Success has several definitions and differs for each person. However, In Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers”, Gladwell prattles about Lewis Terman, a young professor at Stanford University during the First World War who conducted a special experiment that who charted some people from childhood into adulthood. After scanning through the results, Gladwell concludes that socioeconomic status and class as a good indicator whether an individual was destined for the higher or lower group. However, Gladwell’s findings are not truly correct due to the fact that socioeconomic class and status are only some of the factors that determine whether a person belongs to the higher or lower group. In order to become successful, some people had to fight the problems
Malcolm Gladwell, the author of Outliers, a novel depicting success, provides different examples of how an individual can achieve success in every chapter of his book to show his audience that success, despite a variety of barriers, is in fact in our control. A very important chapter titled, “Marita's Bargain”, explains the flaws in today’s public school systems. He shows the problems with the solutions to fix them while showing the alternatives to the regular system such as the KIPP Program in New York. The KIPP Program (Knowledge is Power Program) is a new kind of middle school that selects students from less fortunate locations and uses unique teaching strategies to turn them around into fantastic learners. In the chapter, Gladwell is extremely descriptive by using visual words to paint the picture of the South Bronx in New York City. He describes the buildings that were built in the 1960’s as squat and bleak looking. Gladwell had an interest in this subject as it involves success, however he had no prior experiences to produce the piece. Gladwell establishes personal credibility through the use of knowledge, reason, and facts and figures. He comes across very knowledgeable on the subject presenting great data with excellent vocabulary. He is able to do this with no obvious bias as well. Gladwell shows authority because he is well known for writing novels that involve success. His intention is to teach and explain how schools need to change the length of vacation breaks
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.
All children are not raised the same exact way. There are many different parenting styles, ranging from authoritative to neglectful parenting. Along with those many different styles also come many different opinions on which ones are better or worse for children. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is a book that essentially looks into many factors that contribute to people's successes. In chapter four, Gladwell writes about how different parenting philosophies impact how successful the children will be when they are older. Gladwell claims that there are essentially only two main parenting philosophies, “concerted cultivation” and “accomplishment of natural growth” (Gladwell 104). Gladwell goes on to also claim that between those two parenting philosophies, children raised from concerted
To look beyond the person as an individual; to understand the cultural, familial, and fraternal ingredients that make a “self” “the self”. This seems to be the task of Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers: the Story of Success.
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
The brain is one of the most complex, unknown organs of the human body. Researchers often break down the characteristics of the brain to whether tendencies are achieved through nurtured environments or the inheritability of genetics. Intelligence is one of the most controversial topics when it comes to deciding whether environment or genetics are most influential. Many argue that intelligence is based on environmental factors and the unique ability to work hard, but fail to realize the essential cognitive qualities concerning what truly defines intelligence. Although some may consider this trait as based on environment, intelligence is a cognitive attribute established by the nature of genetics.
Vince Lombardi, a great American football coach, and player, once stated that the “dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success”. According to Lombardi, hard work will get you to where you want to go, and many people would agree. In Malcolm Gladwell’s novel, “Outliers: The Story of Success,” secrets and misconceptions about success are exposed and explained. Gladwell was right in saying that “if you work hard enough and assert yourself...you can shape the world to your desires”, as evidenced by examples from the book itself, the successful career of Serena Williams, and my own personal story (Gladwell 151).
Purpose: The purpose of Outliers, was to show that success doesn’t just come from hard work and dedication. Gladwell shows that there are special advantages and opportunities for certain people that few others have. This book shows it’s readers many prime examples and statistics of distinct advantages originating from of birth date, family legacies, and many other
“One of the greatest obstacles to escaping poverty is the staggering cost of higher education” said United States Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen. Hollen is one of the members on the committee for education funding where he proposed the bill “Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers”. Hollens idea of education is to leave no child behind no matter if the child has disabilities, less money , or more money; every child will get an reasonable education that will someday help America. Hollens objective is utilized in Malcolm Gladwell's non-fiction book Outliers where he highlights the success of young children who are classified as wealthy and poor. In chapter nine “Marita's Bargains” Gladwell appeals to the audience through reliable
"The biggest misconception about success is that we do it solely on our smarts, ambition, hustle and hard work” (Gladwell, 42). Outliers is a book that praises the success of great men, then cuts them down to size by explaining how it wasn’t pure hard work and sweat. Gladwell studies those who have already achieved society’s idea of “success.” Every chapter is filled with detailed examinations of cultural heritage and environment in relation to the idea of “success”.The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore is a detailed analysis that undergoes a comparison between two characters with outwardly similar beginnings but entirely different destinies due to personal choices, self-determination, and effort. The book values the importance of discipline and
In Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, his central premise is that success is not obtained the way most people think it is. We are often told that success come from sheer luck, or a triumphant rags-to-riches story. In Outliers Malcolm Gladwell tells the story of many successful outliers such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, The Beatles, and many more. He breaks down each story and points out what actually made that persona successful. While breaking down the story her also introduces the reader to what he believe are the actual keys to success. In the book he talks about The Matthew Theory, The 10,000 hour Rule, Practical Intelligence vs Analytical Intelligence, and Demographic Luck.
Some people presume that we have the ability to control our own lives, while others believe that we should let fate deal with its creations. Two authors, Shakespeare and Malcolm Gladwell take different perspectives on this topic. Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, the story of Macbeth, a skilled solider that meets three witches. The three witches tell Macbeth his future, that he will become Thane of Cawdor and the King. Fortunately for the witches, a servant comes to inform Macbeth that he is the new Thane of Cawdor and Macbeth is startled. Shakespear concludes that letting fate deal with its consequences is the best option. However, the author of Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell, argues that working hard and preparing is more
In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell attempts to prove that success is based on more factors than the general public believes. While hard work is important to the prospering of the very successful, the sheer circumstances presented to those individuals gave them a far greater chance of success than their peers. Through the use of statistical analysis, very well organized writing, and many quoted authority figures, Gladwell exemplifies his phenomenon very clearly with little ambiguity.
In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell highlights the seemingly unrelated factors that lead people to success. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Outliers, and this is owed to all the literary devices employed in the writing of this book. One of the most apparent features of the book is the tone. Gladwell keeps everything casual and conversational. This helps keep the information more digestible and engaging to read.
There may be no topic that more easily divides two set of people more than when they talk about success and luck. Some of them find it easy to associate success with luck rather than hard work and talent. Many conservatives would be the one to celebrate success as an almost imminent result of talent, effort, and hard work. Liberals, on the other hand, believe that even when people who work hard and are talented could sometimes fall when hard times are presented and associate that with luck. Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success, argues that factors and circumstances are those that will determine the person’s success rather than then hard work and effort. Many people would disagree with Malcolm Gladwell. The way that Gladwell portrays luck throughout his entire book makes success look like it is solely based on just pure luck; success has much more to it than just luck. It is true that luck can bring up opportunities but hard work can guarantee you to succeed in those opportunities. To be able to critique Gladwell on his argument on how luck will make you be successful, his words need to be carefully analyzed. The position many are standing in when it comes to actually critiquing Gladwell, is that luck can only take you so far but hard work and talent will cover the voids when luck is something that happens by chance. With hard work and talent, you actually create that