Response to Hunter-Gatherer

Reading Pollan's Modern Day Hunter-Gatherer was an interesting experience. It follows the story of a man going hunting for the first time, and the emotions he expereinces and how they are related to his actions. He learns a lot of unspoken expectations behind hunting and his thesis in the end concludes that he was in the experience for a bigger meaning. I love the vivid details that he put into the narrative and I was shocked at how well the story drew me in. I had went hunting with my dad when I was really little so I knew a little bit of what he was talking about, but I had kind of lost interest in the subject and stopped wearing camouflage around the age of twelve. I love the way he uses his words to make the most grotesque looking images sound beautiful with just a few words. I believe his thought complex is really extensive throughout and his use of pathos is incredible. Playing on the readers emotions with the scene's he describes and how he feels about what he done keeps the story propelling forward even though it was quite lengthy. I really enjoy reading the fifth segment. It was really gruesome, but I believe this was one of the most  insightful sections and most artfully written. "And one of the main thoughts about it we think is, will my own death be like this animal's or not? The belief, or hope that human death is somehow different from animal death is precious to us - but unprovable." This is about the time he realized that there is a whole different side of hunting. His preconceived notions of hunting are still intact, but for the first time he also sees the wrongness and moral shame in what he is doing! When he kills the animal he is proud that he has finally succeeded, and the climax of the hunt is over, But when he is faced with slaughtering the animal his actions do not seem justified to him. This is when he begins to look at hunting differently and become disgusted by his actions. He thinks about cannibalism and talks about death and the difference in what it means for animals, concluding that animals die often but they don't know of their fate, whereas humans know that death is coming for them. His thoughts on hunting are now jumbled because of these two experiences with the pig but in the end he comes to the realization that hunting is a multi-faceted event. “So which view of me-the-hunter is the right one, the shame of the photograph or the joy of the man in it, the outside gaze or the inside one? The moralist is eager to decide this question once and for all, to join Cotton Mather in his noble quest for transcendence. The hunter — or at least the grown-up hunter, the uneasy hunter — recognizes the truth disclosed in both views, which is why his joy is tempered by shame, his appetite shadowed by disgust.” Overall I would rcommend this essay for everyone to read. It broadens one perspective of hunting, but also makes us think about where our food comes from and the prices that one has to pay in order for a em