A. Thus far we have read Dillard, Pollan, Price, and a selection of poems that all write about nature differently. How would you characterize Pollan's style of writing about the environment? Is he a historian? A philosopher? A naturalist? A scientist? Something else? Use specific evidence from the text to back up your claims.
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At first, I thought of Michael Pollan as a naturalist, then after careful consideration, I saw him as a scientist. However, after exploring all avenues, I decided that Michael Pollan play many roles.
I believe that Michael Pollan shows several characteristics in his writing, but is first and foremost a student teacher, and general fan of the environment. This is because every person who learns, explores knowledge, and shows interest in a subject takes becomes the roles mentioned above. In the introduction of The Botany of Desire, Pollan begins by mentioning that he has a garden in his backyard. This shows that he is interested in watching and contributing to the process of growing plants. By taking time to research and write this book, Pollan demonstrates that he is both a student and teacher of the environment. After realizing that not only are the plants objects of his desire, that he is also doing subject to their desires. He says that the purpose of writing the book is to see, “what would happen if we looked at the world beyond the garden this way, regarded our place in nature from the same upside down perspective? By analyzing this idea, he become learner of the ways of nature, as well as a teacher who shares information, drawing conclusions of his theories. This also makes him a scientist. In the chapter about potatoes, Pollan learns about different approaches to farming and agriculture. His research informs him and causes him to learn. Throughout the book, Pollan articulates valid points and ideas that make you think. This makes him a philosopher. After reading about the New Leaf, our class asked questions like would you eat the New Leaf, and why? (Why being the philosophical aspect) While the tulip chapter raised questions such as what is beauty? Pollan also displays characteristics of a naturalist. In the book, he spends a lot of the time explaining the history of nature. For example, in the chapter about tulips, he mentioned the Mayan’s successful technique of agriculture (showing the beginnings of nature’s domestication) as well as the Semper Agustus, a variation of tulips that existed in the eighteenth century. He then becomes a historian when he writes about how the potato greatly influenced the Irish as a way of survival and eventually suffering. He also talks about how the Dutch put value on the Semper Augustus, as a way in which to show how people associate value with beauty.
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