The Rhetoric of Food

In October 2007 Jim Dyer published “Support Colorado Community Food Projects” where he argues for the importance of a quality government food bill to rebuild local food systems. More specifically he highlights that important food reform in Colorado needs to come from the USDA’s Community Food Projects Competitive Grants program, which gives funds to local communities to rebuild their local food systems as well as “empowering communities to boost healthy eating.” Mr. Dyers editorial is very short but still does a phenomenal job using rhetoric to develop his argument.

Dyer also capitalized on a very crucial kairos for this editorial. Kairos, or rhetorical situation is paramount in the development of a rhetorical piece because it needs to be relevant to the audience now. The fall of 2007 was an extremely important time in the food policy debate because of the widespread issues related to American obesity, and the health care problems that stem from them. The timing was also vital because he was enlightening the audience, on the somewhat unknown, government food bill that taking shape at the very same time. The rhetorical situation in which Dyer published this piece was perfect. He was able to write on an issue that on the greater scale was front-page news, yet focus on a specific part of the puzzle that was current and somewhat unknown. However important kairos is, the writer must still harness it and build a persuasive piece.

Dyer does a great job of establishing pathos with the audience in the very first sentence. He does with an extremely basic sentence; “Think about the federal farm bill at dinner tonight” yet this simplistic nine word prompt addresses every single audience member. He unifies the audience around the commonplace of dinner. His writing becomes more slightly more elaborate after that introductory stand alone sentence, but the pathos he was able to create in his first sentence will keep the audience interested throughout the piece, which is the first step in any rhetorical writing piece.

Dyer does not only rely on pathos in the piece he also utilizes ethos. Throughout the piece he appears to be very knowledgeable on the subject, but it’s at the end of the piece when much of his writing gains credibility. At the bottom it states “Jim Dyer raises sheep with his wife, Pam, south of Durango and coordinates the Southwest Colorado Farm to School project and the Southwest Marketing Network.” As previously stated, his piece showcases his knowledge on the subject, but the “resume” as the end completely validates his beliefs even to the most non-believers. His varied use of rhetorical modes of persuasion creates a well-rounded piece.

Dyers main use of appeals is that of ethos, and pathos, however he does utilize logos as well. His use of data is slim, but he does refer to the $5 million dollars of annual funding received by the USDA, and goes on to explain what the money funds, “several local nonprofits to engage hundreds of individuals, including farmers, children, restaurateurs, retailers, nutritionists, politicians, school administrators and others in a conversation about how the local food system could be rebuild.” Even the single data point does further his ethos in the piece, as many readers want numerical evidence while stating a claim.

Dyers use of ethos, pathos, and logos in his piece, “Support Colorado Community Food Projects” combine to create a well-written rhetorical piece with ample evidence. The topic of food policy if one of great interest to me already, but the knowledgeable yet personable writing style of Jim Dyer would be personable to every audience. His piece was informative while addressing all three of Aristotle’s modes of persuasion, as well as assessable to the wide Denver Post audience.