For numerous years, it was believed that plants and trees were only able to grow in their natural habitat. Spices including nutmeg and & cloves were as valuable as oil is today's world. In today's society you can find nutmeg & clove plants in many different locations across the world whereas in the mid-eighteenth century these plants were only found in select locations. The spread of nutmeg & clove trees across the globe is greatly responsible because of the perseverance and persistence of one individual.Pierre Poivre a Frenchman was always close to death. His mission was to smuggle nutmeg & clove plants from the Spice Islands. His will ...view middle of the document...
One armed Pierre Poivre and his trustworthy clerk friend, Provost set out to the Spice Islands to get their oil. After landing on the island of Miao, they quickly realized that the Dutch had already chopped down any tree of value. Once again, we find an act where man tries to defend their lucrative monopoly.If it wasn't for the snitch Dutchman, Provost would have never found Gueby. The natives in Gueby disliked the Dutch and liked the Provost. They gave Provost exactly what he wanted. Provost had hit the jackpot; he had found his oil mine! He sailed off with four hundred nutmeg trees, seventy clove trees, and thousands of seeds and nuts. Later Provost met with his partner Poivre where they were dispersed across France.I found this chapter informative because it taught of how spices got introduced across the world. I choose this chapter because it really stuck out amongst the other chapters. Being a film major, I quickly thought that this chapter would make a rather exciting epic like film. Pierre Poivre lived a hard life, yet accomplished so much. His travels and adventures in just one person's life could have so many 'exciting scenes'. Not only would this make an entertaining film, but it would also be rather historical telling the audience how the spice trade was such a big part of history. The Dutch tried to monopolize the market, with all their might but man will not let a good thing stay scarce. Pierre Poivre, amongst many other famous individuals throughout history continues to demonstrate how mans perseverance and persistence can achieve great actions.