Rachel Carson, The Marginal World

Rachel Carson, who wrote this essay, The Marginal World, was a very accomplished marine biologist, whose book Silent Spring greatly increased peoples environmental awareness. This essay is about Carson’s several breathtaking experiences at the shore, and how this ancient place where the land meets the water can still teach us things today. As Carson recounts her experiences, she uses lots of vivid imagery to capture the beauty of an exact moment from each of the places that she visited, whether it be describing a sparkling pool in a remote cave or the birds flying above she uses such detail that the reader can get a picture of in their mind. The reader is then introduced to Carson’s purpose, she says that, “Underlying the beauty of the spectacle there is meaning and significance… that sends us again and again into the natural world where the key to the riddle is hidden”. What she means is, the way that nature is so simple, but also so amazingly beautiful at the same time puzzles us humans and we often return seeking an explanation to how it all works. Carson weaved a very permanent picture in the readers’ heads to tell these average people that nature is beautiful and holds the answers to life’s questions and (using her background an environmental activist) that it should be preserved so that everyone can enjoy it’s beauty and mystery. Rachel Carson did a great job of slowly introducing the readers to her point, up until the end the reader believes that it is just her retelling her marvelous encounter with nature. But she introduced her purpose for writing this is a very memorable and concise way that will stick with people. This essay is very effective and Rachel Carson did a very good job of informing her readers of how beautiful nature is and how we need to preserve it.

Connecting With the Shore
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