The concluding half of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell followed
basically the same format and style as the first half. Gladwell continued his
method of first presenting a success story and then dissecting the
circumstances and factors that helped enable the success to happen. This order
of information worked towards Gladwell’s ultimate goal of proving that success
is more a result of circumstantial factors rather than personal determination
or ambition. Gladwell’s purpose throughout the second half of Outliers remained constant with his
purpose in the beginning. Throughout this section the author presented several
more examples of success stories with corresponding analysis, including that of
his own mother. The interesting examples combined with thorough and irrefutable
analysis appealed to Gladwell’s audience of educated and curious American
intellectuals.
Although there were many fundamental
similarities between the second half of the book and the first, one of the most
prevalent rhetorical devices was different. One device that Gladwell leaned on
heavily throughout the end of the book that he had not previously touched on
was personal anecdote. Gladwell actually incorporated autobiographical
information into the end of the novel by including the story of his mother, a
Jamaican descendent of African slaves. Gladwell detailed the circumstances
leading up to his mother’s meeting and marrying a British mathematician and
leading a much more privileged life than most other slave descendants. The
inclusion of this personal information really made it clear to the reader that
Gladwell really believed in the conditional view of success that he was conveying
to his audience. This was particularly effective in achieving the author’s
purpose by having him show the reader how his view on success can even apply to
his own life, and presumably the lives of his readers. As I reader, I found
this late inclusion of a rhetorical strategy to be one of the most effective
aspects of the whole book.
Goals:
-clear and concise
-accentuate similarities with first half of book without being repetitive
-prove that author's purpose was effective
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