Talk:The Botany of Desire

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Chapter one in The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, Desire: Sweetness, The Apple. This chapter starts by having the reader picture themselves on the banks of the Ohio River watching two hollowed out logs drift along. It then goes into the story of Johnny Appleseed or John Chappman. In his burlap coffee sack and a pot for a hat. He would travel from Pennsylvania with many apple seeds to be planted back in Ohio. Appleseed continued his life planting trees and bringing up an empire of nurseries. He was America’s first environmentalist and did much for the frontier. He domesticated America’s favorite fruit, the apple. Also there were some rumors that circulated about his sexual preferences of young girls. At this time people of the frontier used these apples not so much as food but as drink. They would ferment the apples and make hard cider. The apple replaced beer, wine and also tea and water. As the author goes through his journey in Ohio to find out all he can about the apple and Johnny Appleseed himself he gets communicated with Bill Jones. Who is somewhat of a historian when it comes to Appleseed and his apples. This man was trying to open a museum in Johnny’s honor. Although he never really wanted to admit the rumors or the fermenting. The chapter continues to compare Appleseed to Dionysus. Stating that Appleseed is Dionysus’s American son. Dionysus is to grapes as Johnny Appleseed is to apples. Mr. Pollan seemed to look at apple trees with more depth by the end of the chapter when he goes to an orchard in New York. When Mr. Pollan returns home he plants some seeds from his trip to help make his garden a bit sweeter.

Chapter two of The Botany Desire, Desire: Beauty, the Tulip. Pollan starts by telling the reader of his infatuation of the tulip then realizing vegetables and fruits were the things to grow, as he was a young boy. It was a Childs flower, easy to draw with colors fit for crayola. Then goes back in time, to when the tulip first cam to the West and awed Holland. With that was his mission for the chapter. To go between his boyish view of the pointlessness of flowers and the passion for them the Dutch held for some time. As most don’t see a flowers beauty. Much like society in everyday life. Many take for granted the beauty of a flower. Then Pollan goes into describing the flowers and other plants within his own garden. How the flower has not only evolved to attract his eyes but insects as well. With going into depth of the bee. Then he tells how some flowers like the tulip, lilies, and orchid are capable to reinvent themselves over and over again to go along with changes surrounding them. The tulip is the youngest of the canonical flowers, which is probably why the Dutch took a liking to it. With the multitudes of colors the tulip can arrange it has become a more cherished flower. The chapter then tells of a theft of the tulip in Holland. One of the first tulips to come to Europe was stolen. For one because the tulip, like the apple has completely different genes to its parents in each seed and for two, a theft is the root of human achievement. Pollan explains a few more interesting stories of the tulip such as The Black Tulip quest, and how tulip bulbs were a big hit in the market. Pollan tells of a time before flowers. How it was sleeper due to lack of fruits and moves into the evolution of flowers. How the flower mystifies us with its beauty if you really take a good look.

Chapter three Desire Intoxication: Marijuana. Michael Pollan starts out telling the history of the “forbidden plant and its temptations.” Stating how all animals evolutionary know the difference between a good plant and a poisonous plant. Although there are some that can drive the predating animal crazy, and making them forget about their meals. There are certain compounds called flavonoids that change their taste to some animals. By trial and error an animal figures out with time the right and wrong plants to eat. Pollan then describes his times gardening certain plants like catnip (for his cat Franks pleasure), Opium Poppies and Marijuana. After forgetting about the plants he returned after a few months to see eight-foot tall Christmas trees. The weed was almost beautiful to him. In which firewood deliverer that was also a chief of police, and cut them two trees down almost caught him. After that experience he tells of the legal parts of growing Cannabis. In 1982 it would have been no thing, a slap on the hand and some embarrassment. Now police can take growers home and land. With that there has been many changes within a Marijuana growers world. Pollan then travels to Amsterdam to learn more about the history. Such as how American hippies got their weed from Mexico until the 1970’s. Also how it was grown outdoors until the 80’s. He explains how male plants are taken out of effect since females are what can be smoked. He goes on to tell more of the history about Eskimos using psychoactive plants; they didn’t for none could grow in the Arctic. Not until white man introduced them to fermented grain. All cultures are different to choice, and historians can explain more than scientists of why. Then Pollan describes the need for these plants. Why the desire for them. He concludes that when a human does a good deed, or something useful the brain releases feel good chemicals. So humans figured a plant that could artificially make the mind feel good as in their reward system. As the end nears to the chapter he explains how sorcerers, shamans, and alchemists that knew and understood psychoactive plants. Then about the person who found the chemical compound for the effects of Marijuana: THC, which is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Another found the specific receptor in the brain for THC. Pollan then goes on to talk about Hemp, and about memory. He ends with taking the temptations out of his own garden.

Farmers Called "Human Bumblebees"

...and by an author named Pollan no less!

DavidLJ (talk) 01:23, 23 August 2013 (UTC)

Introduction

The second paragraph of the intro to the article isn't representative, leaves the impression it's primarily a book criticising monoculture. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 37.48.228.225 (talk) 16:39, 5 February 2020 (UTC)