Mike Rose’s article provides the reader with an excellent representation and description of the true value of a blue-collar worker. Stereotypically, this group of people is not seen as being very bright, since intelligence is often measured by the number of years of education that a person has. However, the article explains many examples of how blue-collar people must constantly use their brains while on the job. Throughout this class, we have read many books that explain just how important this group of people are. In particular, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair relates to concepts in the article as well as The Coal Tattoo by Silas House. All three works describe in detail not only the brawn of the characters and their hardships, but how the
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She even went in for overtime when school was cancelled (House 52). Anneth was able to get her job back whenever she wanted it, proving that she must have been really hardworking. Furthermore, throughout the text, she is described as a very outgoing, social, and charming woman. She is able to use these aspects to help her in her career. Working as a waitress is very tough and tiring work. A hard-working waitress must be able to have a great memory, develop tricks to use time most efficiently, and get customers to like her. It takes skill and experience to be able to be a great waitress, and this type of work is definitely not someone that anyone can do. Later in the story, Anneth is able to convince her boss, Gloria to let her run the café for her same wage but to be able to live in her apartment rent free (House 248). This shows how blue-collar workers had to be crafty to get ahead in the working world. Also, by the fact that Gloria agreed to the deal shows how much she believed in Anneth’s skills. Working-class people often learn tricks of the trade by watching and learning from others. For example, Anneth learned from Gloria that when the restaurant isn’t busy to roll silverware, since there can never be too much on hand. Furthermore, when she became the boss, she had to learn the administrative side of the café, which was paying the employees and coming up with schedules (House 260). Therefore, in this type of occupation, there are so many things to process at once, and it takes a lot of mental work to be able to sequence everything
She even went in for overtime when school was cancelled (House 52). Anneth was able to get her job back whenever she wanted it, proving that she must have been really hardworking. Furthermore, throughout the text, she is described as a very outgoing, social, and charming woman. She is able to use these aspects to help her in her career. Working as a waitress is very tough and tiring work. A hard-working waitress must be able to have a great memory, develop tricks to use time most efficiently, and get customers to like her. It takes skill and experience to be able to be a great waitress, and this type of work is definitely not someone that anyone can do. Later in the story, Anneth is able to convince her boss, Gloria to let her run the café for her same wage but to be able to live in her apartment rent free (House 248). This shows how blue-collar workers had to be crafty to get ahead in the working world. Also, by the fact that Gloria agreed to the deal shows how much she believed in Anneth’s skills. Working-class people often learn tricks of the trade by watching and learning from others. For example, Anneth learned from Gloria that when the restaurant isn’t busy to roll silverware, since there can never be too much on hand. Furthermore, when she became the boss, she had to learn the administrative side of the café, which was paying the employees and coming up with schedules (House 260). Therefore, in this type of occupation, there are so many things to process at once, and it takes a lot of mental work to be able to sequence everything