Please respond to one of the following questions:
A.
More so than the other chapters in Botany of Desire, Pollan references scientific, literary and historic sources. Why do you think he relies on such a variety of sources in the chapter? What role do they play? How do these sources help his argument regarding marijuana?
B.
Explore/analyze the second full paragraph on page 162 (that begins with "this is no small thing indeed") and then look at the paragraphs on pages 167-8 (beginning with "nothing is easier..." and ending at the section break). One area focuses on forgetting and one on being hyper-aware of reality, how do these two sections relate? How do they tie into the argument of the book and into the argument of this chapter?
C.
Your choice: create a question for yourself related to this chapter and answer it. Or, if someone else has asked a question you like, feel free to answer that one--just indicate which question you are responding to.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
B.
ReplyDeletePollan makes a rather good argument in both paragraphs that the act of forgetting, allows one to be in the moment to concentrate at what’s at hand, not past memories, thoughts, feelings...anything. Being hyper-aware allows one to only be in the present, nothing else matters for the time being, essentially for the moment, all is forgotten and everything is exciting and new. It allows one to rediscover their sense of wonder and discovery in everyday objects or actions. Furthermore he is arguing that forgetting can be just as important as sharp memory, in that it allows one to experience and see things differently, even if only temporarily. “Memory can be the enemy of wonder, which abides nowhere else but in the present (168).” This ability to find new perspective is a draw to do marijuana, or alter the consciousness in some form or another, and it does not have to have a negative connotation. In fact, it has been partially responsible for literary movements and ideas from transcendentalism to romanticism. New ideas come from shifts in perspective.
B. In these two paragraphs the way that Pollan presents these arguments, forgetting and living in the present moment are essentially the same thing. When using marijuana everything is brighter, funnier and just seems better. In this experience one is living in the moment, watching the wind in the trees, feeling the sun, even becoming completely absorbed in the program on TV. At the same time one is experiencing life "in the moment" they are consequentially forgetting almost everything else: their problems, what they ate for breakfast, etc. I feel that these paragraphs represent the argument of the book because most of the book is extremely contradictory -- i.e. there are pros and cons about the potato and different views of the tulips. The marijuana chapter overall is a good example of the contradictions present in each of the chapters.
ReplyDeleteA. In this chapter more than others, Pollan dives into more literary works to make his claims more potent. I believe he does this because he doesn’t really have a choice. He is writing a non-biased piece about the historic properties and the present-day usage of an illegal drug, and to do that, other opinions and beliefs are quite necessary. He is trying to provide us with all the knowledge possible of this particular plant in less than 100 pages, and have us come up with our own conclusions. I enjoyed this chapter so much because I learned a lot, and was introduced to a completely different side of gardening than I ever thought occurred. It was interesting to hear a variety of different stories and observations from so many notable sources on this illegal (and at the same very prominent) drug. In his other chapters, Pollan refers to other resources to support his points, but those are all just facts and figures. In this chapter, the information from other sources is actually enlightening and a pleasure to read, more like fiction than science. I especially like the part where he goes to speak with some scientists about marijuana, and they tell him, that “forgetting is one of the more important things healthy brains do.” I had never considered this fact, and it has become a sort of valuable realization for me. I really liked the array of sources Pollan used to solidify his points in this long chapter.
ReplyDeleteA. In class we discussed how marijuana has been mentioned in religious texts such as the Bible and in modern magazines such as Newsweek or Time magazine. It is everywhere and has played an incredibly important role through history. I think that the reason that Pollan references so many sources in the chapter is simply that marijuana plays such a huge role in both in modern society and in times past.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main “characteristics” or “claims” of marijuana is that it is a social drug and that it is for everyone. By using so many different types of writing styles and sources (especially starting off by telling personal stories, such as the catnip story or when the cop came to his house) it delves deeper into this “definition” of marijuana. He is trying to please everyone and is trying to sell the chapter. Or maybe I am looking way too deeply into this. All in all I really liked this chapter and the way that it was written and the way that the story was told. It became more of a story, almost a memoir, as appose to a scientific journal (albeit a very interesting scientific journal) that was a greater part of the book.
The two sections relate because they each are intertwined with each other. In order to be completely focused on the present, a person has to forget all other distractions. The second passage underlines how Marijuana gives people a more “innocent” way of viewing their surroundings. This innocence allows them to better feel the truth of the presence. My questions stem off of the ideas that come from these passages: is it possible for everyone to live continuously in the now or do we need drugs to bring us there?
ReplyDeleteIf everyone lived in the now at all times, I believe that time would feel slower naturally. It is when we are always contemplating the past and future that we lose time so quickly. However, because of the way our society is made up, it is impossible to always live in the now. To live in the now one must leave behind all concerns, dreams, and possibilities. The only people who truly live in the now are those that leave all of society behind and live their lives in meditation. Most people do not lead their live in this manor. This is why we find it necessary to resort to drugs to find relaxation and become independent of all the happenings of the world. Our minds are always busy and never leave us with time to escape its constant buzz. I believe that our bodies crave the innocent mind that Pollan describes and that is a main reason for our fascination with drugs.
