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Essay On Outliers By Malcolm Gladwell

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What is success? In Outliers, a novel by Malcolm Gladwell, success is explained by looking at people who stand out in their success, the outliers. He focuses on breaking down stories of success and determining how they got to where they are, and what components added to that success. Gladwell argues that success is not earned, but that it is given to people like a gift. He asserts that those who are successful were born at the right place at the right time, given the opportunity to practice their skills, and were taught hard work at a young age. Through his novel, Gladwell reveals what he believes is the key to success.

FIrst off, Gladwell begins his argument on the offensive by using logos tactics. He does so by using a statistic, from …show more content…

Nonetheless, there are still other factors that influence one's success, but Gladwell came up with a theory he describes as the 10,000 rule. Incorporating logos to his argument, he explains how the Beatles played 8 hours a day, 7 days a week before being discovered. “By the time they had their first burst of success in 1964, in fact, they had performed live an estimated twelve hundred times.” (Gladwell, 50). They must have played for much more than 10,000 hours, making them experts in their music, contributing to their success. Using logos with another example, Gladwell brings attention to the fact that Bill Gates had access to a more modern computer than that of his soon to be competitors. He had plenty of time to become familiar with technology, and by dropping out of college, he was able to focus on his programming skills. “...he’d been programming practically nonstop for seven consecutive years.” (Gladwell, 55). Again, he practiced for well over 10,000 hours, therefore mastering the art of programming. In short, the 10,000 rule basically states that if one practices something for at least 10,000 hours, they have a better chance at succeeding in …show more content…

He appeals to pathos as he explains the stereotype of “Asians being good at math.” He starts by explaining how rice farming works, appealing to pathos and logos, saying how difficult and time consuming the farming is, and how farmers must work diligently to make sure everything goes as planned. He skips ahead and relates that diligence with modern math. switching to ethos, he mentions a study done by an international group of educators. “...the average number of items answered on that questionnaire varies from country to country… In other words, countries whose students are willing to concentrate and sit still long enough… are the same countries whose students do the best job of solving math problems.” (Gladwell, 248). He states how it is the countries who have a history in rice farming excel in academics because they are willing to take the time and focus on the work they have, similar the focus they need while farming. It is a basis on how one is raised, and he claims that generations are taught to put as much time in effort i to their work as they

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