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The story of success malcolm gladwell essay about page 27 through 43
Gladwell's thesis about success
The story of success malcolm gladwell essay about page 27 through 43
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I was raised by my parents in a very rural community with my two older brothers, James and Daniel, and my younger sister, Fei. Not only did we grow up in a rough environment, we were also part of the lower echelon of society. My parents always told me, “You must work hard in school so you can be successful and have a high paying job.” In the book “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell, Malcolm explains that the biggest misconception about success is that we achieve it solely by our intelligence, ambition, hustle and hard work. We tend to ignore the fact that opportunity plays an incredible role on whether or not one is successful. Being at the right place, at the right time, is a key factor to success, but ultimately it depends …show more content…
on one’s ability to work hard and follow up on the opportunities that are presented to us in order to succeed. In 1960, The Beatles were a young adolescent band in high school that got an opportunity to play in Hamburg, Germany.
They were forced to play eight hours a day, seven days a week. “We got better and more confidence. We couldn’t help it with all the experience playing all night long… We had to try even harder, put our heart and soul into it, to get ourselves over” (Gladwell, 49) The Beatles performed for 270 nights in about a year and a half which is extraordinary. Malcolm Gladwell says that it requires ten thousand hours until someone becomes a professional at what he or she is doing. Not only did The Beatles work hard every single night, they had ambition and passion for what they were doing. How can one achieve 10,000 hours without working hard and striving to succeed and be the best every single day? 10,000 hours can only be achieved if one is willing to put in the necessary hours of hard work and dedication. Once achieved, you will not only have 10,000 hours of hard work, sweat, and tears, you’ll be a professional in the field. The Beatles are a clear example of a group of people who were presented an opportunity and took advantage of it. What if the opportunity was presented but they were not ready to seize the opportunity? The Beatles went to Hamburg and performed their hearts out every single night, getting better day by day. With over a total of 10,000 hours of practice and hard work under their belt, The Beatles came to United States in 1964 and became one of the …show more content…
world’s most well known and successful bands in the world today. According to Malcolm Gladwell, individuals must be born in a certain period of time where advantages and opportunities are present in order to succeed. In the book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell presents a chart of the seventy five richest people in the world and found that fourteen Americans were born within 9 years of one another in the nineteenth century. The fourteen individuals were all born within the 1830s-1840s, meaning they would have an opportunity to take advantage of the industrial revolution. “This was when the railroads were being built and when Wall Street emerged. It was when industrial manufacturing started in earnest. It was when all the rules by which the traditional economy had functioned were broken and remade” (Gladwell, 62) Yes, fourteen individuals that were born within the 1830s-1840s became extremely successful and wealthy because they were presented an opportunity just by being born in that time period. Were they the only fourteen individuals that were born in ten years time? No, everyone who was born within that time had the opportunity to be successful, but only certain individuals seized the opportunity. The opportunity was only the stepping stone, the follow up on the opportunity, the desire, and the hard work they put in was what made them successful. Sonia Sotamayor was presented with different types of opportunities and hardships.
Instead of playing the victim role, she embraced the hardships that she was faced with and instead turned it into motivation and ambition. For example, Sonia Sotamayor was only eight years old when she was diagnosed with diabetes type I meaning she would need insulin shots every single day. “It then dawned on me: If I needed to have these shots every day for the rest of my life, the only way I’d survive was to do it myself.” Not only did she have diabetes, her father also died of heart problems because he was an alcoholic so she was raised by an only mother. Although being faced with all sorts of hardships, Sonia used these hardships as opportunities to flourish and better herself as an individual. “I probably learned more self-discipline from living with diabetes than I ever did from the Sisters of Charity.” (Sotomayor, 5) The opportunities that Sonia Sotamayor was faced with could’ve easily brought her down a very dark path which could’ve led to drugs and addictions. Instead, she worked hard and followed up on the opportunity
presented. My oldest brother James Wang was only twelve when he first moved to United States. He was a part of the English second language program in middle school and had the opportunity of going to high school after the 8th grade or repeating the 8th grade over again so that he could obtain another year of English language practice. He decided to hold himself back an additional year so that he could improve his second language, English. Studying for hours and hours every single day, he finally had the opportunity to attend University of California, San Diego where he achieved his Bachelor’s of Science in Management Science. Working hard and studying every night eventually led up to multiple opportunities that he took advantage of. For example, he was able to spend an entire summer taking a college course at Cornell University because of a program he was in. He was also able to go to Idaho to spend an entire summer backpacking because he was in that program He was only able to be in that program because of the continuous hard work he was putting in every single day. My dad was close friends with the CEO of Mass Mutual so he was able to acquire a full-time internship for my brother which then led to another internship at Capital Hall which eventually then led to an internship at Blue Cross. Because of all the opportunities he took advantage of and the ambition he has, he is now able to work at PG&E as a financial analyst. All in all, success is not determined by when he or she is born, instead it’s determined by how he or she faces and reacts to the adversities that one may face. Just because we are given an opportunity does not mean we are automatically going to reach success. If one does not work hard or have any ambition, the opportunity is useless. Opportunity and hard work come hand in hand when we are talking about success. Ultimately, success is determined by one’s ability to work hard and follow up on the opportunities that are presented to us in order to succeed.