Pollan may have referred to so many literary, historical and scientific sources so as to create a strong factual foundation for his chapter. In doing so, he has allowed for himself to add in his own nuances, and credibly at that, without turning the chapter into a rant about getting high. Because the plant in question creates a definite chemical change in behavior, unlike the Potato or the beloved Tulip, it warrants an analysis that is rich in scientific evidence and even richer in literary and historical sources that strengthen the relevancy of the science.
ReplyDeleteAlso, criticism of this chapter (probably) goes hand in hand with opposition to the use of marijuana. In order to hold the attention of critics on an already controversial topic, Pollan needs those facts; he needs an overwhelming amount of facts that appeal to a large audience on a number of levels. Ethos, pathos and logos are crucial when controversy is so apt to cloud the mind of the reader. Pollan’s first priority is to overcome the skeptical nature of these critics, and to make a hesitant reader (at least temporarily) suspend any reservations or preconceived ideas that inevitably prevent them from opening their minds to his argument.
Pollan clearly adds more literary, historic, and scientific sources in this section of his book than in any other. While it may be that he just had more of a personal interest on the subject of marijuana, or he had access to the most resources on the subject, it is actually important that he was able to have so many different sources. First, not all of Pollan’s audience will have used marijuana, as a drug, medicine, or for any other use. Being high is clearly not a simple thing to describe. Pollan references Andrew Weil, a doctor who calls marijuana an “ active placebo” (151). This explains how different people will feel completely different effects from someone else, or how they did under the influence another time. Pollan references so many different literary works and authors, scientific works, and any other historical data so the audience can understand the topic. The more ways marijuana and its effects are described and explained, the more effective Pollan can be.
ReplyDeleteAnother possible reason for all of the sources is so Pollan is still taken seriously as a researcher. One pages 166 and 167, Pollan briefly writes as if he was under the influence of marijuana to describe how he would perceive things differently. In one paragraph, he writes about vanilla ice cream, Jerry Garcia, chocolate, and the Middle C note. This is what many people, especially those who are opposed to marijuana, would expect from someone who openly uses marijuana. I believe that Pollan was interested in this subject, but didn’t want to seem like a “stoner.”
A. Pollan in the Marijuana chapter of The Botany of Desire creates a strong background in the history of marijuana in American culture. I believe that he relies on a variety of sources to support his hypothesis since there is so much controversy now surrounding the marijuana plant. Through his exploration of the history of the marijuana plant he shows the reader the natural history of the plant and the way that the plant is now genetically controlled. I found the opening history of assoication of the word "intoxication" being over looked with the word "toxic" to be very interesting(114). As he explored further he lead us to how the UNited States viewed the marijuana plant. The 'War on drugs', is a very common term that, is lead by the Marijuana plant in the United States. I found Pollans reasioning to be very interesting surrounding why it is considered to be the worst drug threat to the United States. From the beggining of the marijuana movement in America to now there is a completely different plant being sold that is unatural and extremely harful. These sources help to explore why marijuana is the number one drug problem in the United States and how this movement began deacades ago.
ReplyDeletePollan made an excellent argument. I think it is a difficult subject to tackle. Pot is a very popular subject but it is hard to be taken seriously if you are pro and looked upon as a stiff if you are anti pot. There are differing opinions all across the board. Pollan took the subject and discussed the topic by using multiple types of sources. He used personal experiences, onsite/first hand research, secondary/scholarly research and articles. He made sure to sound professional throught the chapter to prove his point. I liked how he tackled the subject and dealt with the difficult subject and how people examine them. Using more sources helped give credit to his argument and proved his point on desire and the also giving a detailed history of the subject.
ReplyDeleteB. Like others have already said, the honing of concentration and the letting go of thought are not mutually exclusive, when those thoughts are nonconstructive and unwarranted. We all go through the day with billions of thoughts arising that serve no purpose, like ripples disturbing the surface of a pond, not staying in our focus long enough to make a difference. Even those thoughts that could be useful to us are often washed away by the ripples of another errant thought. The Buddhist act of meditation is a two-fold act of concentration and letting go. As discussed earlier in this chapter, drugs can be a gateway to spiritual expression. It can also be a useful tool for honing your concentration onto a specific problem.
ReplyDeleteA.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the arguments that others have posted here. There is a stronger need to include facts/figures and history in this chapter. This is because so many of the readers are bringing preconceived notions and personal biases to their interpretation of the text. Pollan is building an argument on a controversial subject, which requires the construction of a more elaborate foundation than would a less controversial topic.
In both paragraphs Pollan talks about forgetting and living the moment. He argues that when people are clear-headed they tend to think a lot about issues that might be useless or something without importance. When smoking marijuana people forget everything in the past and live the in moment. When people are high on marijuana things are more enjoyable, any activity such as eating, drinking, walking, watching TV, or having a conversation might be more attractive. Unlike when people are sober these things might not be as appealing. The main idea of both these paragraphs is enjoying the moment and not worrying about whatever problems you might have.
ReplyDelete