Introduction: Document Design and Rhetoric
Focusing on the Hearl Maxwell collection that is based in the early 20th century, there are a lot of document design principles that were in place when conducting information between men and the mining unions involving mining in Southeast Kansas. Documents were drawn up in the form of contracts by unions to give the best possible information to the mining community in case of accidents. Letters and follow up letters were used as a form of communication between the union members from the local chapter to the national chapter regarding incidents that happened throughout the mining community. Using a broader aspect to examine these letters and contracts between the members of the mining community, we can use Robin Williams's document design practice of Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity (CRAP) to focus on the working-class rhetoric and the educational levels of the individuals involved.
What is Rhetoric? “Rhetoric is the art of using language for persuasion, in speaking or writing; especially in orating,” (Cuddon 794). As an author writes information as a way to entice people to follow what is being said or done, the writer works on playing with emotions of people, or their ethos. Writers may use a specific style or dialect depending on the group they are writing to.
This is where the two different “dialects” come into play, working-class rhetoric versus professional rhetoric. What is the difference? William DeGenaro describes working-class rhetorics as “rhetorics [that] appropriate the histories of rhetorics for a social and political program; that is, confronting the elitism that has characterized educational, political, and civic institutions throughout the Western traditions,” (DeGenaro 6). Tim Peebles defines “professional writing as organizationally situated authorship, which narrows the field to writing done within organizational contexts of some form,” (Peebles 6). While professional writing typically use a form of organizational skills for the creation of the document, working-class rhetoric deals more with the class struggles presented in written documents.
Reading an educational document on Coal-Mine Ventilation, it is easy for a reader to see the rhetoric is geared more toward the professional rhetoric. The context is narrowed down to the coal mining organization and educating workers on how to properly ventilate a coal mine, but what about a letter? In a letter dated June 20, 1924 from William Green to Hearl Maxwell regarding acknowledgement of joining a local labor union, the salutation and closing are more of a working-class rhetoric. The salutation is “Dear sir or brother” and the closing is “Fraternally yours.” Their writing revolves around the brotherhood seen each other.
Through the help of the Hearl Maxwell collection of documents, we’re going to further explore the rhetorical figures in the 20th century through document design and education of the mining workers in Southeast Kansas and the mine working unions.