Analysis of the Rhetorical Strategy used by Mike Rose in “Blue Collar Brilliance”
Scrolling through social media, one would see a lot of posts from accounts called RelatableGifs2016, or SchoolMemes101. From the names of the accounts one can make an educated guess about they might post. Relatable pictures. When something is familiar it becomes more understandable, and people tend to empathize more with something if they can have a connection with it. In his essay, Mike Rose focuses on three personal references to allow his reader to understand the purpose of his work “Blue Collar Brilliance”. To begin, Mike Rose introduces his mother, Rosie, who was a waitress at coffee shops and family restaurants. By allowing the reader to be familiar with
…show more content…
Mike Rose confirms ethos when he admits to being a terrible student in high school. Rose states, “by high school I had accumulated a spotty academic record and many hours of hazy disaffection”(275). Knowing that the author is a professor, this makes him seem more trustworthy. By acknowledging his youth as a student, he produces a trust between him and reader. It seems like he does not want the reader to just think he is a prestigious professor, but that the author is human as well. In addition to Rose establishing ethos, in the latter part of the essay Rose mentions a study he did about the thought processes of blue collar workers. His study validates him as someone that should be taken more seriously. Mike Rose concluded that even though physically demanding work does not require a high school diploma, there is a lot of reading and note taking that takes place (282). Thus, Rose also establishes logos. Rose uses the knowledge he accumulated from his study and educates the reader about what he has discovered. Mike Rose gains the trust of the reader and becomes more convincing, allowing the reader to believe he is