Biotech foods
Michael Pollan’s essay, “Playing God in the Garden” analyzes the issue of genetically engineered foods, “New Leaf potatoes” in specific, in a writing style different from most essays. Pollan tries to present facts and figures to his reader by maintaining a neutral stance towards the issue at hand: whether genetically engineered foods are safe to eat or not. His writing does not take the form of a conventional investigative report or the form of a standard essay that begins with a thesis and ends with a conclusion. Rather, Pollan uses a style of writing similar to that of a journal entry. The reader learns about the pros and cons of genetically engineered foods along with Pollan as he investigates the issue because the essay is written in a journal style. The diction he uses is presented in the first person point of view, which allows for the reader to feel as if Pollan is carrying out a conversation with the reader himself. He manages to be objective and present facts t!o his reader in an unbiased fashion. His writing is more exposition than argument. Pollan’s investigation of genetically modified food is outlined with subtitles: “Planting, Sprouting, Growing, Flowering, Meeting the Beetles, . . .
His writing is more exposition than argument. The text becomes more personal to the reader because Pollan chooses to write in a first person point of view. By presenting both sides of the story in reference to genetically engineered foods, Pollan manages to keep an objective stance towards the issue. Pollan never blatantly establishes whether he thinks that genetically engineered foods are safe to eat or not. “So are my New Leafs safe to eat?” (Pg 517). “’There’s still a lot we don’t understand about gene expression,’ Stark acknowledged. Rarely does Pollan give his own opinion on the issue at hand, and if he does he will immediately contradict his opinion with another fact supporting the other side of the story to maintain a neutral stance towards the topic. “The original superior potato is safe…yet I still had a question. By speaking in the first person point of view, Pollan allows the reader to feel as if they are personally going through the procedure of investigating the facts about genetically engineered foods.
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