March 24th, 2017
Outliers: The Story of Success
In the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, he answers the question: what makes high-achievers different? Gladwell is a world renown author for the New Yorker and he believes there is an answer to why people become famous and successful. The extremely successful people that Gladwell talks about in his book are called outliers, people who stand out from others as being extraordinary for what they have accomplished in society. This book was written very well, yet as a personal fan of malcolm gladwell’s books, which makes me partial to his style of writing. I thought it was very educational and intriguing to read because of the real life examples Gladwell brings to the table and
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Gladwell explains that we have bought into the thought that successful people are made from only hard work; instead, he says they “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” (67). Gladwell defines an outlier as a person that looks at achievement in a different way than most others do. According to Gladwell, successful people come to be because of collaboration, time, place, and culture. An outlier is not necessarily a genius, but rather a person who was presented an opportunity and has many hours logged working at their craft. I can personally connect with the ways of an outlier because I have witnessed my mother be extraordinary my whole life through practice and hard work. One of Gladwell's case studies was done on the Beatles life and how they became so successful with their rock and roll music. Gladwell goes into detail on how the beatles got their start at these clubs in Germany where the clubs were run down and the people in the audience didn’t really care about what they were listening to. The only reason that playing at these clubs was beneficial to the beatles, was because the gigs were 8 hours long and they played every day of the week. So once The Beatles started to gain …show more content…
He then goes on explaining how this kid got to where he is today by working hard at his craft and getting scouted to become a star. He then states “that there is something profoundly wrong with the way we make sense of success” (18). To clear things up for the reader Gladwell states the analogy, “the tallest tree in the forest came from a good seed—this is not in question. But it did not become the tallest tree in the forest simply because it grew from a good seed; it became the tallest tree because it was planted in good soil and because no other trees blocked its sunlight” (19). I personally love this quote because my nickname is tree, and obviously I want to be the best dang tree I can be. Then he goes back to talking about hockey and he chooses a canadian hockey roster and shows how a majority of players were born in January, February, and March. And that a small number of players on the team were born between October and December. Gladwell then explains that the cutoff for age-class hockey is January 1st. Which means that there are players that almost one year apart playing on the same team. These older, more mature players end up prospering on their teams and eventually have a better chance of getting scouted and succeeding. Examples from the book can also connect with psychological studies that are not included in the book. In, The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell goes into depth
I found Gladwell’s first chapter of Outliers entitled “The Matthew Effect” to be both interesting, confusing, and perhaps somewhat lopsided. Based on Matthew 25:2, Gladwell simply explains, “It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given to the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success.” (Gladwell 2008, pg. 30) The Matthew Effect seems to extend special advantages and opportunities to some simply based on their date of birth.
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
In “Outliers” Malcolm Gladwell organizes his argument for their being a rule for overall success by showing statistics of people who are defined as being successful such as Bill Gates, Billy Joy, and The Beatles. He also uses a Berlin music academy to help prove his rule. He presents an argument that Bill Gates and The Beatles and the violinist attending the music academy may have been born with innate talent but that is not the sole ...
The idea that practice makes perfect has been heard through the years of a majority of individual’s life. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, he ultimately states that a specific number of hours someone needs to practice before they can become successful. Gladwell is not completely wrong; however, his strong claim and evidences for the 10,000 hour rule can be proven false. Many researchers have looked into lives of successful people and people who aren’t as successful. Among their research they have also conducted surveys giving them a chance to compare the hours of practice between individuals. Through this it is concluded
The one thing we as humans can control is our effort, we can put as little or as much effort into something as we want. David Epstein and Malcom Gladwell take two different positions on whether we are able to control our own destiny's. But really who is correct? Epstein, the author of The Sports Gene states in the excerpt that some people are just born with a natural physical ability which allows them to perform well with little to no practice. Whereas Gladwell, author of The Outliers: The Story of Success, explains in the short passage that the more you practice the better you will become and perform. Malcom Gladwell, the author of The Outliers: Story of Success argues that we control things in our lives through practice and effort more effectively
Outliers: The Story of Success is a nonfiction written by Malcolm Gladwell, The book proposes and examines the factors contributed to great success. Some of which are uncommon and unexpected, but are said to be essential to high achievements. Ever since we were young, we are often told that talent and hard work are the most crucial factors leading to success. Yet, just as the lyrics from the theme song of the cartoon Powerpuff Girls had mentioned “Sugar, spice, and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girls.”, that is other than sugar and spice – talent and hard work, our “professor” suggested various significant factors that we may have overlooked. The book is separated into 2 parts, opportunities
What would happen if our world today was monotonous, sorrowful, and grey? What if no one was here to form new creations, and think of bold ideas? Would triumph have a definition? Would there be outliers in our world today? We are constantly thinking, always generating new ideas and forming new thoughts. People even proceed by creating inventions, and building objects no one would of thought would be made today. But, what we don’t perceive is how they became successful and how they took advantage of the moment that was given to them. In the novel, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, the author explains that an outlier is one who is given an opportunity and knows how to take advantage. He believes that in order for a person to be successful they need at least ten thousand hours of hard work and effort in order to succeed at a skill. It is clear to me that like Malcolm Gladwell, I believe
Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers is an extremely informative read about success and the different aspects that attribute to it. Gladwell is able to use many studies and sources that back up his theories of how success is achieved. Although he is biased towards his theories, the only real argument that can be made in opposition to his theories would be a debate over exceptions to the 10,000 Hour Rule. Outliers ultimately has a positive effect on the audience by making them more aware of their own chances at success and how if they may be lacking in one area (education, opportunity, creativity) all hope is not lost. Gladwell’s piece is essentially timeless and will be able to be applied to future generations because he used examples from a few different eras that still make sense to today.
