CCSS
R.1, R.3, R.4, R.7, R.8, W.1, SL.1, L.5, L.6
The Poison Sky
A mysterious chemical was killing animals across America. This is the story of one woman who fought to find the truth— and taught our country to protect its air, land, and water.
Based on the Life of Rachel Carson
CHARACTERS
Check the character you’re going to read.
*Starred characters have larger speaking parts.
SCENE 1
Friend of Nature
Rachel Carson was a scientist and writer. She was one of the first Americans to fight to protect the environment.
Massachusetts, 1957
N1: Olga and Stuart Huckins sit on their front porch.
N2: Birds chirp as a warm breeze blows through the trees.
N1: Suddenly, there is a loud humming noise.
Olga: What is that?
Stuart (pointing): Look there.
N2: They watch a plane fly by.
N1: It sprays something over the woods on their land.
Olga: That plane is spraying poison again!
Stuart: It’s just killing the mosquitoes.
N2: Olga and Stuart walk through the woods.
N1: Olga gasps.
N2: Five songbirds lie on the ground—dead.
Olga: Something is wrong.
N1: There is a thud.
N2: A robin drops from a tree branch above.
N1: Its beak hangs open. Its claws are bent.
Stuart: What an awful death.
Olga: They are spraying chemicals on our land without asking us.
Stuart: What can we do?
Olga: I’m going to write to my friend Rachel.
Stuart: The nature writer?
Olga: Yes. She knows people in Washington, D.C. Maybe she can help.
SCENE 2
Rachel Carson’s home in Maryland
N2: Rachel sits at her desk.
N1: She picks up a letter and reads.
Olga (voice): Dear Rachel, the state of Massachusetts is spraying poison on our woods.
Rachel Carson (to herself): I bet it’s that pesticide DDT.
Olga (voice): The birds are dying. I don’t know what to do.
N2: Rachel reads another letter.
Miss Benson (voice): My horse drank water after DDT was sprayed on our farm. She died hours later.
N1: Rachel reads a third letter.
Mr. Murphy (voice): My ducklings are sick. Many do not hatch at all.
N2: Rachel dials the phone.
Carson: Mr. Murphy, this is Rachel Carson. I’d like to come visit your farm.
SCENE 3
Mr. Murphy’s farm in Pennsylvania
N1: Rachel stands outside a pigpen with Mr. Murphy.
Mr. Murphy: Miss Carson, I’ve read your magazine articles. I thought you could help.
Carson: I’m glad you wrote.
Mr. Murphy: What you are about to see will upset you.
N2: Mr. Murphy leads Rachel inside his pigpen.
N1: Seven newborn piglets lie still next to their mother.
Mr. Murphy: The entire litter was born dead.
Carson: How long has this been happening?
Mr. Murphy: Nine months ago, our farm was sprayed with DDT.
N2: Rachel shakes her head sadly.
Mr. Murphy: Since then, not one pig has been born alive.
Carson: I am going to do something about this.
SCENE 4
Rachel’s hotel room, that night
N1: Rachel listens to the radio. She hears an ad.
Actor 1: Are insects destroying your crops?
Actor 2: Are your farm animals bothered by flies?
Actor 1: Are your children being bitten by mosquitoes?
Actor 2: Now you can enjoy the insect-killing powers of DDT.
Actor 1: It’s healthy and safe!
Actor 2: Bigger vegetables, juicier fruits—all free from ugly worms.
Actor 1: Your cows will produce 20 percent more milk.
Actor 2: And your kids will be safe from disease when you get rid of pests with . . .
Actors 1 and 2: . . . DDT!
N2: Rachel turns off the radio.
Carson: DDT is not safe. People need to know the truth.
Miracle Chemical? (left)
Ads like this one from 1946 told families to spray their windows and walls with DDT products—and people listened. Here a mother uses DDT to protect her child’s room from bugs and mosquitoes.
Poison Everywhere (right)
In places with insect problems, planes sprayed fields and crops with DDT. Trucks rolled through towns and fogged the streets with DDT spray.
SCENE 5
Rachel’s home, 1960
N1: Rachel sits at her desk with a stack of notes.
N2: The phone rings.
Paul Brooks: Rachel, how is the book coming?
