Historic Figures
WITH THE NAME RACHEL
Rachel of the bible is extremely important as the mother of Joseph (of the many-colored coat) and Benjamin, and as the wife of Jacob. When Jacob first comes upon her, he falls in love immediately, as she “…was lovely in form and beautifulâ€, and so he agrees to work for her father, Laban, for seven years in return for her hand. The wily old Laban, however, has other plans. At the wedding feast he substitutes Rachel’s older sister, Leah, under the veil. Leah, we are delicately told, was not quite the looker her sister was, having “weak eyes†(perhaps this means she wore an ancient version of coke-bottle glasses?). Laban tells Jacob this is only appropriate, as the elder sister should marry first, but not to worry – another seven years of unpaid labor and Rachel will be his. Jacob goes for it. Leah may not be a beauty queen, but a baby-maker she is in spades, especially of sons. Rachel is so jealous that she sends her maidservant to Jacob to produce a couple of sons on her behalf. Finally after many years, Rachel gives birth to Joseph and then to Benjamin, after which she dies. Joseph becomes the favorite child of his father, although one has to wonder if he really could keep all those children straight.
Rachel Carson is the author of “Silent Springâ€, her 1962 prizewinning expose of the harm being done to the environment by chemicals. Having worked as a scientist and editor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she had already published numerous pamphlets, scripts and articles on the conservation of natural resources, as well as three books about the sea. It was her anxiety about the increasing use of synthetic pesticides after World War II that caused her to turn her attention in that direction, and Silent Spring was the result. Vilified by corporate chemists, agriculturists and even government agencies, she held firm to her convictions, and the book was a runaway success. Rachel Carson died in 1964, but her legacy is an astounding one – no less than a 180 degree turnaround in how we, the human creatures “in charge†of this great planet, are beginning to think about and act toward the world we live in. She can truly be lauded as “The Mother of Environmentalismâ€.
Rachel of the bible is extremely important as the mother of Joseph (of the many-colored coat) and Benjamin, and as the wife of Jacob. When Jacob first comes upon her, he falls in love immediately, as she “…was lovely in form and beautifulâ€, and so he agrees to work for her father, Laban, for seven years in return for her hand. The wily old Laban, however, has other plans. At the wedding feast he substitutes Rachel’s older sister, Leah, under the veil. Leah, we are delicately told, was not quite the looker her sister was, having “weak eyes†(perhaps this means she wore an ancient version of coke-bottle glasses?). Laban tells Jacob this is only appropriate, as the elder sister should marry first, but not to worry – another seven years of unpaid labor and Rachel will be his. Jacob goes for it. Leah may not be a beauty queen, but a baby-maker she is in spades, especially of sons. Rachel is so jealous that she sends her maidservant to Jacob to produce a couple of sons on her behalf. Finally after many years, Rachel gives birth to Joseph and then to Benjamin, after which she dies. Joseph becomes the favorite child of his father, although one has to wonder if he really could keep all those children straight.
Rachel Carson is the author of “Silent Springâ€, her 1962 prizewinning expose of the harm being done to the environment by chemicals. Having worked as a scientist and editor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she had already published numerous pamphlets, scripts and articles on the conservation of natural resources, as well as three books about the sea. It was her anxiety about the increasing use of synthetic pesticides after World War II that caused her to turn her attention in that direction, and Silent Spring was the result. Vilified by corporate chemists, agriculturists and even government agencies, she held firm to her convictions, and the book was a runaway success. Rachel Carson died in 1964, but her legacy is an astounding one – no less than a 180 degree turnaround in how we, the human creatures “in charge†of this great planet, are beginning to think about and act toward the world we live in. She can truly be lauded as “The Mother of Environmentalismâ€.
Rachel Carson is the author of “Silent Springâ€, her 1962 prizewinning expose of the harm being done to the environment by chemicals. Having worked as a scientist and editor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she had already published numerous pamphlets, scripts and articles on the conservation of natural resources, as well as three books about the sea. It was her anxiety about the increasing use of synthetic pesticides after World War II that caused her to turn her attention in that direction, and Silent Spring was the result. Vilified by corporate chemists, agriculturists and even government agencies, she held firm to her convictions, and the book was a runaway success. Rachel Carson died in 1964, but her legacy is an astounding one – no less than a 180 degree turnaround in how we, the human creatures “in charge†of this great planet, are beginning to think about and act toward the world we live in. She can truly be lauded as “The Mother of Environmentalismâ€.
Rachel of the bible is extremely important as the mother of Joseph (of the many-colored coat) and Benjamin, and as the wife of Jacob. When Jacob first comes upon her, he falls in love immediately, as she “…was lovely in form and beautifulâ€, and so he agrees to work for her father, Laban, for seven years in return for her hand. The wily old Laban, however, has other plans. At the wedding feast he substitutes Rachel’s older sister, Leah, under the veil. Leah, we are delicately told, was not quite the looker her sister was, having “weak eyes†(perhaps this means she wore an ancient version of coke-bottle glasses?). Laban tells Jacob this is only appropriate, as the elder sister should marry first, but not to worry – another seven years of unpaid labor and Rachel will be his. Jacob goes for it. Leah may not be a beauty queen, but a baby-maker she is in spades, especially of sons. Rachel is so jealous that she sends her maidservant to Jacob to produce a couple of sons on her behalf. Finally after many years, Rachel gives birth to Joseph and then to Benjamin, after which she dies. Joseph becomes the favorite child of his father, although one has to wonder if he really could keep all those children straight.
