Micheal Pollan's article for the The New York Times Magazine called "The Modern Hunter-Gatherer" is separated into six segments about his experience in hunting.
Segment one is an introduction to the essay where he talks about being in the woods and what hunting means to him. He says that hunting is an instinct that shows power. He goes back and forth saying this. He writes the statement in his paragraphs and then goes back and says he doesn't think it could be true that hunting is a instinct. The reason he is conflicted is because he enjoyed shooting pig more than he thought he would and he wanted to believe those were his instincts.
Segment two introduces Pollan's mentor for his hunting experience, Angelo, who hunts wild pig. This is where Pollan also compares hunting to "one induced by marijuana". He says the senses are heightened and focused. He talks about Ortega y Gasset's, a philosopher, description of hunting. He states that hunting is a "generic" experience.
Segment three is where Pollan experiences his first failure in the essay. While sitting down for lunch, he notices a group of four pigs about 30 yards away. He would've made the shot but his rifle had no bullets so he gave the shot to another hunter named Richard. Although a pig was shot and he got a share of the meat, he was disappointed in himself because he wasn't ready and Angelo said he must always be ready when hunting. He went home and thought about it and realized that he needs to prepare himself more than he did before.
In segment four, Pollan shot his first pig. He was in the woods with Angelo and shot three times, his first shot being the only one that made a hit but the other two were out of panic. He shot his pig perfectly in the head and Angelo was proud of him. Pollan was having more conflicting thoughts. The first emotion he felt was remorse. He wasn't sure if he was proud of himself, going back to how he first felt. He is back to believing that hunting may not be an "instinct".
Pollan helps hang and skin the pig in segment five. He is back to feeling prideful of his kill and then starts going off about digust. He thinks that no one can feel completely good when hunting. There is always some sort of digust. When he saw the picture of him with his first kill, he was shocked that he looked proud of what he's done. At this point, he isn't sure who he is anymore.
He finally finishes his experience in segment six by preparing his first-person meal that he hunted, gathered, and grew himself. This is a short section where he talks about the perfect meal. He states the perfect meal is "one that's been fully paid for, that leaves no debts outstanding". This statement is his conclusion to hunting. He is now aware that everything he eats, is originally from nature and he is more accepting now.
Response:
I thought Pollan's writing for his essay was very descriptive and worth reading. I liked that he sectioned his story into segments. It was like I was reading six different stories but they were all related to the idea of hunting. Something that made this essay hard to read was that Pollan was going through an emotional experience with hunting where he felt proud and guilty at the same time. This caused him to constantly change his mind. That didn't make me hate the essay by any means. It actually made it more relatable because we all experience conflicting emotions in situations. I experienced it in my own immersion project. Towards the end of my project, I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay a vegetarian but once it ended, I felt weird eating meat. I understand Pollan and I think he found his right path in the end.
