Success Is a Process: Why Gladwell’s Position in “Outliers” is Valid
Being unique is hard, but standing out may be worth the effort. Malcolm Gladwell’s non-fiction book, “Outliers” attempts to identify common threads that exist between successful people who might be characterized as outliers. The term “outlier” in science refers to a situation in which a number might not match up with other numbers in a set of data. In the book, Gladwell applies the term “outlier” to people who are “invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot”(Gladwell). An outlier mixes his or her natural talent along with timing, place, social status, culture, parents, environment, and other small factors to have a strong disposition to succeed. According to Gladwell, “success is the result of what sociologists like to call ‘accumulative advantage”(Gladwell). While not all people who
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Critics of Gladwell’s writing take his ideas personally, and are offended when he says that some things are out of people’s control. The critics use Gladwell as a scapegoat so they can spend their time critiquing his tactics instead of examining their own failures. Although Gladwell’s theories can be difficult to hear, they are still very accurate. Outliers are called outliers because they stand out from everyone. All people can be unique, but if all people were outliers, than no one would be. Environments and growing up have the largest impact on people because not everyone can live in one place, and no few people and raise the entire human population of earth. Outliers will always come out of different scenarios than the average person, and will have a higher chance to succeed. Yes, life is not fair, but Gladwell is just explaining the truth, not creating the
Malcom Gladwell, the author of The Outliers, analyzes the factors to success based on real-life example. Through statistical facts and logical reasoning, he attempts to prove how success is more than just hard work and being intelligent. He supports his arguments with accurately calculated statistical facts to gain the trust of his audience and to work towards 2proving his points. Gladwell determines the reasons of success by comparing well-known successful people and finding commonalities between those people. Gladwell does not believe anyone can be a self-made man.
Gladwell touches on outlier groups including star athletes, remarkable business tycoons, and ethnic groups. Gladwell conveys to readers that success is more complex than one may think, it is dependent upon a variety of factors most people tend to overlooks.
Distributed in 2008, Outliers: The Story of Success is Malcolm Gladwell's third continuous top of the line verifiable book, taking after Tipping Point (2000) and Blink (2005). While Tipping Point concentrates on the singular's capacity to impact change in the public arena, Outliers manages the social and societal powers that offer ascent to sharp people. Through a progression of contextual investigations, Gladwell demands that we have very effectively gotten tied up with the myth that fruitful individuals are independent; rather, he says they "are perpetually the recipients of concealed favorable circumstances and exceptional open doors and social legacies that permit them to learn and buckle down and comprehend the world in ways others can't."
The argument developed in Chapter 3 and 4 of the Outliers contends that IQ beyond a point is not a determining factor in success. Gladwell implies that a higher IQ to a certain extent is optimal but once a defined threshold has been achieved, having greater intelligence provides limited or possibly no additional benefits in the attainment of success. An analogy in the book that is used to convince us that opportunity matters more that talent is an example from the studies of Annette Lareau comprised of a group of third graders residing in lower and middle/upper income households. Her studies showed that the middle/upper class students were provided opportunities to cultivate their talent/abilities in a meaningful way along with support and
Also, Gladwell uses pathos in his writing by emotionally appealing to his audience by incorporating their concerns and interests. Throughout the entire book of Outliers, Gladwell incorporates emotional influence through his word choice and his dramatic testimonies. Moreover, Gladwell uses Marita, a hard working middle-schooler in the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) in New York, applying herself and making up for the “missing ingredients” of success, as an emotional testimony when writing about people that want to interfere in their factors of success. He prefaces with a testimony from Marita herself, describing her issue and the end of having friends outside of KIPP by using strong emotional words, “Here is Marita again, in a passage that is a little short of heartbreaking,” (266). Another emotional persuasion method Gladwell uses to incorporate the audience’s concerns is his reoccurring use of children focused evidence.
Success: Belief vs. Reality Many people in the U.S. assume that as long as they work tirelessly and strive towards their goal they will achieve it because they were told to have that attitude while growing up. Malcolm Gladwell thinks otherwise. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is a book that spreads the truth upon success and explains the different variables that can exponentially affect one’s career, and their future decisions. Gladwell touches on the conversation of whether the age of children really matters when enrolling them into school, stating that the older the child is the more likely they will be given greater opportunities.
Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker, once said, “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” Malcolm Gladwell’s, Outliers, published in 2008, argues what it means to be successful, and how one can become successful. Gladwell specifically mentions the “10,000 Hour Rule” which states that anyone who wants to reach a definite level of mastery must perform 10,000 hours of practice. Some believe this rule to be invalid as those born talented, are also born successful. Though I recognize that some are born naturally gifted, I still contend that one who wants to become great at what they do, must do supplementary amounts of practicing as it utilizes one’s potential to the fullest as Gladwell argues.
In Gladwell’s best-selling novel, “Outliers”, the belief that 10,000 hours of practice makes a person an expert seems to be a prominent theme. “The emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice are required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert–in anything” (Gladwell 40). According to recent research, 10,000 is the number of hours put in by all experts on certain skills, like music, sports, or art. This research is why the majority believes in the rule that Malcolm Gladwell made so famous.
In his article, “Thresholds of violence” by Malcolm Gladwell, has effectively proven that the school shootings changed and they’ve became ritualized. From an incident, a group of three officers had arrived to the unit’s door step, and a young man stood in the center. The man became extremely defensive when one of the officers had to pat LaDue down. The officer had over heard that LaDue was making bombs in the storage locker, then had found a SKS assault rifle with sixty rounds of ammunition, a Beretta 9-mm, hand gun, including three ready-made explosive devices hidden in his bedroom. “There are far more things out in that unit than meet the eye” (Gladwell 2), exampling how there’s not only going to be a specific amount of bombs that would have
Gladwell’s Argument in Outliers Success is a concept that is constantly altered and has a different meaning from person to person. The stereotypical definition of success would be someone who has a high-paying job or is in the upper-class. Malcolm Gladwell, the author of Outliers: The Story of Success, approaches the concept of success in a different and unique way. Gladwell discusses how opportunities, cultural legacy, and hard work all coincide with each other to produce real success. He uses mostly logic and multiple unrelated anecdotes to support and provide evidence for his statements.
First of all, the opportunity of relative age that gives maturity from early birth date and extends the small advantage from maturity by giving them more experience refutes his assertion that success can be attained with only hard working. Secondly, the opportunity of having practical intelligence that enables people to change the situation in a good way refutes his assertion that success can be achieved by only self- assertiveness. Lastly, the opportunity of fulfilling 10,000 hours practice that gives a chance to achieve basic requirements to become an outlier refutes his assertion that success can be achieved when people imagined the world on their own using mind and imagination. Finally, to shape the world that people desire, people are required more opportunities than factors that Gladwell
He uses the word, “Outlier” to describe those successful individuals lucky enough to be gifted with one, or more of the factors he writes about in the book. Gladwell explains using multiple stories of history's most affluent people,and the different ways each individual became successful. These factors can be based on age, family, culture, behavioral patterns, or even location.
How does intelligence and “practical intelligence” differ from one another/ 4. Why does Gladwell feel as there is no such thing as a self-made person? Aren’t there people who have overcome great odds to achieve success? 5. What are some reoccurring themes in the book Outliers?
behavior, learning and memory of an individual ( 1). While Dr. Noble noted the more affluent children possessed larger hippocampuses than their disadvantaged counterparts (Brain Trust 47), Hanson notes that the lifestyle of less affluent families affect the hippocampus negatively. For instance, maternal separation can negatively impact the hippocampus, I.e. working mother's. The lower the income a household has, the more stress it faces. Outstanding stress can have long-lasting negative effects on the hippocampus (1.).
Outliers, written by Malcolm Gladwell, is an informational book regarding the intricacies of success and how it comes to fruition in individuals. Outliers has served to teach students the means of being successful and the importance of seizing opportunities as they come. Personally, Outliers has changed my views of success in numerous ways. Before reading said book, I had always assumed people who were naturally talented or had specific privileges were the only ones who could get far. However, Gladwell’s writing has informed me that anyone, if they are prepared to work hard, can reach their goals.