Analysis of “The New Boy Network” “The New Boy Network” is an example of author Malcolm Gladwell’s charismatic writing style which makes seemingly drab subjects vividly interesting to a wide variety of readers. In this essay, he explores the complex nature of job interviews and how first impressions impact relationships. Gladwell argues that first impressions make an immediate impact on people, even if they do not represent the entire person to inform his audience to avoid relying solely on first impressions. He convinces the reader of this using personal anecdotes which relate the subject to readers and structures the writing, expert opinions which lend credibility to his argument, and utilizing an informal tone which engages the reader. Gladwell weaves an anecdote about a Harvard computer science student named Nolan Myers throughout the essay which help the reader relate to diverse topics and creates structure throughout the essay. Gladwell describes Myers as being handsome, charismatic, and easy-going, however he cannot explain exactly why he is so gripped with him (5). This description of both his physical appearance and his personality relates the reader to Gladwell, and in turn, shapes the reader’s impression of Myers. The reader’s first impression of Myers is critical to Gladwell’s argument because it makes the reader reflect on the fact that although he or she has never met Nolan Myers, the reader already likes him. This vividly illustrates the point that first impressions are impactful in relationships. These details also allow Gladwell to transition into discussing other people’s opinions of Myers. This creates a smooth, easy-to-follow transition for the reader while hooking him or her with a personal story as opposed to a more academic tone. Another way that Gladwell utilizes the anecdote about Nolan Myers is to show how a first impression then impacts the meaning of everything else that that person says. One example of this is during Gladwell’s interview with Myers. He says that he is not afraid of failure because he is confident that with time, he can learn many things. Gladwell then reflects that because he like Myers, the answer was confident. However, had he not liked Myers already, the
The Citadel symbolizes the enduring nature of traditional gender roles. It has fought long and hard to maintain an air of strictness, military refinement and manliness. However the traditional views enforced by the Citadel and its interaction within the context of the outside world has created what Susan Faludi, author of “The Naked Citadel”, refers to as an “atmosphere of cruelty”. Throughout her essay Faludi uses primary witnesses and factual evidence to expose the violent injustices done to “knobs”, freshman cadets, by their senior counterparts at The Citadel. In his essay, “The Power of Context”, Malcolm Gladwell, argues that violence results as a response to social context and thus can be completely avoided or treated. Based on Gladwell 's theory of The Power of Context, the senior cadets are not directly culpable for their violent behavior; their actions do not create the “atmosphere of cruelty” rather the atmosphere defines them. The “atmosphere of cruelty” itself, is defined by social cues derived from historical context which prompt the cadets to dominate. The walls surrounding, The Citadel also perpetuate violence by separating the cadets from normal social conventions and boundaries. However because the “atmosphere of cruelty”, is not a problem caused by some innate or psychological instability on the part of the cadets, it can easily be treated by adjusting little things in the environment such as eliminating the use of derogatory language and presenting the
In the book, Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcom Gladwell intended to teach the readers about the many different rules that he discussed in his book, to help with the understanding people have of success. Gladwell defines outliers as “men and women who do things that are out of the ordinary” (Gladwell 17). Gladwell accurately applies the rhetorical techniques of logos, exemplification, and repetition to effectively employ how highly successful people are outliers.
Even when discussing someone like Bill Gates he even solidifies it farther with quotes from apparent experts of that area or people that were close to them such as '"They learned not only stamina. They had to learn an enormous amount of numbers' said the biographer of the Beatles. Quotes like this are extremely powerful as it by someone who wrote a Biography of them and so since he wrote that it is extremely likely that he knows a lot about them. The overall effect of him doing this is that he feels extremely credible as he is backed up by experts. Other than the indirect presentation of Ethos there is also some very obvious Ethos as he is in no need for further credentials to write this as he was a reporter for the Washington Post and then later for the New Yorker magazine. Of current, he still works there. He has also won a national magazine award. Aside from that in the actual writing there is no grammatical areas or run on sentences as well as proper punctuation. This is one of the things where one doesn't notice it until it is missing. On the Logos aspect of his paper, Gladwell employs this when he is talking about amazing events that occurred to people such as the Beatles or Mozart under "uncontrollable
The author explains exactly what the professional asserts and how particular pieces of evidence relate to Gladwell’s unconventional idea of success.
