Blue Collar Brilliance Summary

Words: 675
Pages: 3
Open Document
The Relationship is at The Heart
The online edition of the Oxford Dictionary defines blue-collar as “of or relating to manual work or workers, particularly in industry. Wikipedia as: “In English-speaking countries, a blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled manufacturing, mining, sanitation, custodian work, oil field, construction, mechanical maintenance, warehousing, firefighting, technical installation and many other types of physical work.” In comparison, “Blue-Collar Brilliance” a short work written by Mark Rose and “The Case for Working with Your Hands” by Matthew B. Crawford share manual labor as a topic and subject of those short works. The authors have …show more content…
A mix up in test scores with a fellow high student who shared the same surname placed Rose in vocational technical training. When the mistake was discovered by one of his English teachers his educational track was changed and with encouragement from his teacher Rose entered college and so began his academic career. The experience left Rose with a desire to improve public education methods to which he devoted several years of his professional life.
Crawford is a person who acts on his principals as was the case when he left a position that conflicted with his ethical standards. So he feels things deeply. He writes his piece from a place of utter frustration. A need to get it out, as if to say that’s how I feel, that is why I’m so frustrated. Here are ten words you’ve never seen before, was he proving to me that he was intelligent or how educated he was? He failed to make me care about him.
In comparison, the works have a similar mission to point out to the reader the virtues of the blue –collar work, and to highlight the intelligence required to produce good work. In contrast, the authors approach their work from two very different places emotionally: Rose from a place of love and fond remembrances of his blue-collar upbringing, Crawford: out of frustration and resentment. Crawford would prefer to spend his time repairing motorcycles, yet he can’t because his intellect won’t be fully appreciated there. Who cares? Not
Show More

Related Documents: Blue Collar Brilliance Summary

Summary Of Blue Collar Brilliance

The articulation of the essay “Blue-Collar Brilliance” by Mike Rose is a composite of how typical hard-working individuals are labeled solely on the education they have received during their lifetime. Both his mother Rose and uncle Joe where hard workers without college degrees. Rose makes it abundantly clear, “Like anyone who is effective at physical work, my mother learned to work smart” to make it from one day to another (2). As a waitress, Rosie had to balance social skills with management skills…

Words 302 - Pages 2

Summary Of Blue Collar Brilliance

In the essay “Blue Collar Brilliance” by Mike Rose he begins with a description of his mother Rosie’s work life, who is a waitress at coffee shops and family restaurants, he goes into detail of her daily routines, how everyday she would memorize orders, knows how to deal with customers, how long orders would take, and more. Also describes his Uncle Joe’s job, he talks about how he worked in a General Motors Factory and how he moved up from production line to supervising paint jobs. What Joe and Rosie…

Words 678 - Pages 3

Summary Of Blue Collar Brilliance

On June 1, 2009 Mike Rose's article Blue Collar Brilliance expressed the importance of blue collar careers versus the white collar work force. Rose demonstrates that the blue collar workers are often under appreciated for what they must do day in and day out. Also, how much these workers learn while performing their duties. Rose compared the blue collar jobs to the rigors of attending school, only to be learning and working at the same time. Rose was exposed to this environment early on in childhood…

Words 347 - Pages 2

Blue Collar Brilliance Summary

In the article, “Blue-Collar Brilliance,” Mike Rose questions if people with blue collar jobs are unintelligent or if they have a separate type of knowledge that can only be learned through working. He argues that these jobs demand skills that workers can’t get through formal education but through experience. Rose efficiently persuades the reader by using various personal narrative and examples of how blue-collar workers gain knowledge through their jobs. He recounts stories of his mother Rosie and…

Words 768 - Pages 4

Summary Of Blue Collar Brilliance By Mike Rose

Summary of “Blue Collar Brilliance” In the narrative article, “Blue Collar Brilliance” by Mike Rose, he challenges the view that a person’s intelligence is measured by the amount of schooling the person has accomplished. It is understood that the blue collar jobs consist of more intelligence than other jobs. Throughout the article, Mike Rose addresses his personal experiences with family that has worked within blue collar jobs and service jobs, his research and results. The Rose family didn’t do…

Words 615 - Pages 3

Blue Collar Brilliance Mike Rose Summary

Blue Collar Brilliance, is a totally captivating and informative article written by Mike Rose. Without a doubt this article broadened my perspective on how I view my job as a Home Health Aide, as well as the job of others. Works tasks I once considered subpar, I now realize holds immense potential. The potential for me to grow intellectually, emotionally and physically. Mike Rose proves with astounding facts derived from witnessing his Mother’s passion, and commitment to her job as a Waitress, that…

Words 463 - Pages 2

Summary Of Mike Rose's Blue-Collar Brilliance

There is a stigma against blue-collar workers. To some, they are seen as ‘lesser’. There are those who see them as less intelligent, less driven, less fortunate. They are ‘less intelligent’ because they did not pursue higher education, and therefore, cannot possibly be as smart as those who have. They are ‘less driven’ also because they did not go to college. Maybe they began work straight out of highschool, maybe they couldn’t actually finish; because of this they are ‘stuck’ in lower paying positions…

Words 860 - Pages 4