Stop Mooching ! It's Annoying.

      In Chapter five, "Molly Mooching" of the novel Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, Kingsolver articulates the importance of tobacco to the South and while it may be unhealthy for the human body, it plays a significant role in the lives of farmers of that area. Kingsolver begans the chapter by providing a description of the southern dependance on the crop, leading up to the concept that many people believe that its production should be slowly eradicated, failing to realize the affect that that could potentially have on tobacco farmers. She then gives facts and examples of the pros and cons as to whether experiments attempting to rule out tobacco are effective and aren't going greatly affect the tobacco farmers. Kingsolver concludes with anecdotes that explain how her family's patience and tender care when growing vegetables that can last in cold weather. Kingsolver's purpose was to illustrate that while many southern farmers can't see past tobacco, her family is producing organic vegetables that may not seem as profitable initially but with the proper upkeep payoff eventually. Her audience is primarily adults, organic eaters, farmers, and even chefs.

Vocabulary:

• trifoliate-having three leaflets
• balmy- mild or pleasant
• commodity-an agricultural item or good that is in high demand
• indelible-can not be removed or erased
• infrastructure- the basic structure of features of a system or organization
• paradigm-a general belief of how the world works; common sense
• elicit-to evoke, generate, educe or obtain an answer or response
• morel-any of various edible mushrooms of the genus Morchella having a brownish spongelike cap

Tone:

Concerned, Ironic


Rhetorical Strategies:
Analogy- "...farmer was widely presumed synonymous with hee-haw, and tobacco was the new smallpox"(74).
Listing- "We have the Garden Road, the Woods Road, the Paw-Paw Cemetery, and the New Orchard"(72).
Anecdote- "On our farm, we could have walked the woods for the rest of our lives without finding one, because they don't grow near our roads or trails..." (78).
Syntax(telegraphic)- "Don't blink. You'll miss us"(82).
Humor- "Give me this deprivation, any old day of the week" (80).


Discussion Questions:
1. When Kingsolver refers to Old Charley's Lot is tobacco or mushrooms grown there?
2. At the end of almost every break, why does she use a humorous yet sarcastic remark?
3. How could the erradication of tobacco positively affect the nation and could it lead to people accepting organic vegetables more?


"Tobacco is slowly going extinct as a U.S. crop, and that is probably a sign of good civic sense , but it's also a cultural death when all those who grew it must pack up , go find an apartment somewhere, and work in a factory" (74).