Throughout this course I have learned that there are many different types of readings and with that comes a variety of different techniques to use when your trying to analyze and understand a text. One technique that we pinpointed and focused on during this course was how to read actively in order to get the best outcome. A technique where questions may appear as you read but by analyzing the text in a more in-depth manner, we were able to answer those questions on our own, and if not, we have the class to fall back on. This way of critically analyzing the longer or shorter texts was something I didn’t do very much before, but definitely allowed me to veer away from robot reading and hone in on what the true meaning and ideas behind the texts were. In each of the texts we were working with this semester, we were told to annotate a majority of the pages. Annotating your work in, layman’s terms, is reading the full text, and making notes so you can then later go back, and not have to reread the whole thing word for word. This means that as you’re reading and questions, statements, thoughts or concerns arise, you can either underline, or highlight in color, and in the margins make comments to allow you to go back to and remember what was being talked about. I noticed that as I was marking up the text and taking the time to reread what may have been confusing, I was able to better comprehend the text as a whole. While doing so, I usually focus on things I agree or disagree with, and things I may have questions about. This allows me to feel as though I am a part of the text and can give my side in order to see both sides of an argument. This allows me to connect personally with the text and engage in what the author is trying to get across. In Can Planet Earth Feed 10 Billion People by Charles C. Mann, I found myself understanding concepts but getting lost with who it was applicable to and why it was a concern. Throughout this text I did lots of highlighting to focus on important ideas, but when it talked about the prophets and wizards, I used two colors to better understand the two groups, who was talking, and what concept related to that group. I used sticky notes on some pages to write larger notes or ideas to go back to and catch my attention. On most pages I made marginal comments to pull apart what I was reading and make side notes to go back to and better understand it without rereading the whole thing. I also put dots next to paragraphs that I could’ve used in my paper. Doing all of these things early on allows you to get the most out of the paper the first time and avoid going back and rereading the whole text. Doing annotation and making side notes throughout my text allowed me to better analyze, understand, and engage in the text firsthand. While working with this learning outcome throughout the semester I feel as though my annotating skills grew strong and overall, I can now dive deep into a text rather than just skimming the surface.
Journal responses:
In both of these journals I focus on finding paragraphs in the text to focus on and elaborate on and to me, this is an amazing way to analyze and understand what I reading.
Journal 9
Page 2 paragraph 1
Just in the introduction to this text, one big statement jumps out at me. It is the fact that he wants a way to provide for everyone, all the time. I agree with this in a sense that we want everyone healthy but also disagree with this when observing the fact that not all people want to work or put in the effort; proving that not everyone is equal or deserving in the same way. The first question that pops into mind is what about the people who don’t work, don’t try, and done care? How are people who work every day in any way equal to the people who simple don’t care; whether they are working from paycheck to paycheck or own their own business and are wealthy, whatever it is, they are working and putting in the effort where other people are just too lazy and don’t care. Why do the people who don’t care deserve the attention and help to get back on their feet? Yes, 10 billion stomachs to fill is a lot, but we cannot do it without the working class.
Page 18 paragraph 1
I agree with what the Vogtians are trying to do. Focusing on the mass production of a single crop is very tedious, complicated and difficult. Rather, focusing on the care of the soil, in which all crops grow, is in the end more beneficial and will in all take care of all the crops at a better rate. With this being said, it isn’t easy to gather up a working force in order to make all of this happen at a manageable time and cost. Expanding the agriculture that would allow all of this to happen and gathering a number of people too, would be very difficult and cost lots of money. In that sense, I disagree with this because in all they’re trying to save money in order to give back to people who cannot afford their daily essentials. Overall, I think this is a great idea, and it may in the end save us money due to the fact that we are not focusing on just one crop at a mass production but rather focusing on the soil that ALL crops grow in.
Page 8 paragraph 2
In this paragraph it talks a lot about the damages that come along with the usage of fertilizer. It states that the current use of fertilizer is not only hurting plants but also killing other environments around. Almost half of the fertilizer is not absorbed by plants and in return moves into bodies of water. Once flushed into the water the fertilizer doesn’t stop fertilizing so it is boosting the growth of other algae and weeds. These are dying and collecting on the floor of the oceans, lakes, or rivers, and other things are consuming their remains, which in turn drains the oxygen from the lower level of these bodies of water, killing off most other life. So yes, keeping our plants alive and healthy is important but we also need to consider how it effects other environments and organisms around.
Journal 10
Page 7 paragraph 2
During this paragraph Pollan talks about the deterioration of real food and meals. He talks to Harry Balzer and was informed about his point that he believes people don’t know what cooking a real meal is like. He talked to people who believe that making a frozen pizza or taking soup out of a can and heating it up in the microwave is a form of a homecooked meal. He believes that people have lost site of the true definition of what it is to cook. I couldn’t agree anymore, but I believe that this is due to the new forms of technology and large food producers. People are now cutting down our time by killing animals at large and processing them to allow us to be able to simply go into the super market and buy the meat that has already been cut and made ready to eat; whereas back then people used to kill the food they were going to eat and prepare it themselves for a homemade meal. We also now have advanced technology that allows us to preheat an oven, hit a defrost button on the microwave, set a timer on the microwave oven, and keep out food correctly refrigerated for weeks on end. Back then, people used to use fires where they found their own food and cooked their own meals above a flame. Life is much different now, but in my eyes, we still have opportunities better than placing a bowl of soup from a can in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Page 12 paragraph 4
In this paragraph Pollan goes into the thought that no matter who is cooking, most of the time there will be someone who is observing what is going on. He goes on to state that most of the happy memories associated with cooking is brought back to the experiences of watching your mother or father prepare a meal for the family. I agree 100% with this thought because as a personal anecdote, growing up, I would stand on a chair just to be tall enough to observe what was happening on the counter and stove top. Every time my dad was preparing a meal I would proposed the question of “what’s for dinner” and all he would respond with was “it is a secret, you’ll have to wait and see” and I would come back with “how do you make it” to try and figure out what he was making and instantly he would pull up a chair and say “come and watch”. To me, this is what makes the memories so special and memorable. It isn’t always making the meals yourself, but it’s being a family and watching the time, effort and skill that goes into each and every meal.
Page 13 paragraph 5
Within this paragraph a few key points were brought up that I strongly agree with. One was that “we’re drawn to the textures and rhythms of kitchen work.” This stood out to me, because in my family cookies is a huge part of our everyday lives. It is what brings us together and that part of it is very special, but we tend to look past the textures and rhythms behind what we’re doing. The way we cut up meats and vegetables, or even the different ways to measure liquids. It all takes skill which in turn takes time and effort to learn and complete. Another point that was brought up was the fact that “chefs on TV get to put their hands on real stuff, not keyboards and screens but fundamental things like plants and animals…” In my eyes this is a very strong support point. Yes, our careers are very important and require a variety of skills, but cooking allows you to try something unique every single time you enter the kitchen. Whether it be a new type of food, or a new set of knives, or even a new ingredient you’re trying out; whatever it is, it all has value and has the ability to create memories and a great meal in the end.
