Question

Explain Pollan's assertion that both Chapman and the apple "have been sweetened beyond recognition. Figures of tart wildness, both have been thoroughly domesticated...in both cases a cheap, fake sweetness has been substituted for the real thing." Who/what else have we done this to? Why?

Answer 1

Pollan's assertion refers to the domestication and modification of Johnny Appleseed's image and apples, which is illustrative of a broader phenomenon of altering organisms for human preferences, such as the transformation of wild wheat into a staple crop and the breeding of sweeter corn varieties.

Step-by-step explanation:

Michael Pollan's assertion that both Johnny Appleseed (Chapman) and the apple "have been sweetened beyond recognition" speaks to the broader idea of domestication and modification, which can also relate to the changes humans have enacted upon various plants and animals. This domestication often leads to a 'cheap, fake sweetness,' replacing what was originally a more complex or 'tart wildness.' Just as Johnny Appleseed's image and apples themselves have been transformed to suit cultural and consumer preferences, we have similarly altered other organisms for our benefit.

Using wheat as an example, what began as a wild plant has been transformed into a staple crop that is grown globally, largely due to human intervention. This intervention included clearing land and protecting the wheat from natural competitors and predators, essentially securing its prevalence. This relationship raises the philosophical question coined by Harari: "Did we domesticate wheat, or did it domesticate us?" indicating a reciprocal influence between humans and the crops they cultivate.

Furthermore, the development of sweet corn exemplifies our penchant for enhancing the sweetness of produce, making it more desirable to the human palate. In doing so, we've often forsaken the nutritional complexity and ecological relationship that plants originally had. This pursuit for sweetness and desirability extends beyond food to other aspects of consumption, as seen in the marketing of commodities in a supermarket, questioning the very nature of our consumer choices.

Answer 2

The answer is apple and chapman

Step-by-step explanation:

Because Pollan means that both the apple and chapman have had their histories rewritten to be more simple and less interesting. The Disney/ storybook image paints Johnny Appleseeds image of a burlap-scak wearing gallivanting do-gooder who sprinkled seeds through the countryside, and the apple is now known as this haelthy whole some fruit, when in reality its origins were in hard cider and John Chaoman had this child bride which is problematic but ignored.