Johnny Appleseed vs. Disney Post 1

The two versions of Johnny Appleseed are different pictured in Pollan's book "The Botany of Desire" and Disney's version. The facutal differences like Johnny Appleseed being the hero of the new colony, the west, is present in Disney's Johnny Appleseed. Disney sugarcoates the story of Johnny Appleseed, a fellow who enjoys growing apples until he sees pioneers moving to the west. His guardian tells him to take some seeds, work, and grow apples in the new land. Disney pictures Johnny Appleseed having a easy time planting apples, making new animal friends, and making the folks in the West happy. Disney has a moral in this story, though. Disney tries to tell the story in this way for the audience, which are mostly kids. The moral of the story is that if you have a dream just like Johnny Appleseed, then go for it. Also, if you believe and work hard, then you can build your faith and your dreams will come true. Disney is known to have magical and happy stories especially in Cinderella, and this is also present in their version of Johnny Appleseed. Pollan's version of Johnny Appleseed is different though. It is more factual and practical. Appleseed had a devotion to these apple seeds and had a "willingness to pack and move his apple tree operation to keep pace with ever-shifting frontier" (15). The apples originally started at the mountains of Kazakhstan, where it had different sizes and colors and were very applelike fruits. The apples were also used by a method of grafting by the Chinese, where they would cut wood from a tree and be notched into the trunk of another tree where it would be more delicious and more of its parent. However, Chapman's apple were a big thing in the west. His apples were used for apple cider. "American's 'inclination toward cider' is the only way to explain John Chapman's success" (23). Pollan's audience is more of adults, or people that are interested in historical facts. Disney uses techniques such as images and cartoons, but Pollan uses techniques such as historical facts, Pollan using maps and going to "Brilliant". He emphasizes the plant, apple, as what people most wanted it for, the sweetness. It was a desire that Americans wanted and without it, then they would just "be more solitary, less friended, less supported, if the land yielded only the useful maize and potato, [and] witheld this ornamental and social fruit" (23).