“Blue-Collar Brilliance” [p. 243]
Mike Rose
In this essay, Mike Rose profiles his mother Rosie and his uncle Joe, who serve as examples of his argument that those without formal education have important kinds of intelligence. He points out that although we assume less time in school means that a person is less intelligent, those who work in manual labor use critical thinking, math, reading, and writing skills. These workers also acquire a social intelligence for working with others to solve problems, and their “education” happens as they learn daily on the job. Rose argues that we should be aware of the many kinds of intelligence necessary to be a skilled worker and to make sure we don’t offer “limited educational opportunities” (¶28) to them.
Teaching Notes
This essay does not mention higher education in much depth, despite the fact that Rose teaches at a large public university. Ask students how this essay relates to some of the others in the chapter, or to extend Rose’s argument: what would he say about the relevance of college to the blue-collar workers he describes?
Ask students to find examples of Rose’s appeal to readers’ emotions (especially in the descriptions of his mother and uncle); how do they react to the use of pathos?
Related Essays
ANDREW HACKER AND CLAUDIA DREIFUS “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?” [p. 179]
SANFORD J. UNGAR “The New Liberal Arts” [p. 190]
DAVID FOSTER WALLACE “Kenyon Commencement Speech” [p. 198] LIZ ADDISON “Two Years Are Better Than Four” [p. 211]
CHARLES MURRAY “Are Too Many People Going to College?” [p. 222] GERALD GRAFF “Hidden Intellectualism” [p.380]
Joining the Conversation
1. This essay begins with a fairly detailed description of Mike Rose’s mother at her work as a waitress in the 1950s, when he was a child. How is this description related to his argument? Is it an effective opening? Why or why not?
Mike Rose
In this essay, Mike Rose profiles his mother Rosie and his uncle Joe, who serve as examples of his argument that those without formal education have important kinds of intelligence. He points out that although we assume less time in school means that a person is less intelligent, those who work in manual labor use critical thinking, math, reading, and writing skills. These workers also acquire a social intelligence for working with others to solve problems, and their “education” happens as they learn daily on the job. Rose argues that we should be aware of the many kinds of intelligence necessary to be a skilled worker and to make sure we don’t offer “limited educational opportunities” (¶28) to them.
Teaching Notes
This essay does not mention higher education in much depth, despite the fact that Rose teaches at a large public university. Ask students how this essay relates to some of the others in the chapter, or to extend Rose’s argument: what would he say about the relevance of college to the blue-collar workers he describes?
Ask students to find examples of Rose’s appeal to readers’ emotions (especially in the descriptions of his mother and uncle); how do they react to the use of pathos?
Related Essays
ANDREW HACKER AND CLAUDIA DREIFUS “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?” [p. 179]
SANFORD J. UNGAR “The New Liberal Arts” [p. 190]
DAVID FOSTER WALLACE “Kenyon Commencement Speech” [p. 198] LIZ ADDISON “Two Years Are Better Than Four” [p. 211]
CHARLES MURRAY “Are Too Many People Going to College?” [p. 222] GERALD GRAFF “Hidden Intellectualism” [p.380]
Joining the Conversation
1. This essay begins with a fairly detailed description of Mike Rose’s mother at her work as a waitress in the 1950s, when he was a child. How is this description related to his argument? Is it an effective opening? Why or why not?
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The description of Rosie, the waitress, is the first example, an extended example, of a
blue-collar worker requiring specific kinds of intelligence to do her job well. It is a
very detailed example of the argument Rose later makes that blue-collar workers
employ intelligence on the job. Students may think it’s effective because it is a story
rich in detail that draws them in, but some may argue against the pathos of
introducing his hardworking mother in order to connect to readers emotionally.
2. How would you summarize Rose’s overall argument? What evidence does he offer as support? How convincing is his argument?
Rose argues that intelligence should not be associated solely with formal education, as he says in paragraph 9. Instead we should challenge our understanding of the relationship between mind and body and acknowledge the ways in which blue-collar workers use various kinds of intelligence on the job. He supports this argument with numerous examples of blue-collar jobs that require thinking, reading, and interpreting, and he also notes in paragraph 15 that he has studied “the cognitive demands of a range of blue-collar and service jobs,” establishing himself as an expert on the topic. Students’ opinions of the argument will vary.
3. Where does Rose mention differing views, and what is his reason for bringing them up? What are these other views, and who holds them?
Rose mentions opposing views in paragraph 9 when he details “assumptions” about the lower intelligence levels of blue-collar workers. He points out how Revolutionary–era thinkers saw mechanics as “illiterate and therefore incapable of participating in government” and says that he has overheard management call workers “dummies.” In paragraph 27, he acknowledges that some of the uses of writing that occur in blue- collar work “are abbreviated, routine, and repetitive, and they infrequently require interpretation or analysis.” In each case, the opposing views help establish his own argument. The entire essay is predicated on the “they say” argument that blue-collar workers are not intelligent, and he points out the ways in which readers may assume that he is giving too much credit to the reading and writing tasks of blue-collar jobs. He rarely assigns these points of view to particular groups of people, though, implying that they are pervasive in our culture. He does, however, single out managers in paragraph 9. Ask students who might be most likely to denigrate the intellectual levels of those who do physical work or to think that a college education equals intelligence.
4. How do you think Rose would respond to Charles Murray’s argument (pp. 222–42) that many students lack the intellectual potential to succeed in college?
2. How would you summarize Rose’s overall argument? What evidence does he offer as support? How convincing is his argument?
Rose argues that intelligence should not be associated solely with formal education, as he says in paragraph 9. Instead we should challenge our understanding of the relationship between mind and body and acknowledge the ways in which blue-collar workers use various kinds of intelligence on the job. He supports this argument with numerous examples of blue-collar jobs that require thinking, reading, and interpreting, and he also notes in paragraph 15 that he has studied “the cognitive demands of a range of blue-collar and service jobs,” establishing himself as an expert on the topic. Students’ opinions of the argument will vary.
3. Where does Rose mention differing views, and what is his reason for bringing them up? What are these other views, and who holds them?
Rose mentions opposing views in paragraph 9 when he details “assumptions” about the lower intelligence levels of blue-collar workers. He points out how Revolutionary–era thinkers saw mechanics as “illiterate and therefore incapable of participating in government” and says that he has overheard management call workers “dummies.” In paragraph 27, he acknowledges that some of the uses of writing that occur in blue- collar work “are abbreviated, routine, and repetitive, and they infrequently require interpretation or analysis.” In each case, the opposing views help establish his own argument. The entire essay is predicated on the “they say” argument that blue-collar workers are not intelligent, and he points out the ways in which readers may assume that he is giving too much credit to the reading and writing tasks of blue-collar jobs. He rarely assigns these points of view to particular groups of people, though, implying that they are pervasive in our culture. He does, however, single out managers in paragraph 9. Ask students who might be most likely to denigrate the intellectual levels of those who do physical work or to think that a college education equals intelligence.
4. How do you think Rose would respond to Charles Murray’s argument (pp. 222–42) that many students lack the intellectual potential to succeed in college?
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