Upbringing vs. Success Rate
Malcolm Gladwell emphasizes the importance of the relationship between success and a person’s upbringing in Chapters 3 and 4, “The Trouble with Geniuses, Parts 1 and 2” of “Outliers.” This book attempts to help people understand what true success is, the value of it, and how the few people that actually achieve it get there. Gladwell’s theories helped me to realize that success is simply reaching your full potential in life by taking advantage of every gift and opportunity offered to you in order to make an impact on the world. In the opening chapters Gladwell mentions the importance of experiencing “extraordinary opportunities” (Gladwell 42) throughout one’s life to reach ultimate success. He also makes it clear that a person first must be presented with an opportunity to become successful, but then be able to take advantage of that opportunity. How do successful people know how to take advantage of their opportunities while others lack these crucial skills? A person must possess certain qualities to get them where they want to be, and as Gladwell states, “the places where we seem to get these kinds of attitudes and skills is from our families.” (Gladwell 102).
The first example Gladwell uses to support his theory on upbringing affecting a person’s success rate is that of a study done by Lewis Terman. Terman set out to find the most intelligent children, according to their IQs, and discover if these kids would be extremely successful in the future. They were coined the term, “Termites” (Gladwell 74). He was convinced that “these at the top of the IQ scale have the greatest potential.” (Gladwell 76). Surprisingly enough the Termites didn’t end up being any more successful when they grew up than ...
... middle of paper ...
...I know that there are definitely instances where this does occur, but we rarely hear of it. It is true that the successful people of this world possess certain talents and skills that get them where they need to be. These traits are not innate. As Gladwell states in his closing line of chapter four, “These were things that others, with lesser minds, could master easily. But that’s because those others had had help along the way… It wasn’t an excuse. I was a fact. He’d [using Chris Langan as an example] 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.” (Gladwell 115).
Work Cited:
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers. New York: Little, Brown and Company; 2008.
Works Cited
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers. New York: Little, Brown and Company; 2008.
Malcolm Gladwell, in the nonfiction book Outliers, claims that success stems from where you come from, and to find that you must look beyond the individual. Malcolm Gladwell develops and supports his claim by defining an outlier, then providing an example of how Stewart Wolf looked beyond the individual, and finally by giving the purpose of the book Outliers as a whole. Gladwell’s purpose is to explain the extenuating circumstances that allowed one group of people to become outliers in order to inform readers on how to be successful. The author writes in a serious and factual tone for the average person in society of both genders and all ethnicities who wants to become successful in life.
In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that there is no such thing as a self-made man, and that success is only the result of a person’s circumstances. However, throughout the novel Gladwell points out that your circumstances and opportunities only help you become successful if you are willing to take advantage of them and work hard. From a twelve year old living in the Bronx, to those who were born at just the right time to become millionaires, one thing is the same throughout; these people because successful because they seized the opportunities they were given. The advantages and opportunities that came from their circumstances would not be important if they had not grasped them. Every successful man is self made, because he has seized the
Success is the chance to go out there and use the resources available to take advantage of opportunities that most people do not. Usually, things happen in life and it can prevent the process of obtaining success. In the readings, “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara and “Horatio Alger” by Harlon L. Dalton conveys the message that success is not always an everyday thing and it takes opportunities for it to become part of life. In “The Lesson”, an angered girl named Sylvia is taken on a field trip to a toy store with Miss Moore to learn a valuable lesson. The lesson is to become successful in society because it is the only way to make it to the top. On the other hand, “Horatio Alger” shows more of a realistic viewpoint where success is not as easy
and it manifests itself in a multitude of cultural and social ways.” The author discussed the problems that occur from economic and social classes. The purpose of this argument is to debate on what kind of people will be successful in life. Everyone has a shot at being successful, and that they do with it is
Family, education and a person’s opportunities are significant elements that collectively define an individual, as demonstrated by both Wes Moore’s. Depending on the opportunities offered to you and whether you decide to take advantage of them through hard work and persistence will result in your success or failure in the end. Wes Moore explains “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his” goes to show that certain factors affect how you will be as an adult regardless of similar or differentiating backgrounds. (Moore xi).
Imagine a book that offers the reader a key; a key that enables them to ride down the highway to success and see all of the stops along the way that are instrumental in achieving success. Malcolm Gladwell does precisely this in his novel Outliers, which examines some of history’s most successful people and then attempts to explain why they specifically became successful beyond their wildest dreams. Gladwell is a reporter for The New Yorker and an accomplished author in the areas of psychology, sociology, and social psychology. In Outliers, he presents his reasoning as to why some people become successful and some do not. One of his major points in this regard is the ten thousand hour rule, meaning that to master a topic and become extremely successful in that area, one must accumulate at least ten thousand hours of practice in that area. He closely examines the early lives and careers of some of history’s greatest success stories to make a fine argument for his case. However, his strong arguments in support of his theories on success are not as strong when they come to countering the “typical view”, as Gladwell sees it. Outliers is different than most persuasive novels in that by proving his point, Gladwell does not necessarily disprove other people’s view on success. He effortlessly utilizes logos, along with numerous examples and parallelisms to support his theories. However, his lack of ethos and strong counter-argument allows for the audience to understand his ten thousand hour rule without necessarily supporting it wholeheartedly. After proposing something unthinkable to the average mind, Gladwell goes on to explain his ten thousand hour rule theory using two, very descriptive, very in-depth anecdotes. He shows how multi-bil...
