Michael Pollan

In Weeds Are Us, Michael Pollan examines the idea of horticultural vermin as human social construct in an effort to contrast his opinions with those of legendary American nature writers. At first, it is hard to tell which direction Pollan will take, as he is clearly influenced by Thoreau and Emerson, yet seeking his own philosophy concerning weeds and their unshakable presence in the modern world. The author's garden stands as a great metaphor in the essay, with it's terrain transforming much like the author's opinion. First, the presence of vines and other prickly ground dwellers is welcome in his peaceful corner of the yard. There is an air of natural beauty, as Pollan suggests, in their winding and lawless climb toward sunlight. As weeds overtake the garden however, the context of both viewer and viewed is shifted dramatically. Pollan's examination of weeds can, at this point, be read in more than just a literal sense. The imagery of his grandfather killing weeds (hippies)with the fervor of a man rejecting the "summer of love" is a great introduction to the author's wide scope of enviro-cultural exploration. Through the concept of weeds, the reader is able to look at a multitude of American attitudes about our natural surroundings across time. Philosophical/ethical questions abound throughout the piece: Why do weeds (I read this as a symbol for vagrants/the dienfranchised) especially thrive in industrialized cities? Do weeds have a greater right to the land than hybridized plants? How do we as Americans decide what is appealing and what is a weed? What is a weed in the first place? Pollan ultimately feels that weed infestations are a by-product of human civilization, supplying the reader with compelling images of vines shattering a blacktop parking lot. It is the close examination of the everyday which lends power and evidence to his argument. The idea of "the everyday" is central in my reading of the piece. I look at weeds everyday-in cracks, on the driveway, in the yard, in my food, but never gave them a second thought nor considered their origins or omnipresence in our world. This loose idea of the everyday can be applicable to any number of subjects I might not be conscious of: the poor, the marginalized, the sick, stray animals etc. My stance, strictly on weeds in this case,was completely neutral. I had never thought about weeds in connection with Transcendentalist authors or literature. Pollan breaks bravely from Thoreau and Emerson's stance that a weed has more right to this land than a flower or human, and in doing so does a lot more than write about plants. The essay ultimately reflects on American society and it's overbearing social hierarchy, or as Pollan might see it:...the good..the bad..and the weed.