Written by Michael Pollan, this book is his perspective of human nature in relation to plants. He theorizes that Nature’s creation symbolize our emotional and physical desires. Pollan uses four plants to prove his theory: Apples, Tulips, Marijuana, and Potatoes.
Apples, Pollan explains, mirror every human’s desire for sweetness. He writes of Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), a man who planted apple trees all across America. He explains that Johnny Appleseed was not mythical or legendary, but that he was a real person who, like any other man or woman, had a desire for sweetness. Pollan writes that the apples that John Chapman planted were usually pressed into a sweet cider, both delicious and nutritious. It seems that Pollan uses this cider as a metaphor for human’s love of delicious food, sex, and good health.
Tulips represent beauty, says Pollan. He explains that in 17th century Holland, the beauty of the tulip was considered more valuable than money. In fact a man paid the price of a town house for a single tulip bulb. Pollan assimilates the tulip with human vanity. He compares the 17th century ‘tulip craze’ to the modern woman spending hours in front of a mirror painting her face with make-up, and the power that our aesthetical preferences’ has in our lives.
Marijuana mirrors man’s love of intoxication. Pollan believes that marijuana’s natural occurrence within the ecosystem represents, and perhaps validates, our desire to get high or stoned. However, human’s desire of intoxication is dangerous, because we begin to manufacture and enhance natural substances, turning them into dangerous and highly addictive narcotics (i.e., turning poppies into heroin, coca leaves into cocaine).
Potatoes, Pollan writes, represent the human desire for control. The potato is a wonderful gift that mother nature has given us, and we have used it for all that it is worth (i.e., potato chips, French fries). We have even genetically modified potatoes to create the infamous Bt potato, an example of our need to control and desire for unrealistic and unnecessary perfection.
Michael Pollan uses the potato to address the idea of control, in particular, whether we have control over nature or it has control over us. Potatoes were first found in South America growing in the Andes. The ancestors of the Incas lived in that area and were the first known humans to cultivate these potatoes for human consumption (Pollan 131). When settlers came to the New World they marveled at these new crops that grew from spuds and shipped them back to Europe. Potatoes became the crop of choice for peasant farmers, particularly in Ireland, because they contained most of the necessary nutrition required for healthy living and they grew well in nutrient-poor soils. The farmers growing these
In the early 16th century the Netherlands experienced what was called “tulip mania” this was the beginning of the nations love for flora and foliage (Taylor 13). The result of this impressive flower invasion was a society that took a historical turn from which the results still remain today. Flower merchants, botanists and floral still life artists, were occupations that were an accurate reflection of the Netherlands demands (Brown). An interesting example of a life that was effected by, and devoted to the archiving of the flower craze was Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750) the 17th century Dutch flower painter. Rachel Ruyschs’ career straddled the 17th and 18th century, and her stunningly accurate floral pieces reflect the maturing, yet evolving art of floral still life painting (“Rachel Ruysch: Bibliography”). Ruyschs’ Still Life with Flowers on a Marble Tabletop (1716) is an excellent example of a painting that appropriately represents the genre of art that was created solely through specific societal events.
As author Hope Jahren brings to light the trials and tribulations she faces as a female scientist, she stresses the importance of patience and survival through her journey in Lab Girl. Jahren is exposed to the harsh stereotypes and rigorous field work in her studies, but instead of letting her struggles define her, she is resilient. The power of language is shown throughout the novel as Jahren afflicts to her audience the importance of the relationship we as humans need to build with nature. Throughout the novel, Jahren uses language literally and figuratively in her chapters in order to express the value of a human and nature relationship. In each chapter, Jahren is able to make science more approachable. The metaphor of human life as plant life is constantly presented as Jahren compares us to plants. To the see the metaphor of humans as plants, she names part one of the novel: “Roots and Leaves”. The name is very significant as it is used to show the growth of both
In “What’s Eating America”, Michael Pollan starts off his article by providing his audience with a background on the history of corn and its production. Additionally, he goes through both the sinister and positive sides in the history of corn, all while building a connection with his audience through his utilization of ‘we’ pronouns and by having direct conversations with his readers inside parentheticals. He continues to develop this connection throughout the text in order to slowly inch the reader towards his argument, which he presents in the final paragraph of the piece as a climax to the slow buildup of facts that previously followed the main argument. In addition, he surprises his readers by drawing grisly connections between corn and Zyklon B, amongst other images, creating a visual in the minds of his readers of corn as a malicious entity. He does this in order to to bolster his argument against the industrialization of food production, placing it in a gory, gruesome frame,
There has always been controversy about marijuana and the affects it has on health and the issue of legalization. Some people believe it is very destructive to one’s health, and yet others feel the complete opposite about it. Is Marijuana truly harmful to one’s health? “Marijuana, the Deceptive Drug”, written by George Bierson, was published in the Massachusetts News. In this article, Bierson determines that marijuana is harmful in many ways. He seems to think that it damages the brain, the reproductive system, and also contributes to the halt of production in the immune system. Bierson also tries to persuade the reader that marijuana is a “gateway drug” that leads to larger drugs in the future. However, by conducting research of my own, I have come to the conclusion that Bierson’s article simply lacks truth.