Once in a while, it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to. Gladwell believes that cultural legacies are powerful forces. Cultural legacies are the customs of a family or a group of people, that is inherited through the generations. According to Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, Cultural legacies is something that’s been passed down for generations to generations. It depends on what type of legacies was passed that will affect a person. If a good legacy was passed down, someone can keep that legacy going by trying hard at keeping the legacies going. If a bad legacy was passed down; I believe that cultural legacies can be altered or changed, by good working habits, determination, and a positive mindset to succeed. Culture can affect either positively or negatively, but we have the power to turn our cultural
In Chapter 8 and 9 of Outliers: The Story of Success, Gladwell exams some of the ways that Asian and American students learn math, arguing that some of the principles in the US education system should be reconsidered. I generally agree with Gladwell’s point of view. I believe in two ways, students ' principal spirit and the length of students’ studying, the US education system leaves much to be desired, though an overhaul is in progress.
Success is a unique characteristic that almost everybody has strived for since the beginning of time. There are many different ways to define and explain success, and in Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell sets out to rationalize it and explain the circumstantial happenings that lead people to the success they have acquired. Success is about becoming an outlier; someone who has completely mastered their craft and is an expert in their field that few other people would be able to match. No matter your stance on Obama’s success as a president, it is fact that to win the election in the first place Obama already had to be a major success. Gladwell argues many claims that strive to help his audience understand the factors that come together to create success. Some claims he argues revolve around how success is determined by someone’s childhood and the way they were raised. He also states how time period and work ethic play major roles in the quest for success. One person who fits almost any definition of success is United States President Barack Obama. Becoming the leader of the free world is a position that
Successful people are generally thought as the work of talent, brilliance, and ambition but as Malcolm Gladwell argues in his book “Outliers” that might not always be the case. Gladwell poses interesting questions and evidence to support his claim on the idea of “self-made” people being, actually the work of hidden advantages, cultural opportunities and legacies allowing them to learn and work differently by making sense of the world thus, allowing them to
Einstein was not always an extremely successful man and he had difficulties that would have prevented anyone else from succeeding, but eventually, several of his theories led to scientific advancements. One theory earned him a Nobel Prize, in physics one a PhD and another helped in the development of nuclear fission. If a person were only to take a quick glance at his life without a deeper investigation, they would find it difficult to discover the catalyst that led to his success. However, with the tools Gladwell provides his readers it does become obvious what led to Einstein’s life of success. Gladwell argues that a person needs to devote time to practice their craft; he calls this the “10,000-hour rule” (Gladwell 35). They must also have opportunity to succeed, as well as intelligence; they must at least be, smart enough to do so. He also claims that they must have been born at just the right time for success, too early or too late is a failure; he calls this the “Matthew Effect” (Gladwell 15). Gladwell even goes so far as to say that where they are born has a significant impact on their success; this he calls “demographic luck” (Gladwell 129). These tools provided by Gladwell to identify an outlier can explain if Albert Einstein is truly an outlier.
The first characteristic needed to excel as an outlier is innate talent. In order to truly excel in anything, one must have the talent to foster success. Gladwell concedes that talent and hard work are factors in success. Human achievements, he argues, demand ability and talent, disciplined by at least 10,000 hours of practice. Having talent alone does not make one successful. Having the fortitude to take advantage of opportunities afforded to you, and the determination to practice for as long as it takes to master your craft is what leads to true success.