There are many different definitions of success, and many depend on the person defining it. Success can be achieving your goal of running a mile or not failing a math test. It can be independence or not embarrassing yourself in public. To achieve these versions of success, you need to practice and put in effort. After all, Gladwell says if you work hard enough you can do anything and “Achievement is talent plus preparation.” (Gladwell 221). The above definitions of success are similar to my own. I define success as reaching my goals, not being in debt (money wise), and having independence. I also agree with Gladwell that wealth, power, and fame are indicators of success, however, I do not gauge my own success on power or fame. My definition of success has not changed because of the Outliers, but it has changed over time. As I age, my view of the world changes and so does my definition of success.
Hardworking. Persistent. Determined. These are all adjectives the United States associates with successful people. Whenever a story is told about someone who has risen through the ranks to become a successful person--an Outlier-- that achievement is usually said to be earned through personal means and a tremendous amount of effort. Gladwell’s book takes this success stereotype and conducts an examination of the way the world views an Outlier. Outliers: the Story of Success is an unusual nonfiction book in that it is not only easy to understand, but also well written and interesting. Gladwell engages and persuades the reader using not only research, but also real-life examples and anecdotes to prove his point. Outliers demonstrates the point
In the book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell proposes a theory of success after analyzing many success stories. He claims that the ingredients to success include luck, opportunity, hard work and culture.
Some people may be born into a family with wealth, and that is acceptable. Some people on the other hand, are not born into a family with wealth, and that is acceptable too. The work that families have done to get to the level they are in, are just a cushion. People should try to build their own reputation or success. Even if people work toward their goals of success, it could take years to reach, it isn’t something that happens over night usually. The way they act or present themselves in certain circumstances will determine if they succeed or fail. As much as people want to control every step toward that, there are things that are out of everyone's control. Every action they do, every decision they make, they can not control everything. There are certain things that can put a halt toward success, things many do not see coming till it happens. Oedipus had no idea that he was the one causing the sickness that was spreading through his kingdom. He was doing well as a king, but certain things can change that. His curse put on him when he was younger, was out of his control. The priest reminds Oedipus of his success depict the sickness surrounding them, “You saved us from Sphinx…”(40). Success may be the one thing you can control, but at the same time have no idea what could come
In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Outliers, he defines success as “a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard to make sense of something that most people would give up on” (233). He also argues that there is no such thing as ‘self-made success’ and that there are always hidden advantages that help us to be successful. I also have had hidden advantages like people who always pushed me to do my best and early education of why school is important.
The definition of success varies around the world, but according to Malcolm Gladwell its achievement can be broken down into a few components. Although Gladwell never truly establishes credibility in his book Outliers, he still backs up his proposed theories with reputable studies and sources which intrigue the audience to keep reading.The purpose of Outliers was to enlighten people about the different elements of success while also informing them of real life situations where seemingly less than likely people beat the odds and became the powerful figures that they are today. The intended audience is anyone who is looking to become successful or who is perhaps interested in the idea of success itself and wishes to learn more about it. Understandably, a secondary audience could be high school students who are about to venture out into the world on their own because with this book they will hopefully start paying attention to different factors of their lives and seizing opportunities that they may have otherwise passed up. Malcolm Gladwell talks about the 10,000 Hour Rule and also how I.Q. does not amount to much without creativity. He also speaks of how chance opportunity comes into play and that the distant background of a person still reflects how they handle situations in their present day life. Gladwell’s Outliers successfully informs the reader about the different components that add up to success with probable theories and credible studies to make for an interesting and motivational read.
Another point Gladwell brings forth is the notion of one’s upbringing, race, and ethnicity can be a factor behind their success. And lastly, pursuing meaningful work will cause one to continue working with their skill and not give up. Legacy is a collection of examples that support the idea: values are passed down from generation to generation, which may cause a certain group of people to be more persistent in a skill, or occupation. Although the author, Malcolm Gladwell did not major in sociology or psychology in college, his credibility for Outliers comes from his background in journalism.
Gladwell explores the idea that to become successful one must be given advantages and also capitalize on them. These advantages could be hidden, like birthdays, or overt, like financial status. I have been given advantages that help support me and give me different cultural perspective, allowing me to gain life experience.
“Outliers: The Story of Success” is one of the non-fiction books written by Malcolm Gladwell. In the book, the author examines the factors that contribute to the high levels of success. The author adds that success is combined with a number of key factors such as hard work, opportunity and other factors like when and where the person was born. The books gives an insight into various un-answered questions such as why the majority of Canadian ice hockey players are born in the first few months of the calendar year or how The Beatles became one of the most successful musical band in the world. According to Gladwell, success is not only about innate talent but depends on various external factors and situations.