David And Goliath Rhetorical Analysis

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In the book David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell, the author investigates the correlation between success and the circumstances involved in achieving such favorable outcomes. The argument that Gladwell forms states that despite what the societal norms are, those with less skill and noticeable setbacks can actually have an advantage over the naturally gifted. He then uses this argument to try and convince others that having talent doesn’t necessarily mean that you will always win or come out on top. To construct this argument and inform others of what he believes, Gladwell uses rhetorical strategies such as comparison/contrast, and studies/statistics to help validate his opinions and strengthen the argument at hand. The first rhetorical strategy …show more content…

The story explains that this particular team was a group of underdogs who were able to use an exhausting strategy against teams that were far more talented than them. Using this story as a reference, Malcolm was able to explain that in this situation, being an underdog can give an edge because the team was able to “try things no one else even dreamt of.” (37) The strategy used by this team was then contrasted with the fact that if a talented team were to have tried the full-court press strategy, they would not have the motivation to successfully execute the strategy. Furthermore, Gladwell contrasted ideas was by using the Big Fish - Little Pond Theory, which he used to look into the advantages and disadvantages of students attending very good colleges versus mediocre colleges. After looking closely into this theory, Gladwell was able to find that the “best students from mediocre schools” (87) happened to almost always be a “better bet than students from the very best schools.” (87) Simply, what this means is that while it might seem to be a good …show more content…

Malcolm Gladwell argues that there is no correlation between the more money you have and being a better parent because money “money [only] makes parenting easier until a certain point” (49) and once you reach that point, there is no difference. He uses a graph to map out the curve of money and parenting, with the maximum income that makes parenting easier being seventy-five thousand dollars, before the higher income actually weighs down the parents and their ability to provide their children with what they need. He uses this graph to explain that not having as much money as someone who is considered rich can actually be an advantage because the more money you have, the harder it is to raise “ well-adjusted children” (52) who don’t take the money they were born into for granted. Going back to the idea of dyslexia being able to become an advantage for some, Gladwell used a study to support this point. Using the idea of what they call “desirable difficulties” (page 102), a Yale professor named Shane Frederick created the Cognitive Reflection Test, and used it in a study for college students. This three question test was used in a study and given to college students at school such as Princeton, where they only averaged “1.9 correct answers out of three.” (page 104) Psychologists Adam Alter and Daniel Oppenheimer found that people’s test scores increased when the test

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