Carson characterizes the farmer’s usage of pesticides as a war waged against nature in order to elicit guilt for society’s mistreatment of nature, rebuking humans for their egocentric actions. She describes how the farmers “engage [spray planes]” on the “roosting sites” of blackbirds, depicting humans as the opponents of nature. In juxtaposing the severity of militaristic weapons with the tender, simplistic image of feeding animals, Carson constructs a battle in which humans have the upper hand, shaming society for their ruthless exploitation of a seemingly weaker force. Carson also exaggerates the malicious intent of the farmers by claiming that the farmers dispatch planes on a “mission of death,” portraying the slaughter of blackbirds as
