Reading Response, Chapter 9

This chapter from "The Omnivore's Dilemma" (Pollan) is aptly titled "Big Organic", a notably self-contradictory phrase. The bigger the company, and the wider it stretches, the more need it has to mass-produce and cut costs to stay competetive. For example, smaller local dairies produce fresh milk sold directly to local markets; larger ones such as Dairygold must chemically enhance their milk to help preserve it, and ship it hundreds of miles away to more foreign paying customers. However, much of the more modern population in America has become more critical about what they eat/drink, reflecting on the companies that provide sustinence. Since they want to have less chemicals in their ever-fattening bodies, Americans move toward the "organic" trend of foods, which companies who wish to keep large market shares quickly follow. Not suprisingly, what is labeled as "organic" becomes highly diverse, differing substantially throughout company, personal, and sociological views.

Sociologically, organic means "natural", "simple", or "clean/pure" in general. These few words are enough to spark outrageous controversy among people, though. Some say organic means farmed/grown without artificial fertilizers or pesticides, while others view the term to mean production of food with minimal technological impact, picked by Americans, unprocessed, perfect as is. While everyone tries to eat healthy nowadays, the current fat plague across America is pushing people to the most extreme "organic" possibilities. To keep business, companies reorganize to a more "organic" structure, but what this spells in changes differs vastly; some feed organic grain to caged cows, others sell only beef raised in unfenced, grassed prarie fields. Some sell corn washed without the worst of artificial cleaners (thus organic by comparison), while others process corn by hand in a more traditional manner. In any case, "organic" is more an idealism than reality; it only really exists to those who have moved so far from it that they feel things have to be changed by great standard for all (even outside this society) to become the new standard "organic"; its "natural" only because we eat in a greatly unnatural manner now.

Omnivore's Dilemma (2,6,7) + They Say I Say (1-3) response

Chapters two, six, and seven of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" (Pollan) gave insight into the present state of American health and dietary affairs through events unfolding for two centuries, accumulating into the current ironic issue: a plague of ever-over-bountiful corn. It was explained that this has been an problem in America since the nineteenth century (when cheap corn led to cheap corn-based alcohol, inciting great public drunkenness), simply now rearing more devastating harms (to the American body and people) than ever before.

A self-perpetuating cycle has developed in Iowa and other major corn states; one that keeps the price of corn spiralling down, along with the worth of the farmers. By stabilizing growing conditions better with new fertilizers and technologies, corn has been assured to always grow successfully, and grow in abundance; with that abundance, the price of corn drops, and the farmers recieve less for their yields. Thus, they must grow more corn to stll make a living, and more corn drives the price lower in turn.

If more corn was bought by consumers, the price would rise by the simple concept of supply and demand, but that same concept is doing the corn farmers in: people, though buying more corn-based foods (and growng fat and unhealthy from them) from cheap price, cannot buy enough to stem the tide of cheap corn. The corn supply grows faster than it can be consumed even by a gluttonous population, and the price falls, initiating more corn growth and consumption, ruining corn farmers and consumers alike.


Chapers one, two, and three of "They Say, I Say" (Graff) describe in detail how to properly formulate a convincing arguementative paper: by having in it a main point (with smaller others branching out), evidence from outside sources to support it, and a conflicting arguement with supporting evidence, all blenging together coherently. A counteractive point is needed to not only acknowledge conflicting arguements, but to show them wrong in their opposing view to the paper's major point or theme. In addition, these provide interst, which is bred from conflict. "Yes, yes, yes, yes" style will likely turn readers away; "yes, no, Yes, No, YES, NO" paper style will entice them (yes must somehow be victorious, though).

Of course, a paper must have backup in its fight to prove its point from outside sources; not only that, the sources must relate to the topic significantly, and formatted that the outer views and main paper focus are one and the same, not two entities. "I say the earth is round. Galileo said the earth is round 500 years ago. Here's why" keeps readers looking back and forth across a paper to tie points together. Instead, "I say the earth is round, drawing upon the .... evidence known since Galileo's time" creates a cohesive and interesting case.

2 paragraphs, first 2 class readings

The first part of "They Say, I Say" (Graff) described how best to structure one's writing to make it not only understandable, but appealing to others. Templates have been set up in the English writing style that allow one to take their argument and structure it in a format that will endear it to others; a great point will not be listened to if it makes a poor first impression. This frees up the mental capacity of how to write, and allows one to focus more on what to write. In addition, any literary work must make one central point, but not just that: it must make an argument, and have comparison to that argument (having one single repeating message puts off potential readers). Conflict breeds interest. In conclusion, keep one style and message central, writing on from there.

The first part of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" (Pollan) explains the title: an explanation of eating habits, of choice in diet, of potential health risks from them, and how they all relate. Much is focused in America, where people are constantly hit with a barrage of eating options, grow diverse in health and personal dietary habits, and move blindly and fanatically toward an ideal food stability as a result. People will eat anything appealing almost at first glance, from children refusing vegetables for cookies, to adults turning down salad for steak. As great omnivores, people have a choice of what to eat, which has lead to the greatest achievements and disasters of food, and the Earth, in history. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" reflects America's omni-culture: all-consuming, all-encompassing, and through this, all-degrading.