Beauty can be defined in many ways. Though, regardless of its definition, beauty is confined by four characteristics: symmetry, health, vibrancy and complexity. Michael Pollan, in the book The Botany of Desire, examines our role in nature. Pollan sets out to discovery why the most beautiful flowers have manipulated animals into propagating its genes. Most people believe that humans are the sole domesticators of nature, although, beauty in some sense has domesticated us by making us select what we perceive as beautiful. In flowers, for example, the most attractive ones insure their survival and reproductive success; therefore the tulip has domesticated us in the same way by insuring its reproduction. Whether it is beauty or instinct humans have toward flowers they have nevertheless domesticated us.
Throughout history people have used marijuana for its dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds to relieve pain, stress, and other medical issues from one’s life. Within the recent years it has become one of the most debated issues in the United States. In the 1930s, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) claimed that marijuana was a “gateway” drug and was a powerful, addicting substance. During the sixties marijuana became a symbol for rebellion against authority so it became very popular by college students and “hippies”. So in 1982, Drug Enforcement Administration increased pressure on drug farms and houses which decreased the use of marijuana. In the past twenty years marijuana has become a
Kandeler R (2009). Symbolism of Plants: Examples from European-Mediterranean Culture Presented with Biology and History of Art: July: Lotus. Journal of Experimental Botany. Vol. 60, No. 9, 2461-2464.
Potatoes have become a staple to the diet of humans.They have become so popular since they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and tastes. They are also cheap and easy to grow, and they taste delicious! Potatoes have changed the course of history in several ways. Who knew that potatoes, just a starchy vegetable, could have helped shape the world in so many ways. First, the Irish Potato Famine killed a million people and caused another million to move out of Ireland. Second, soldiers in the United States army were able to eat potatoes throughout the war. Third, they prevented a famine from occurring in England after there was not a sufficient amount of crops going to sustain the country's cries for food. Many people wonder if potatoes have
Domesticated potatoes were once all belong to one botanical species, Solanum tuberosum; it included thousands of varieties that had diversity in size, shape, color and other characteristics. The potato was first domesticated in the South America Andes, then the Puritans who took Mayflower arrived the land and the First Nations taught them about potatoes. Then the sailors went back to Europe and people started to plant potatoes in Spain, England, France, and many other countries in Europe. Later, potatoes were spread into Africa by the colonists. The crop was once believe to be poisonous by the local farmers who refused to plant them. However, the colonists persuaded the farmers and introduced potatoes as a low-price and high-production crop in substitute of wheat and rice.
The Sycamore Leaves piece highlights the complexity of our environment in the way that it shows how human activity or technology is present everywhere around us. By expanding our understanding of the piece to see it as a representation of our world we see that the tree can symbolize nature as a whole while the ordering of the leaves around the tree in an unnatural way can symbolize human action and “order.” Furthermore Goldsworthy 's representation gives the idea of a complex environment a positive connotation through the way that the leaves simply sit at the base of the tree following the contours of it roots yet not encroaching on its livelihood. The cohesion underscores how human action can work alongside and complement nature making for a complex yet still peaceful environment. The relationship between humans and nature is further explored in the way that Sycamore Leaves appeals to the idea of “mastering”
Throughout The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, the author argues that the coevolution of plants and humans is seen within the relationship of humans manipulating plants to fulfill their desires. Pollan touches on four main examples where coevolution can be easily seen throughout history and the present. The apple satisfies sweetness, the tulip beauty, marijuana intoxication, and the potato control. As we are benefitting from evolving the plants for our own interest, the plants themselves are benefitting as well. The environmental message of the book surpasses that of coevolution and dives into the technology of genetic engineering
Nature provides many different things for us. Some of the many things that nature provides for us, are water, soil and health. It provides health because, in many cases a person who spends time outside looking at what nature provides for us, has a better physical and mental health. In the short poem “ Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant , it tells us about how nature has the ability to make every human feel better. Bryant’s use of imagery helps us understand what his idea of nature is.
Earlywine, Mitchell. A. Understanding Marijuana: A new look at the scientific evidence. New York: Oxford University Press. 2002. The.
Plants exhibit exceptionally intelligent behaviour when it comes to interactions with their environment. They can detect perceived threats, then convey warning signals to other plants via chemical signaling. Forewarned plants will then assemble their defenses against these potential threats, thus, increasing their chance of survival and reproduction. Communication and competition are common occurrences among the plant world. Another brilliantly, almost inconceivable capability plants possess is the ability to recognize coexisting family members within their home range. These intelligent life forms realize that if family members compete less with each other by allocation of their resources, their group will do better overall. This is a strategy utilized by many species, especially plants, to eliminate competition within their community in nature (Mancuso 2006).