Working-Class Rhetoric versus Professional Rhetoric
Professional writing focuses on organizationally situated writing narrowing the field to a context with purpose. Working-class rhetoric is characterized by dialect and education of the author. Is there a correlation or are these two separate ideas of rhetoric? Typically, these two practices are studied as separate entities of rhetoric, but doing a macroanalysis of the Hearl Maxwell collection, these two forms of rhetoric are thought of as a whole unit.
In the Hearl Maxwell collection there are 85,805 total words. The local union board wanted their thoughts and opinions heard and represented. Comparing all the words in the collection, there are 8,019 unique word forms. Among these word forms, the focus was centrally located on being local. The most frequent word in this collection is Kansas. Followed closely by district. Among the other “locally focused words” are: local, Pittsburg, members, workers, men, Mulberry, united, committee, member, miners, office, labor, mines, company, organization, delegate, state, and operators. Why would these words be significant? These words can be used and thought of both in a work-class and a professional rhetoric standpoint. These words aren’t to “big” for the working-class author to use but they aren’t to small for a professional rhetoric writer to address. The number one focus is to keep the men in the local mining community in Southeast Kansas safe. If the employees are safe, the company has men to work the mines, and therefore the mines make money.
The local mining union needed to be taken seriously in their writing to meet the demands of the working public. Education levels could have a factor in the writing, but through the main words that are used, both the higher up officials and the local officials communicate on the same level with words. That primary focus falls around the use of words referring to the local mining community. The local union needed to know sentence syntax to be able to make a case to the United Mine Workers of America board union to fight for benefits for the local miners affected by official governing laws placed by the higher up officials. When the officials drew up the contracts and Constitution professional writing needed to be in place, but the writing needed to be understandable by the working-class entity.
What about the letters? There were 93 letters written and included in the Hearl Maxwell Collection. Of those 93 letters, 64 were addressed by the word Dear. 58 letters included sir or sirs. 83 of those letters included brother or brothers. Of those 93 letters, the closing included Fraternally or Fraternally yours 58 times and truly yours was included 23 times. Studying the way these letters were opened and closed between the different groups from the local to the national union showed that the focus was placed on a brotherhood, a significant bond related around the field of mining.
Examining the words that are focused on throughout the collection, especially looking at the greetings and closing remarks regarded in the letters, whether the writing is focused on professional or working-class rhetoric, the brotherhood and the local mining community tends to be the focus of the rhetoric being discussed.
