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Brendan Watson

Professor Saunders

English 117

20 September 2019

Plant Based Persuasion: “Alien Soil” and “Why Mow?”

This essay will compare and contrast features of argument in articles by Jamaica Kincaid and

Michael Pollen. The six elements from Donald Hall’s “Argument and Persuasion”—a​udience,

reasonableness in argument, time for the opposition, the order of the argument and appeal to logic, and

emotionalism​—will serve as the criteria for this comparison. Michael Pollen’s “Why Mow?” describes

the institutionalization of lawns and the downside of lawns care for the average American. Jamaica

Kincaid’s “Alien Soil” conveys the effect of colonization on her home island Antigua through the effects

on the native plants. Both articles are a compelling read with interesting subjects. However, I will

illustrate how Pollen’s essay, “Why Mow?”, presents a more exemplary case than Kincaid’s “Alien Soil”

through​ ​it use of Hall’s criterion of how a persuasive essay should be formatted.

The first of Hall’s criteria is whether an author can “organize information, ideas, and reasons to

elicit responses from our readers” (Hall). An argument should be written as if talking directly to the

readers as equals, and provide a sense of being open to criticism. A sense of rapport—a close relationship

in which people can understand one another—must be established to ensure the reader does not feel

outside the conversation (Hall). Kincaid wrote “Alien Soil” for The New Yorker magazine in 1993. The

average reader of The New Yorker is relatively well-educated and affluent. Pollen’s “Why Mow?” was

published in the The New York Times magazine in 1989. The New York Times has a similar reader

demographic profile to The New Yorker. Pollen’s essay appeals to the demographic of the New Yorker as

many readers would likely have a lawn due to decent social standing and would be interested in the idea,

“Why maintain their lawn?”. He speaks as a person who has a lawn and is tired of maintaining it as if he
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hopes to generate conversation with the reader to get their stance about mowing lawns. He also leaves

himself open to criticism by acknowledging near the end of his essay, “Probably you will want to know if

I have begun to practice what I’m preaching. Well, I have not ripped out my lawn entirely” (Hall 70). It

shows him being sensible about his arguments, that radical change does not occur right away. Being

practical and logical is an important component for showing a strong argument.

The second of Hall’s criteria is whether an author can “persuade by being reasonable-and also by

seeming so. The being is clear thinking; the seeming is tone” (Hall). Examples of this include avoiding

absolute statements, allowing time and space for doubt to manifest in the reader, and using a balanced mix

of fact and opinion. It is important not to force ideas on to the reader, but instead convince them why the

author’s position is superior (Hall). To generate interest and persuade readers of its merit, Kincaid starts

her article by comparing and contrasting in her intro paragraph with describing how the English

“obsessively order and shape their landscape to such a degree that it looks like a painting” (Kincaid 210)

and how Antiguans do not have such a quality. This creates a parallel between the two cultures to allow

Kincaid to convey changes colonialism brought about. She used personal anecdotes about being a native

Antiguan through examples like using willow trees instead of pine trees for Christmas and discussing how

breadfruit​—​“the most Antiguan (to me) and starchy food” (Kincaid 212)​—​came from the East Indies to

support her claims regarding the impact of colonialism. She uses facts and quotations to reinforce her

message of the cause and effect of English intervention. In contrast, Pollen used statistics to show how

Americans “spend an estimated $30 billion a year” (Hall 60) to maintain their lawns, yet are killing them

with “more pesticide and herbicide per acre than any crop grown in this country” (Pollen 69) unaware. He

uses facts to show much money is used and damage is caused by maintaining our lawns. Historical

references illustrate how lawns rose to prominence in the United States over the past few centuries to

show why the American public enforces homogenous lawns today. He also used an anecdote to highlight
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his opinion why lawns have inconvenienced him, and how he grew fond of the less Sisyphean task of

gardening.

Hall’s third criteria is to “pay court to the opposition” (Hall). It is important for authors to be

prepared for rebuttals, so that an argument can seem more robust. It may also destabilize opposing views

by undermining their responses (Hall). In Kincaid’s “Alien Soil” there is no acknowledgement of those

who are in support of colonialism or any attempts to address alternative perspectives. Pollen, in contrast,

acknowledges there may be probable cause for how we came to love lawns. He mentions Savanna

Syndrome​—​“[e]ncoded in our DNA is a preference for open grassy landscape...on which we...spent our

first few thousand years” (Hall 62)​—​and how Thorstein Veblen theorized please us by resembling “a

well-preserved pasture or grazing land” (Pollen 63).

The forth criteria if an author can shape their essay towards their intended audience and purpose.

An unambiguous opening thesis statement is critical to setting the stage. Subsequent illustrative examples

are effective in reinforcing the soundness of the thesis. Kincaid’s article does not rise to meet this criteria.

To begin, a defined thesis statement is basent leaving readers unsure of the central argument until well

into the article. The anti-colonialism theme is less effective as the intended specific critique is unstated.

The article finds form in the comparison between the Antiguan and English view of plants, the history of

Antigua horticulture, and the impact of non-native plants post-colonization. She supports these ideas by

telling about all the plants, using her own personal experiences, and using historical excerpts to explain

the impacts. However, this does not resolve whether colonialism is primarily responsible for the decline in

native flora. While “Why Mow?” also does not feature an explicit thesis sentence as well, however the

premise that Pollen has an anti-mowing stance is clear. He orders his argument by describing quarrels

between citizens and government over lawns, history of lawns became normalized in America, and his

personal experience dealing with lawns. His argument shows a logical progression of showing how lawns

have become institutionalized to exposing the downsides of American households practicing lawn care.
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The fifth criteria is an author’s use of logic in their defense of their argument. Authors “may

include feeling but in persuasion the appeal to emotions is dangerous; if it violates reason it may lose its

audience” (Hall). An authors should use common sense to avoid becoming overly emotional or illogical.

For example, not generalizing to the whole from a singular instance (Hall). Kincaid is too reliant on

pathos through her own emotional storytelling to the point where her argument becomes biased. She also

contradicts her own anti-colonialism argument at the end when she demonstrates that she enjoys her

garden​⁠—​an idea brought on by the English through colonialism​. Kincaid does not give a solid ending for

her argument, as she ends the essay with the example of her gardening. Pollen maintains a more logical

tone throughout his essay. However, he sometimes feels too uninvolved by relying too much on history

and statistics. Because of the reliance on history and statistics, Pollen’s prose lacks the passion and

personality of Kincaid’s. He also falls into possible overgeneralizations about Americans and fails to

convey the importance of the issue for those who do not happen to own lawns or gardens.

Based on Hall’s 6 criteria, Pollen’s essay, “Why Mow?”, presents a more exemplary case of

argument than Kincaid’s “Alien Soil”. Kincaid’s antipathy towards non-Antiguans, her overuse of pathos,

the appearance of bias, and failure to acknowledge opposing views weakened her thesis. Her statement

that she benefits in some ways from the legacy of colonization further undermines her argument. In

contrast, while Pollen provides a somewhat superficial argument and lacks Kincaid’s passion, his

argument is superior in that it does not not alienate readers, remains clear and consistent throughout,

recognizes his views are not universal, and creates a more reasonable, easier-to-read essay.
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Works Cited:

“Argument and Persuasion.” ​Willow Temple: New & Selected Stories​, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2003.

Kincaid, Jamaica. “Alien Soil.” ​The Best American Essays, 1994.​ Ed. Tracy Kidder. Boston: Houghton

Mifflin, 1994. 210-214.

Pollen, Michael. “Why Mow?” ​Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education.​ London: Bloomsburg, 1991.

59-71.