A Rhetorical Analysis Of Blue Collar Brilliance By Mike Rose

In the article, “Blue Collar Brilliance”, published in the summer of 2009 by Mike Rose in the American Scholar, Rose persuades people that the amount of someone’s educational level doesn’t justify their intelligence level and we shouldn’t base our opinions of their intelligence purely off their jobs. Since this article was published in the American Scholar his target audience is people of higher education and those who might hold stereotypes of blue collar workers. Rose is highly successful in persuading his audience to form new opinions on blue collar workers and their overall intelligence levels. He emphasizes his credibility throughout the article with anecdotes, a well thought out organization of his paper, as well as an elevated vocabulary

Rose uses his higher level of vocabulary to intrigue his audience by stating, “Affirmation of diverse intelligence is not a retreat to a soft-hearted definition of the mind”. His use of intellectual writing allows him to convey his ideas thoroughly and precisely while maintaining a logical appeal to the paper. This style of writing also compliments his purpose in showing that blue collar workers can have a high intelligence level. Rose also uses imagery in his paper such as saying, “the plumber seeking leverage in order to work in tight quarters”. His use of pathos is another way of hooking the audience with his experiences of knowing people who have worked in blue collar jobs. This quote does much more than provoke an emotional response it also shows that blue collar workers must be problem solvers to be more efficient with their jobs. The plumber in this situation must figure out how to adjust himself to gain more space to complete the job. Rose’s combination of both imagery and diction helps him to establish a more knowledgeable tone while using both logos and pathos to keep his audience intrigued as well while still making his stance on the topic more recognizable for the readers of American