The essay analyzed is part of an 1898 book by Wendell Berry entitled What Are People
For? and reflects his unique attitude on modern culture. He is professing the concise argument
that food is an industrialized business and is in need of a stronger aspect of humanity. Our bodies
deserve a certain respect and should be treated with diligence. There is only one body per life
and should therefore be granted individual care. The act of putting anything into our bodies
should be a careful and personal action but do to the commonality of eating all sacredness has
been lost. Berry uses many methods of rhetoric to form his argument and persuade his audience
to yield to his point of view. He expresses a strong sense of logos, to present his argument in a
way that is logical and natural to his listener, ethos, to build a personal connection to his
audience, and pathos, to manipulate and morph the emotional state of his perceiver.

The logos presented in the text is based primarily in rhetorical reasoning. The act of
eating is a necessary act of human survival and does not rely heavily on empirical fact. The text
also presents a bit of false reasoning. The food industry is incredibly mechanized and has
removed the life and natural qualities from agriculture and made it cold, dry, and static; however,
the 'esthetics of eating' (Berry 128) work to fool us into thinking what we put into our bodies is
real. It seems that the world knows somewhere inside that the process of eating has become
disgusting, but they choose to ignore it because its easier and then they don't half to stop eating
the double bacon cheese burgers they have become so addicted to. The reasoning in this essay
follows an inductive path. Berry begins with a simple statement: 'eating is an agricultural act'
(124), his string of logic then continues to get bigger and more complex by bringing in questions
of consciousness and personal connection and relation to food. This movement of logic helps the
reader to possess a fuller view of his argument. You must first think basic and understand a little
piece before moving to something bigger.

The ethos presented by Berry is of a 'wise old man' archetypal nature. He is mature and
abstract in his thinking and conclusions, while presenting enough vulgarity in his imagery to
hold interest. He has a strong tone that gives him an authoritative image that then draws a sense
of respect from his audience. Berry demonstrates his wisdom by highlighting the 'obliviousness'
of those who gain their 'whole knowledge of food' (125) from false advertising and trickery. He
shows his hard and determined tone by undermining the act of eating by referring to it as
'Industrial eating,' and he adds a cold and impersonal identity to the act by saying 'our kitchens
and other eating places more and more resemble filing stations' (125). He also uses a very mild
and beautiful language towards the end when he brings his own experiences and emotions into
his subject matter. He describes eating as 'the profoundest enactment of our connection to the
world' (128). This contrasts the previous harshness and calls on a bit of sympathy. He does all of
this with incredible eloquence and skill. His learned methods of writing derive from experience
and talent, this suggests to the reader that he possesses a greater knowledge and education.
Additionally, he demonstrates a strong sense of good will; he is out to help us understand how
the food industry has wronged us and what we can do to mend the damaged they have inflicted.
During the time period the clean food movement was not nearly as strong as it is today, due to
this irrelevance, the expression of good will helps the audience to feel protected and safe in
Berry's concern, thus making it more effective. His eloquence and experience gives him an
image of good sense, making him trustworthy and wise. Additionally, Berry has worked in
agriculture for many years and lives off of what he produces, this presents a feeling of honesty
giving us good virtue, he practices what he preaches.

The Pathos demonstrated in this argument is meant to play off of our sympathies, guilt,
and fears. He makes us feel sympathetic when he provides us with the images of the cattle being
tormented and mistreated. He also paints himself in a kind and loving picture when he speaks of
his love and connection he forms with the things he grows. This makes us sympathetic towards
him and makes us feel more intimately intertwined with him. He also arouses a bit of guilt within
his audience by making us feel like we should have more respect for what enters our bodies. He
compares the food industry to 'industrial sex' and calls it 'degraded' (125), this makes us feel a
little shameful and apologetic. We are inclined to right the wrong that inspired his
disappointment. He continues in his essay to include various technical and scary terms to
describe food to inspire a sense of fear in what we have been exposed to. In this line he uses
many terms that should never be applied to something that enters the body: 'The passive
American consumer, sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared or fast food, confronts a platter
covered with inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced,
gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified, and sanitized beyond resemblance to any
part of any creature that ever lived' (126). Lines and language like this give the reader a
squeamish and fearful outlook on their past behaviors, all for the purpose of inspiring change.
Additionally, within this quote we see Berry use the phrase 'The passive consumer' this
degradation places his audience in a vulnerable position. By summoning a sense of anger, Berry
then has the ability to channel that anger away from himself and onto his chosen target. This
arousal also eliminates any sense of energeia, he removes apathy by inspiring anger through
insult.

In conclusion, Berry presents the argument that our consumption of food has become
mechanized; an act that should be handled with the greatest amount of care has grown
insignificant and cumbersome. He recommends that we invest our minds and time into taking
back the food industry; to grow what we can and live as independently as possible. He
challenges us to exist outside of the realm ruled by the factories and companies that treat,
saturate, and disassemble all that we consume. His method of approaching this argument is
delicate and calculated due to the irrelevance of the time. He presents his message in various
ways to engage an otherwise apathetic audience. Berry enlists numerous forms of rhetoric to
drive his point, including logos, ethos, and pathos. These three tools of persuasion allow him to
grip his perceivers and manipulate them into swaying his way.

