American literature final exam question 2 response PDF

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American literature final exam question 2 response...

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Madison Kammerer 2. Three authors I found most compelling in terms of confronting the “deeper problem” we now face include Sandra Steingraber, Annie Leonard, and Michael Pollan. First off, Sandra Steingraber talks about the contamination of foods, and how toxins “magnify…inexorably as they move up the food chain”, which ultimately results in breast milk being “the most contaminated of all human foods” (930-932) In my mind, this is a deeper problem because not only do the chemicals in our food affect our future health, but the future health of infants who have yet to put their mouth on a solid food. I am sure that not many people think of that final step of the food chain that Steingarber focuses on. Michael Pollan also focuses on foods, and in his video interview he talks about how raw materials from monocultures are being processed into foods that are causing illnesses like Type II diabetes (Pollan). Food can easily be overlooked in the discussion of the contamination of our environment because people have no choice but to put in their mouths what is put on the grocery shelves. Pollan further explains that the current food industry is not only negatively affecting our health, but it is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases due to the constant production of processed foods. In this case, we can ask the question: if we know these foods are bad for you and for the planet, why do we continue the production? This is where Annie Leonard’s information comes into play. In her video, she discusses the different stages of production. The production continues because all the large corporations care about is making money. Since money is power, the government gives up its control over how these companies create their products. Therefore, until the government and the people stand up against big-money, the contamination of the planet and of our health will continue to exist....