First, the challenge of diabetes. Sotomayor told Robert Barnes, of the Washington Post, “It drove me in a way that perhaps nothing else might have to accomplish as much as I could as early as possible.” What can be pulled from this quote is that she saw this disease not as something that would hold her back from her dreams but something that would drive her harder to her dreams. Sonia also told Barnes that she strived hard to reach her goals before age fifty because she was afraid she would die early. The drive of fear and determination really helped push Sonia to the finish line. Next, her cultural and social background. Sonia overcame this by working very hard: “Sotomayor bought grammar books and vocabulary texts and practiced each lunch hour at her summer job”(Barnes) He goes on to tell us that not only did Sotomayor get better at english and close the education gap but was awarded Princeton’s top academic prize. The video by Bio.com tells us that at school she was a quiet girl and was one of the smartest people in a school filled with smart people. Sonia worked really hard to conquer this adversity so she could go into law. Overall, Sonia Sotomayor has faced a lot of adversity in her lifetime but she has overcome it with great
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
Malcolm Gladwell is a canadian-english journalist, speaker, and bestselling author. In his bestselling book “Outliers”, Malcolm Gladwell discusses success and what patterns correlate with it. He states that how much time you put into a certain activity, specifically 10,000 hours, can put you in a elite level of proficiency. This in turn can give someone the tools to allow them the ability to be successful. Using historical citations, patterns, and real life examples, Gladwell forms his 10,000 hour rule. Due to his knowledgeable yet calm tone Gladwell seems to show credibility. His intended audience could be people who enjoy statistics or people who want to be successful and find possible ways to do so. Gladwell uses a logical appeal to show the patterns he has found through his studies of success. He supports his claim with overwhelming statistics which back it. He also uses similes to help better understand how he can relate the patterns he has found for the elite in a certain activity to other things. Foil is probably Gladwell's best means of convincing the reader to his thesis of the 10,000 hour rule. He uses Foil to compare success and we define to legends such as Bill Gates The Beatles and Bill Joy. Overall Gladwell uses Logos, similes, and foils to support his claim of the 10,000 hour rule.
People from lower classes try to achieve success but tend to struggle depending upon their foundation. The problem that people don’t want see is that we all want to become successful, and have the capability to do so but are just restricted by the lack of income.
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
Malcolm Gladwell insists throughout his book, Outliers: The Story of Success, that the recipe for achievement is not simply based on personal talents or innate abilities alone. Gladwell offers the uncommon idea that outliers largely depend upon “extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies” (Gladwell19). According to Gladwell, successful men and women are beneficiaries of relationships, occasions, places, and cultures. The author draws on a different case study in each chapter to support a particular argument concerning success. Despite his indifference and suppression in regards to counterarguments, Gladwell’s claims are effective for many reasons, including through the accounts of experts, tone and style of writing, and the technique he utilizes when opening a chapter.
It's because of the contributions of lots of different people and lots of different circumstances, and that means we, as a society, have more control about who succeeds – and how many of us succeed – than we think.” (pg. 7-8. Reading Group Guide. After reading the entire book, I agree with Malcolm Gladwell when he says that culture, practice, and luck are the most important factors of success. In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, he analyzes the factors that contribute to high levels of success.
Success was hard for the Beatles started as the Quarrymen then turning into the Silver Beatles and touring through Germany playing long hours’ day and night at different clubs and venues. In fact, and article written by Andrew Romano from the Daily Beast states that one of Gladwell’s theory is revolved around Hamburg during their intense hours of playing. He states that after the Beatles had reached their point of fame during 1964, they had performed a total of twelve hundred times which Gladwell states” the idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a minimal level of practice”. According to Gladwell this is what allowed them to become they greatest rock band of all time. Although this was Beatles point of greatness, once returning to Liverpool they still had a point to prove the world. After Brian Epstein spent many days convincing different labels, being rejected by the same record labels, changing their style, and cleaning up their act for the music industry, they were finally able to sign a label with United Kingdom’s leading music record company during May of 1962. By October of 1963, the Beatles had the opportunity to appear on the Sunday Night At the Long Palladium. During this time, if one was able to perform here you had reached a high point in the
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.
Malcolm Gladwell’s overall purpose of Outliers: The Story of Success is that success is largely determined by an individual’s socioeconomic and sociocultural environment, and individual ambition, effort, or talent, are less significant, contrary to the societal notions associated with success. In other words, success is not something that someone randomly gained; success is earned through opportunities that develop dedication, interest, and skill over time. By doing this, will one become an outlier, or “something that is situated away or classed differently from a main or related body,” (Gladwell 3) that distinguishes great from good and best from great, as exemplified by “The striking thing about Ericsson’s study is that the and his colleagues couldn’t find any “naturals”, musicians who floated effortlessly to the top while practicing a fraction of the time their peers did.” (Gladwell 39) Gladwell also acknowledges societal norms such that “All of the fourteen men and woman on the list above had vision and talent,” (Gladwell 62-63) to assert hard work, ability, et cetera can lead to success, but a social environment that offers such opportunities immensely increases the likelihood of success.
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
If people work hard, focus, and are disciplined, they will succeed in the future. This has become a universal idea taught by parents, teachers, and peers. People have passed down this idea to the younger generations and they chose to live by this moral that makes sense. In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell debunks the universal idea that working hard will allow people to play hard and get further in life. Gladwell eliminates the traditional ideas of success by showing that opportunities, family background, and being born at the “right” time are actually what lead to success.
For generations, only certain people have achieved success - they are known as geniuses or outliers; however, they did not obtain it on high IQs and innate talents alone. In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell, #1 bestselling author of The Tipping Point and Blink, reveals the transparent secret of success behind every genius that made it big. Intertwined with that, Gladwell builds a convincing implication that the story behind the success of all geniuses is that they were born at the right place, at the right time and took advantage of it. To convey the importance of the outlier’s fortunate circumstances to his readers, he expresses a respective, colloquial tone when examining their lives.
At the tender age of 8 Sonia Sotomayor was diagnosed with diabetes type 1. Soon she learned to monitor her body and diet and learned how to inject herself insulin. She learned to live with the disease and expressed that she could have gotten another more serious condition, so she did not complain. Next, she shared with the public some of her mother’s history. She told about how her mother wanted
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.