In the essay 'Declare Your Independence', Joel Salatin explains to his readers that it is
time to eliminate industrial food from their daily diets and return to a more natural and healthy
way of eating. He clarifies to his audience that they have lost their freedom when it comes to
choosing what they put into their bodies. Many people have no idea what is actually in the foods
that are a part of their every day routine. Salatin explains that as humans we should naturally
want to regain our misplaced freedoms and provides explicit steps we can take in order to
achieve that goal. He makes this argument successful by arguing deductively and using
dialectical reasoning, which are both characteristics of logos, explaining to his audience that he
has good sense, good virtue, and good will, which are all features of his appeal to ethos, and
drawing out the audience's emotions, desires and concerns, which is an aspect of pathos.

Salatin begins his essay by using the rhetorical proof of logos and arguing deductively,
which means that he starts by showing his audience the general idea of his argument and then
moves towards his specific examples. He begins by stating that 'The time has come for people
who are ready to challenge the paradigm of factory-produced food and to return to a more
natural, wholesome, and sustainable way of eating' ' (Salatin 187). This statement is located
within the first section of the essay, which shows that he begins with general reasoning. He
doesn't go into detail as to how this can be accomplished until the subsections that can be found
within the essay. After this broad description of the argument, he begins to recognize the
counterarguments that some people may have about this argument. These disputes and
disagreements, which are that '' without industrial food, the world would starve' and that food
produced on local farms are not grown in a safe environment, help introduce the corruption
within the industrial food system and the specific ways humans can regain their food freedoms
from this unethical system (Salatin 188). Not only does he explain to his audience just how
corrupt the current food system is, but he also provides a list explicitly describing 'the hallmarks
of the industrial food system' (Salatin 191). This list includes '' genetic manipulation'
confined animal feeding operations' ready to eat food' fancy packaging' high fructose corn
syrup' ' and much more (Salatin 191-192). Once the readers are fully aware of the particular
dangers involved with this type of food system, he describes explicit steps someone could take in
order to make the change from industrially produced to locally grown food. These actions are
extremely straightforward and include 'Opting out [of food produced industrially,] learn[ing] to
cook again[,] buy[ing] local[,] buy[ing] what's in season[, and] plant[ing] a garden' (Salatin
192-196). All of these detailed dangers and measures that one could take support the main
argument that was stated at the beginning of the essay.

Although deductive reasoning is a very important aspect of his appeal to logos, Salatin
utilizes dialectical reasoning as well. Dialectical reasoning is another feature of logos that draws
on premises that we can not prove, yet are proposed, stated, and supported by individuals,
generally considered to be truthful. This 'community belief' is that the current industrial food
system has a negative effect on the health of humans, and that we have essentially lost our food
freedom. Despite the fact that there is scientific evidence proving the fact that the packaged food
and fast food that are all part of the industrial system currently, Salatin does not include those
research-based facts in his essay. He only incorporates examples that he has personally
witnessed or experienced himself, which do support his argument but might not be accepted as
verifiable facts by the entire public. For example, instead of including quotations from well
known farmers and inspectors, he merely describes what goes on at his farm in comparison to the
industrial farms. He states that 'We move the cows every day from paddock to paddock,
allowing the forage to regenerate completely through its growth curve, metabolizing solar energy
into biomass' (Salatin 190). This is compared to the way industrial farms treat their pigs when
Salatin states, 'The industrial pig growers are even trying to find the stress gene so it can be
taken out of the pig's DNA' That way the pigs can be abused but won't be stressed about it'
[T]hey can be crammed in even tighter quarters without cannibalizing and getting sick' (Salatin
190). These statements have no scientific facts or reasoning to back them up or prove them;
however, since they are supported and generated by this credible and reliable source, people
generally tend to consider them to be truthful. Salatin also provides no evidence suggesting that
we have entirely lost the freedoms to 'choose to eat what my body wants in order to have the
energy to shoot, preach, and warship' (Salatin 189). That statement is widely recognized to be
true due to the fact that individuals have proposed specific examples, stated that it is true, and
supported the claim, which are all aspects of dialectical reasoning.

Not only does Salatin effectively appeal to logos by using deductive and dialectical
reasoning, but he also appeals to ethos by displaying to his audience that he has good sense, good
virtue, and good will. Good sense can be defined as being knowledgable about the topic, while
good virtue means that the author is a trustworthy person whose life experiences make them
reliable about the specific issue at hand. The Carolina Reader provides a background summary
of Salatin, which states that 'Joel Salatin is a third-generation alternative farmer at Polyface
Farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. He and his father have been featured in several national
publications, in Michaels Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma, and in the documentary film
Food, Inc' (Bauknight 187). These two sentences help the readers understand that not only does
his life experiences of being a farmer make him knowledgeable of the issues within the industrial
food system, but they also help prove that he is someone his audience can trust. Major
companies have hired him to be a part of their million dollar products, which means that they
saw him as a trustworthy and knowledgable person, and we should too.

Good will is another feature of ethos that is included in this essay, along with good sense
and good virtue. Good will can be defined as having the audience in mind and advocating
something that speaks to their concerns, needs, and emotions. Salatin has the audience in mind
during the entire essay, because he is speaking directly at each and every person telling them
exactly what they could do to make a change. He is acknowledging that his audience has lost
their freedoms and it is time to take control and reclaim what was rightfully theirs. He states that
'If things are going to change, it is up to you and me to make a change' (Salatin 191). By
including himself in that statement, he is further explaining to his audience that he is speaking to
their necessities, because they share the same interests, and feelings toward this particular
predicament. He also provides exact measures that can be taken in order to reach their goal of
gaining back their lost freedoms. He explains that 'first we must rediscover our kitchens' and
then we must 'purchase as directly as possible from your local farmer' (Salatin 192-193). He is
talking straight to his audience and illustrating that he always has them in mind.

Not only does Salatin provide a specific type of reasoning that helps him appeal to logos
and demonstrate to his audience that he is knowledgeable and trustworthy, which appeals to
ethos, but he also arouses emotions or reactions to stimuli in his audience through his appeal to
pathos. He wants his audience to feel scared and angry that their freedom was wrongfully taken
away from them in hopes that they will use these emotions to spark a change. He first plays with
the reader's emotions when he says 'In America I have the freedom to own guns, speak and
assemble. But what good are those freedoms if I can't choose to eat what my body wants in
order to have the energy to shoot, preach, and warship' (Salatin 189). This statement causes the
readers to come to a realization that by being able to choose exactly what goes into our bodies,
the industrial food system is essentially taking more away than just our food freedoms. This
should arouse anger and frustration in the reader's. Salatin wants the readers to use that anger to
fuel their motivation to make a difference. He also triggers his audience to feel scared and
alarmed when they realize how the animals are being treated on a typical industrial farm. He
explains that the industrial raised pigs will soon be able to '' be crammed in even tighter
quarters without cannibalizing and getting sick' (Salatin 190). All of these emotions should guilt
and fear the readers into putting an end to the current industrial food system.

Overall, Salatin uses deductive and dialectical reasoning, explains that he has good will,
good virtue, and good sense, and draws out the reader's emotions -- which are all concepts of
logos, ethos, and pathos -- to help strengthen his overall argument. By using these three
rhetorical appeals, he is convincing his audience that it is time to make a change in industrial
food system. Salatin's appeal to pathos, or causing the readers to feel certain emotions, provides
the most strength to the idea of the overall essay. If his audience does not feel scared, angry, or
alarmed, then they might not feel the need to take action. He is stating that we as humans need
to regain our freedom to decide what food goes into our bodies, and the only way to accomplish
this task is to revert back to a natural and healthy way of living.

