Hall !

Conner Hall

Mr. Barnum

English 1010

3/7/19

The Merits of Blue-Collar

“Blue-Collar Brilliance,” written by Mike Rose and “Shop Class as Soulcraft,” written

by Matthew B. Crawford are separate articles that both center on the merits of blue-collar work.

While they each have similar topics, they examine them in very different and unique ways. Rose

argues the value of blue-collar work and his goal is to promote the hard work and importance

that goes into that field. His intended audience is white-collar workers and scholars. This is based

on his language, and his use of “we,” implying that he is part of the white-collar audience

himself. Crawford suggests that while blue-collar work and learning a trade is significant, it is

also beneficial to gain a formal education. Crawford’s article is targeted toward while-collar

workers as well, particularly scholars in that field based on his academic speech, the length of the

article, and the amount of logos utilized. I will be analyzing and comparing the two works by

citing evidence to determine where Rose and Crawford employ similar rhetorical strategies like

claim of facts and values. They also make use of their platform to invoke authority and

credibility. Each author utilizes these strategies to advance their purpose further and to promote

the value and intelligence that goes into blue-collar workmanship.

Crawford makes use of facts immensely throughout his article. Crawford cites another

source in a passage to support his point. It reads, “The Wall Street Journal recently wondered
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whether, “skilled labor is becoming one of the few sure paths to a good living.” This possibility

was brought to light for many by the bestseller The Millionaire Next Door, which revealed that

the typical millionaire is the guy driving a pickup, with his own business in the trades.” Crawford

takes advantage of the value regarding these other sources to assist his article’s cause further.

Crawford makes a bold claim when he talks about an article by Mike Eisenberg. He calls it, “In

what has to be the best article ever published in an education journal (. . .).” This automatically

draws in readers. Making a heavy claim like that shows confidence, and therefore the reader

feels more assured in the author. The audience begins to respect and value his opinions more.

These sections in the article really build a trust in the audience toward Crawford because of his

factual claims.

At another point, Crawford goes on to invoke credibility when he mentions that

“following graduate school in Chicago, I took a job in a Washington D.C think tank (. . .),” He

goes on to explain how this impacted his overall thoughts on the topic. Crawford also cites

Alexandre Kojeve’s work when he says, “The man who works recognizes his own product in the

world has actually been transformed by his work, he recognizes himself in it, he sees in it his

own human reality, in it he discovers and reveals to others the objective reality of his humanity.”

Crawford uses this piece of text to intrigue his audience. It sets up his thoughts even more by

inserting another opinion into the article to add more credibility to his cause.

Mike Rose has a very different style than Crawford. His writing is much more

personable. He mentions his family a lot and states, “My Mother (. . .) shaped her adult identity

as a waitress in coffee shops and family restaurants.” He uses this fact to help the audience

understand the place he is coming from and his personal relationship with blue-collar workers.
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He also does this when he brings up a misconception many people have regarding school. “Work

requiring less schooling requires less intelligence. These assumptions run through our cultural

history.” Rose calls out a stereotype that many people are aware of and talks about how this has

an effect on the way people perceive blue-collar jobs. This is a claim of value and how this

sentiment has been conventionalized. This is a moment that Rose pleas specifically to his target

white-collar audience, which he himself is a part of. He wants his fellow white-collar workers to

view blue-collar jobs as admirable and as a form of work that is as equally important. “Although

writers and scholars have often looked at the working class, they have generally focused on the

values such workers exhibit rather than on the thought their work requires, a subtle but pervasive

omission,” Rose states. I think this passage is very effective to its target audience because it leans

so heavily on value. It’s very honest and blatant. His passion shines through in his writing and

the message is very powerful.

Rose uses his Uncle Joe’s situation to invoke a sense of authority and credibility to the

matter at hand. Rose expresses how his Uncle Joe “lacked formal knowledge of how the

machines (in the factory he worked in) under his supervision worked, but he had direct

experience with them, hands on knowledge, and was savvy about their quirks and operation

capabilities.” This helps Rose’s audience believe in what he’s saying more because they take his

families circumstances into account. This gives Rose a position of authority on the matter

because he can use his family’s background to push the message of “Blue-Collar Brilliance.”

Throughout both articles, Rose and Crawford both recognize the merits and skills

involved in the blue-collar workforce. Both authors are familiar with that kind of work and have

either held jobs in that work space or have had family who have been involved in it. They each
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use similar rhetorical strategies like claims of fact and value to their advantage. They also try to

apply a sense of authority and credibility to prove their article’s purpose. Crawford demonstrates

a great amount of academic writing and leans toward a more scholarly audience, while Rose is

much more personal and relatable. Each of the author’s purposes are similar to one another and

their is a lot of overlap in the strategies they use, but each author delivers their message in their

own unique way. Overall they are both effective to the intended audience and encourage white-

collar workers to view blue-collar work with a more meaningful eye.