I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book. It has given me a new perspective on the unavailability of ‘real’ food to the general public. It has accented my thought that we, as a nation, have strayed so far away from nature and the thought of food being connected to the earth. There are certainly arguments of definition in the chapters that I have read so far. There are different kinds of definitions, according to Everything’s an Argument. These include formal definitions, operational definitions, definitions by example, and a combination of all. The first example that I can think of is when Kingsolver mentions that no fruit is available except for rhubarb, the connection between the fruits of winter and summer (p.38). Although not technically a fruit, as Kingsolver mentions, to her it fit into the definition as it was mentioned in a cookbook and the use of it (to make Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, for example) could classify it as a ‘fruit’ (operational definition). In the book, Kinsolver as well as Steven, talk about the use of the word ‘organic’ when they talk about the title of ‘certified organic’ for produce costing farmers a lot, and so they sometimes just prefer to sell their produce without the certification. The definition of ‘organic’ is arguable, especially with its current use in supermarkets, places so far away from the land in which they are produced. Kingsolver also uses a definition by example when she talks about rural versus urban in relation to the people that represent either. For example, she mentions farmers in representation of rural and business people who don’t have any interest in the source of their foods or who produces them as urban. She builds upon conflicts of interest between these two groups and how one is at disadvantage due to the actions/ignorance of the other. This is another way of looking at or defining rural and urban. Throughout the book, Kingsolver also uses arguments of definition about foods by thoroughly explaining what they are, how they’re made (i.e. cheese), or how they are beneficial/operational to allow the reader to come to the realization that society stands in a pool of ignorance in regards to what it’s consuming, that this is a problem, and that it is so much better to know about and participate in the production of what one is consuming.
King Corn – An Argument of Fact February 10, 2008
This past week I read and heard a lot about corn. From reading Michael Pollan’s works and watching King Corn to analyzing the foods that I ate daily for their corn-derived ingredients. Everything seemed to make sense – I am walking corn. No matter how much our society tries to get away from this very fact, as was brought up in discussion, corn has becoming too much a part of our culture, without us even realizing it. The film, King Corn, made its argument that corn production and distribution is detrimental both to consumers and producers through the use of many facts and documented experiences. Ch 7 of Everything’s an Argument on p. 178 reads, “Transmitting facts, it would seem, should be a dispassionate activity, free of the pressures and biases of argument. Yet facts become arguments when they’re controversial in themselves or when they’re used to educate people, challenging, or changing beliefs.” The film King Corn does just this. Although it is a fact that corn has dominated the food industry (this can be stated in other words), and we see this by simply reading about what we are eating, this fact becomes an argument when it challenges people’s values, the ethics and morals of eating. The fact cannot be changed (i.e. we consume this much corn a year in the form of_____), but the perceptions and actions towards the fact make it an argument. After making a claim, evidence is necessary to support the claim. In King Corn, evidence in the form of personal testimonies, laboratory values, and statistics from reliable sources was presented. The film was presented as a documentary, with the titles of speakers showing on the screen while they were interviewed. This adds ethos, credibility, to the film. The producers of King Corn also had to think about the way the evidence to strengthen their claim would be presented. They certainly used visuals when filming the mountains of corn and the hole on the cow’s stomach. Also, when drawing correlations between amount of corn produced and acres of land, for example, they used hand-made figures to illustrate the point. This draws the audiences attention, making the information easier to understand as well. The personalities and ethos of the Cheney and Ellis also added to the argument they were making. For example, the narrator said they had both recently graduated from Yale. Having Michael Pollan speak in the film also added to their credibility. It is interesting to note how an argument is made out of hard facts; something that you would think cannot be argued, can become an argument simply by making a claim, providing evidence, and presenting to the audience in a credible way.
Toulmin Argument – Ch 7 The Omnivore’s Dilemma February 4, 2008
Claim: The industrial eater is victim of the industrial food chain’s use of corn to “obscure the histories of the foods it produces by processing them to such an extent that they appear as pure products of culture rather than nature…” (p.115), thereby replacing a “real meal”.
Ground: Pollan’s personal experience – p.111 “I loved everything about fast food: the individual portions all wrapped up like presents (not having to share with my three sisters was a big part of the appeal; fast food was private property at its best); the familiar meaty perfume of the French fries filling the car; and the pleasingly sequenced bite into a burger – the soft, sweet roll, the crunchy pickle, the savory moistness of the meat.”
p.110 Convenience of eating in a car : “The car has cup holders, front seat and rear, and, except for the salad, all the food … can be readily eaten with one hand.”
p. 112 Distance from knowing real food: “When I asked Isaac if the new nuggets tasted more like chicken than the old ones, he seemed baffled by the question. ‘No, they taste like what they are, which is nuggets, ‘ and then dropped on his dad a withering two-syllable ‘duh’.”
Warrant: Corn is a cheap and convenient substitute/addititive for food; it is part of every food item on a fast food menu.
Backing: p.112 “Of the thirty-eight ingredients it takes to make a McNugget, I counted thirteen that can be derived from corn…”
p. 117 “In order of diminishing corniness, this is how the laboratory measured our meal: soda (100 percent), milk shake (78 percent), salad dressing (65 percent), chicken nuggets ( 56 percent), cheeseburger ( 52 percent), and French fries (23 percent).
Qualifier: For those of us who have ever eaten a fast food meal, …
Rebuttal: p. 117 “So what? Why should it matter that we have become a race of corn eaters such as the world has never seen? Is this necessarily a bad thing? The answer all depends on where you stand.”
Agribusiness – great accomplishment; efficient use of corn
Lower rung of economic ladder - “cheap calories in a variety of attractive forms”
Corn farmer – eventual destruction of economy and soil
Corn plant – success
