Jackson Hohler

English 1010

Justin Jory

Oct 17th 2020

Taking a look at "Blue-Collar Brilliance" written by Mike Rose and "Shop Class as

Soulcraft" by Matthew B. Crawford, we see two big statements being made. One is that our

society, as it currently is, does not value the work and intelligence of the “blue-collar worker”.

The second being how terrible this fact is, and how deserving they are of our praise and

respect. It comes across in their work that both authors truly feel these “blue-collar workers”

should be recognized and celebrated more. And surely after reading both essays respectively,

you'd begin to see the value of those skilled laborers in our society. But who are they trying to

coerce? The people who don’t value the skilled laborer's of our workforce. Those who would

consider themselves a higher status than “blue-collar”, or would use this phrasing to describe

other people and their careers. This story, the message, and both essays are already available

to anyone who wants to read them. So instead of summarizing the essays or debating the

claims made, we will look at the strategies and tools used to back up those claims. How through

the evidence they give and the stories they tell, they are able to persuade their intended

audience into believing these claims. As well as the evolutions of their respective papers as they

progress through their ideas and come to end on a message and a lesson. We’ll look at a few

different passages from each essay and explore how both authors meet their goal.

In "Blue-Collar Brilliance", Rose opens up talking about his memories of his mother

working in the diner when he was just a kid. Reminiscing about the atmosphere of the diner, the

comings and goings of the patrons, and the hustle and bustle of the staff. He describes what he

sees watching his mother work.

 "She walked full tilt through the room with plates stretching up her left arm and two cups

of coffee somehow cradled in her right hand. She stood at a table or booth and removed a plate

for this person, another for that person, then another, remembering who had the hamburger, who

had the fried shrimp, almost always getting it right…...What I observed in my mother’s restaurant

defined the world of adults, a place where competence was synonymous with physical work."

The entire passage is a praise to the working competence of his mother, and the excitement of

the environment she had to work in. The last line, about the diner being the definition of the

adult world, is a great example telling the experience most children will have in their formative

years. When they are most impressionable, and sculpting in their mind the ideals of what it

means to be an adult. Their ability to handle stress and responsibility so well, that it appears

magical. He gives his other example, of his uncle who worked for General Motors, to tell more of

the stresses faced in these careers and how the laborers were adaptable.

"As a foreman, Joe constantly faced new problems and became a consummate multi-

tasker, evaluating a flurry of demands quickly, parceling out physical and mental resources,

keeping a number of ongoing events in his mind, returning to whatever task had been interrupted,

and maintaining a cool head under the pressure of grueling production schedules"

This passage praises his uncle on the ability to adapt and overcome, and these are traits Rose

feels are a sign of intelligence. As opposed to how the western world uses academic

accomplishments to rank peoples intelligence.This is supported by another quote that came just

a paragraph before.

"For Joe the shop floor provided what school did not; it was like schooling, he said, a

place where you’re constantly learning."

This is a point that is important in both essays, that the intelligence of these laborers shouldn't

be represented by the schooling they went through, or lack thereof, but from their abilities to do

their jobs correctly under large amounts of stress.

In comparison to Rose’s work, Crawfords work in "Shop Class as Soulcraft" makes use

of history to make claims of fact. In these examples it is emphasized that these jobs require a lot

of experience, know-how, and flexibility.

"George Sturt relates his experience in taking over his family business of making wheels

for carriages, in 1884, shortly before the advent of the automobile.…... Working exclusively with

hand tools, the skills required to build a wheel regress all the way to the selection of trees to fell

for timber, the proper time for feeling them, how to season them, and so forth."

Although we have made advancements in engineering and technology since 1884, making

these sorts of jobs easier, the careers of today can be even more burdened by this than you

think.

"The physical circumstances of the jobs performed by carpenters, plumbers, and auto

mechanics vary too much for them to be executed by idiots; they require circumspection and

adaptability"

Which is true, most people don't know how these things are done, or what goes into these

different professions. Sure, you could look up a tutorial online on how to renovate your

bathroom. However, no single video or blog post can make you a master builder, and your end

result will definitely not turn out how you wanted. Something like that is gained through the

experience of a long career in construction. The same with any of these professions, which
require real life experience alongside formal or informal training. Crawford emphasizes that they

go hand in hand in his closing statement.

“ By all means, go to college. In fact, approach college in the spirit of craftsmanship, going deep

into liberal arts and sciences. In the summers, learn a manual trade.... To heed such advice

would require a certain contrarian streak, as it entails rejecting a life course mapped out by others

as obligatory and inevitable.”

Rejection is the key to their arguments. Both Rose and Crawford ultimately want us to

reject the course that society perceives to be the only right path to take. However, the two

authors go about making this argument in a different way. The tones of each paper are different

enough that, for the same argument, they appeal to the different senses of the reader. In "Blue-

Collar Brilliance", Rose uses nostalgic stories of his Mother and Uncle in their places of work to

appeal to the readers sentiments. On the other hand, in "Shop Class as Soulcraft" Crawford

makes use of stories from history, of how these careers came to be labeled as "blue-collar" to

appeal to the readers values and intelligence. Separately, both essays make strong arguments,

but together they can convince even the most stubborn person to reject their misconceptions.
 Works Cited
Rose, Mike. “Blue-Collar Brilliance.” The American Scholar,
https://theamericanscholar.org/blue-collar-brilliance/
Crawford, Matthew B. “Shop Class as Soulcraft.” The New Atlantis,
https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/shop-class-as-soulcraft