still has readers and followers alike. It has tested time and our consciousness.
For students, guests and faculty alike, the event was, “a wonderful opportunity to hear from an authority [Lear]” said President Bergeron. The College Voice reached out to Jefferson Singer, Dean of the College and has yet to receive comment. President Bergeron’s words speak of the college’s dedication to “educating the Liberal Arts” by bringing alumni back to our campus to speak of their passions and research in their respective fields. Taking time to answer questions from a nervous reporter, Linda Lear began by telling me that her time at Conn “changed her life.” When speaking of a liberal arts education, Conn allowed Ms. Lear to explore and find her passion in history. This passion certainly shows in the depth of knowledge Lear has of Rachel Carson and her legacy on the modern environmental movement. With the college archives bearing her name in our library, Lear has clearly left her mark at the college and in the literary world. Benjamin Panciera, Director of Special Collections at the Lear Center said of Lear, ““Her contributions have allowed archives and special collections to become an integral part of the institution.”
On DDT, the pesticide that Carson longed to see banned, Carson wrote in Silent Spring, “Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species – man – acquired significant power to alter the nature of the world.” Environmentalism, whether you believe in it or not, will be an issue that will stand the test of time, and author Linda Lear has made that clear to our community.•