Gladwell’s use of ethos through word choice and tone throughout the five-page case in Outliers is concerned and disappointed as if in this example he is upset that his thesis is holding true. He is displaying himself as an equal to the audience, just as sad and frustrated throughout the disappointing Langan case, “That was the lesson Langan learned from his childhood: distrust authority and be independent,” (110). The pathos employed by emotional influence is strong throughout the entire discouraging case because the audience views the great potential of Langan, lost due to a lacking background. Gladwell uses short phrases to be direct with the issue which forces his audience to ponder on the information, “He’d had to make his way alone, and no one - not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses - ever makes it alone,” (115). The mental image of Langan having to persevere in harsh conditions with Gladwell’s thesis of success against him, makes the audience feel for him. Furthermore, it u9nfortunately persuades the reader that if the super genius, Chris Langan, cannot succeed because of his lacking background, then Gladwell’s thesis that success is based on factors
Criminal case is always tedious when it involves little or no information about the offender, like in the 9/11 terrorist attack which annihilated most of the workers in and damaged the New York Trade Center building. However, in an attempt to identify the offenders, government officials and investigators try out different ways such as criminal profiling and others. Thus, in the New Yorker article, “Dangerous Minds” by Malcolm Gladwell; the author informs the deeper problems with FBI profiling and argues that it is ineffective. He questions the usefulness of criminal profiling, “But how useful is that profile, really?” and uses other criminal cases, group research analyses, and analogies to refute
In many instances, those who are successful are made out to be some sort of separate breed, those who were innately able to perform remarkable feats that others, no matter how hard they tried, simply could not. Through this exhibition, many people view success as an elusive feature that only a select few can obtain. This theory is the main inspiration for Malcolm Gladwell’s exploration of success in Outliers: The Story of Success. In the book, Gladwell analyzes not only those who are successful, such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, J.R. Oppenheimer, and Joe Flom, but what path led them towards becoming exceptionally skilled. This extremely in-depth analysis of successfulness forms Gladwell’s layered theory of what creates success, and his attempt
For the sake of making himself appear more credible, Gladwell cohesively uses anecdotes of incredibly successful people such as: Bill Joy, Bill Gates, and the Beatles. These anecdotes allow him to prove to the reader that he has done a great deal of research on the topic of the 10,000 hour rule. Gladwell tells the story about how a 16 year old Bill Joy discovered the University of Michigan’s computer center and decided to pursue computer science. Ultimately Joy “buried himself even deeper in the world of computer software” (36). Gladwell also talks about Bill Gates’ life and how opportunities appeared into Gates’ life out of the blue. This is singled out by the anaphora of the
The intended audience could be for older teenagers to young adults because the way the book is written with a form of intimacy and is informal. The use of jokes in between gives a sense of intimacy that makes the audience feel like Gladwell is talking to them as he uses jokes such as, “Slope, as I’m sure you remember (or, more accurately, as I’ll bet you don’t remember; I certainly didn’t” (240). The book also connects with the audience because while reading the book, the reader would feel like they still have an opportunity to be successful even if they are not a genius as Gladwell emphasizes that, “We are so caught in the myths of the best and brightest and the self-made that we think outliers spring naturally from the earth” (269).
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey is a coming of age story that filled with suspense and mystery keeping us captivated till the end. Set in the 1960’s in an old mining town if Corrigan, where everyone knows one another. I certainly agree with weartholdcoat’s opinions on the novel, it’s a great thrilling read that keeps you completely hooked. Silvey uses various techniques like narrative and language conventions, theme and Australian context to achieve such a captivating finish.
In the skillful novel, "How To Read Literature Like A Professor" by Thomas C. Foster, there is neither a protagonist nor antagonist. As a whole, the novel gives insights on how to pick up signs of symbolism, irony, and many other hidden details that are buried within the words of literature. Foster refers to many classis novels by classic authors to demonstrate the use of logic in writing. The novel is extremely educational, leaving many insightful questions and interpretations to the reader's opinion.
The secret to success is arguably one of the most sought-after pieces of advice worldwide. According to Malcom Gladwell’s book Outliers, the “10,000 hour rule” is a technique that has been practiced by many professionals in their respective areas. However, some authors, such as Jared Sandman and David Bradley, disagree with the notion that 10,000 hours of practice will make you a professional. Both authors present valid points in their respective arguments, yet Sandman’s argument comes across as clearer, more decisive, more down to earth, and therefore more effective. Sandman has credibility as a published author, he is constant with his
Essentially, the topics Gladwell covered in this book include are, being at the right place at the right time, the 10,000-hour rule, timing, upbringing, and pursuing a meaningful career. Although all of these have been proven by Gladwell to be a major component of success, I do not agree with the idea of a particular upbringing will determine success. With this idea, Malcolm also includes that
J.K. Rowling, famous for writing the Harry Potter series, presented her commencement speech to Harvard on June of 2008. She had people from graduates to non-graduates gather before her. She gave an inspiring speech on the “importance of imagination” and “benefits of failure” (Rowling). She describes her main points effectively to the audience by using strategies such as ethos, logos, and pathos as well as tone.
Having established the fact that rapid cognition is not always as accurate as one would want it to be, Gladwell now goes on to the topic of reading the minds of others just by looking