The Poison Sky

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.