The success of an argument depends on many different aspects of rhetoric, such as
rhetorical proofs. Proofs of logos, ethos, and pathos are utilized together to make arguments
convincing by eliciting a rhetorically useful response and reflecting the demands of the situation.
These proofs are based in logical reasoning, the rhetor himself or herself, and the audience,
respectively. Joel Salatin uses these appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos and arranges them
methodically in 'Declare Your Independence' to effectively gain a useful response to his
argument for a more natural and sustainable way of eating.

Before analyzing how the proofs are used in 'Declare Your Independence', the rhetorical
situation itself must be analyzed. The author, Joel Salatin, is a third-generation farmer, which
makes him qualified to talk about food, food safety, farming, and the industrial food system.
These subjects are all touched upon in 'Declare Your Independence'. Salatin understands his
audience to be Americans who consume food from America. The audience can also be assumed
to be people questioning the food industry because 'Declare Your Independence' is part of an
essay called 'How Industrial Food Is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer- and What You Can
Do about It'. Americans questioning the food industry would seek literature similar to this essay
to learn more about their food. The last part of the rhetorical situation is the argument Salatin is
making. Salatin is arguing against the food industry, claiming that the industry has stolen our
food freedom, and we need to 'challenge the paradigm of factory-produced food and to return to
a more natural, wholesome, and sustainable way of eating' (Salatin 187). Understanding these
aspects of the rhetorical situation helps interpret how the proofs are utilized to make Salatin's
argument a success.

The first rhetorical proof utilized is logos. Logos is based in logical reasoning, whether it
is scientific, dialectical, false, or rhetorical. Within 'Declare Your Independence', Salatin utilizes
the scientific and rhetorical uses of logos. Scientific logos draw on assumptions that can be
proved to be true or that professionals accept as true. Salatin grew up farming and because of his
years of experience, is a well-known and respected farmer. His audience has good reason to
believe what he says about the negative effects of the industrial food system is true. He
demonstrates this by acknowledging some common arguments people have in favor of an
industrial food system, such as that the world would starve without it, or that food would not be
safe without it, and refutes them appropriately. Not only is scientific logos supported by Salatin
himself, he challenges the aspect by saying, 'just because well-educated credentialed experts say
something does not make it true' (Salatin 189). Salatin demonstrates both sides of the scientific
side of logos but only supports his own.

Rhetorical logos draws on the basis of community belief rather than facts. In Salatin's
essay, he compares his farm in a small-town community in the mountains of Virginia with the
farms used by industrial food producers. He describes his farm as an environment that creates a
'pig delight', opposed to industrial farms that view pigs as 'merely inanimate piles of
protoplasmic molecular structure to be manipulated with whatever cleverness the egocentric
human mind can conceive' (Salatin 190). The difference in beliefs about the treatment and
handling of animals is demonstrated in rhetorical logos by the differences in practices between
the communities of rural and industrial farms. When using logos, it is important to lead with the
most probable reasoning. Scientific reasoning is the most probable with the subject Salatin is
discussing and this is what he starts with. This arrangement within the text helps make his
argument successful by introducing factual information before community beliefs.

Ethos is the second rhetorical proof Salatin uses. Ethos is based on the character of the
rhetor and the things about him or her that affect how the audience processes the argument that is
being presented. Salatin is an American farmer, which gives him knowledge and credibility on
the subject of the food industry discussed in 'Declare Your Independence'. Salatin demonstrates
the three aspects of ethos: good sense, good virtue, and good will. His demonstration of good
sense and good virtue is shown by his knowledge on the topic of natural eating and his
background in farming, which makes him reliable. When he speaks about his farm and the
methods he uses to create a natural food product without 'food additives, preservatives,
colorings, emulsifiers, corn syrups, and unpronounceable ingredients listed on the colorful
packages', he is demonstrating not only his knowledge on the topic, but the next aspect of ethos,
which is good will (Salatin 188).

Salatin is speaking to his audience's concerns by informing them of the practices of the
industrial food system or as he calls them, the 'industrial food fraternity' (Salatin 187). He wants
his audience to know that the industry is taking their food freedoms and that they should ask for
a 'Food Emancipation Proclamation' (Salatin 189). When he mentions an emancipation
proclamation, he is reminding his audience, assumed to be Americans, of the civil war and how
people were enslaved. No American wants to hear about their freedoms being taken away, since
it is one of the core values of the American identity. Salatin's demonstration of good sense not
only helps demonstrate his good character, but it also aids in the success of his argument by
putting his audience against the industrial food system.

The last rhetorical proof Salatin utilizes in his argument is pathos, which is based in
shared experiences or values. Salatin uses the pathological proof to arouse specific emotions in
his audience, ones that are useful to the success of his argument. He does this by appealing to the
American identity. He mentions other events in American history where freedom was stolen.
Salatin tells his audience, 'Resistance movements from the antislavery movement to women's
suffrage to sustainable agriculture always have and will being with opting out' (Salatin 192). By
reminding Americans of these events that took away freedoms, he is eliciting emotions in them
that will make his argument successful. Americans hold very close the attitude of 'Don't Tread
on Me' and any feelings of a loss of freedom will cause them to react.

Salatin not only uses the proof of pathos to get feelings of anger from his audience he
also makes them feel sorry for the people that believe in this system. He tells his audience that
these people 'fear our methods because they've been conditioned by the powers that be to fear
our methods' (Salatin 191). Not only does Salatin make the audience angry at the powers taking
away their food freedom, he also makes them feel bad for the people that are afraid to opt out.
Salatin arranged his argument methodically and used this rhetorical proof of pathos last because
he first needed to establish his argument, then get his readers to trust him by proving he was a
reliable and knowledgeable person. By setting up his argument in this matter and eliciting
rhetorically useful emotional reactions, Salatin shows how the rhetorical proofs of logos, ethos,
and pathos come together to build a successful argument.

By the end of the text, Salatin has created a successful argument through his use of the
rhetorical proofs and brought his audience to his perspective of the industrial food system. After
creating his successful argument, he eases the audience's concerns that he has aroused about the
system by giving them examples of how to successfully opt out of the industrial industry and
reclaim their food freedoms. His examples include learning to cook again, buying local foods
and what is in season, and finally, planting a garden. Not only does the methodical arrangement
and use of the rhetorical proofs set up a successful argument, the examples of how to opt out
create a complete rhetorically useful emotional response from Salatin's audience. He earns the
readers trust, uses their core values to plot them against the system, and then gives them the
resources to act out their resistance. Together Salatin's use and arrangement of the proofs of
logos, ethos, and pathos in 'Declare Your Independence' create a rhetorically effective argument
with an appropriate response for a more natural way of eating.