Carson: I need more time.
Brooks: But you’ve spent three years talking to farmers, scientists, and doctors.
Carson: Yes, but the story of pesticides is worse than we thought.
Brooks: How so?
Carson: DDT is meant to kill pests, but it affects every living thing.
Brooks: Tell me more.
Carson: The chemicals go into our soil and our streams. They end up in the food we eat and the water we drink.
Brooks: You’ve always said that all of nature is connected.
Carson: Paul, I had a terrible dream last night.
Brooks: What was it?
Carson: It was the first day of spring—except there were no chirping birds and no flowers or trees.
N1: Rachel shivers.
Carson: There were no animals, no people, and no children. Nothing alive. Everything was deadly quiet. A silent spring.
Brooks: Silent spring. I think you’ve got your book title.
SCENE 6
A meeting room, 1962
N2: Executives from chemical companies sit at a big table.
N1: A book lies on the table. Executive 1 jabs his finger at it.
Executive 1: Did you read Rachel Carson’s book?
Executive 2: She says we are poisoning Americans.
E1: She’s not even a scientist.
Executive 3: Actually, she’s a marine biologist.
E1: She’s a nature-loving nut who wants to ban ALL pesticides.
E3: No. She says we should study pesticides more before using them.
E2: Pesticides have saved the world.
E1: Without them, insects would eat all our crops.
E2: People would have no food.
E1: Bugs and disease would rule the Earth.
E3: But what if she’s right? What if our chemicals are harmful?
E2: Whose side are you on?
E3: I just—
E1: People will stop buying pesticides if they think the chemicals are dangerous.
E2: Our business will be ruined.
N2: Executive 1 pounds his fist on the table.
E1: We’ve got to convince the public not to trust her.
SCENE 7
Rachel’s home, 1963
N1: The chemical companies say Rachel’s book Silent Spring is a hoax.
N2: But the book is a best seller.
N1: A television reporter comes to her house.
Reporter: Miss Carson, the chemical companies say their products are safe.
Carson: These companies aren’t here to protect the public. They want to make money.
Reporter: About 900 million pounds of pesticides were used last year. Are they all harmful?
Carson: The problem is that pesticides don’t just kill bad insects.
Reporter: Please explain.
Carson: Say bark beetles are spreading disease in elm trees.
Reporter: OK.
Carson: DDT is sprayed on these trees to kill the beetles.
Reporter: That’s good, right?
Carson: But the leaves of these trees are now coated in poison. The leaves fall to the ground. Then earthworms eat them.
Reporter: I see.
Carson: Birds eat the earthworms. Now the birds are poisoned.
Reporter: Is DDT harmful to humans?
Carson: Cows eat hay that has been sprayed with DDT.
N2: The reporter nods.
Carson: DDT ends up in the milk and meat we get from those cows. This can make people sick. It can even cause cancer.
Reporter: Why did you write this book, Miss Carson?
Carson: Because when humans go to war with nature, nobody wins.
EPILOGUE
N1: Characters speak directly to the audience.
Carson: The chemical companies said I was a liar.
E1: But that only made Silent Spring more popular.
Olga: President John F. Kennedy read Rachel’s book.
Stuart: Then he ordered a panel to study pesticides.
Miss Benson: The public took notice too.
Mr. Murphy: People began to use these chemicals more carefully.
N2: In 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was formed.
Carson: And in 1972, DDT was banned in the U.S.
N1: The EPA is still around today.
N2: Its job is to protect human health.
N1: And to keep our air, water, and land safe.
Carson: And to make sure that no spring is ever silent.
ACTIVITY
Making an Inference
You’ve just read “The Poison Sky” Now it’s time to try this activity.
Tip: An inference is something that isn’t stated but can be figured out from clues in the text.
What to do: Imagine that you are Rachel Carson. A reporter is interviewing you about your best-selling book Silent Spring. Make inferences to answer each question below with at least one complete sentence.
What made you decide to study the effects of pesticides?
How did you feel when you heard the radio ad claiming that DDT was safe?
What do you think caused your dream about a silent spring?
The chemical companies said that you were lying about the effects of DDT. What proof showed that you weren’t lying?
You said that “when humans go to war with nature, nobody wins.” What did you mean?
