Rhetorical Drive in Outliers
In chapter 1, 'The Matthew Effect' in Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell uses the most obvious use of logos. He begins by talking about what the Matthew Effect is. It is basically a process of choosing individuals with the better likelihood of becoming successful. He uses examples of Canadian Hockey teams and how they choose their players at a very young age, who are born in only certain months. He includes a large table that lists the names, numbers, position, height, weight, birthday and hometown of all the players. This is a use of logos, to appeal and persuade the reader that this information is legitimate. He also includes a metaphor linking nature and this book, Outliers.
He also includes multiple uses of pathos. He has written this book so it's not so boring to the reader and that it feels as if it's more of a conversation than just reading informational text. He uses many interactive texts like, "Do you see it? Don't feel bad if you don't, because for many years in the hockey world no on did." Or, Did you get that? I'm guessing most of you did." These interactive texts placed here and there throughout the book has made me become more focused and in tune with the book.
This whole book functions as an argument. It argues that no one is born with success or born with all the qualities to become successful. As you read along in the book, Malcolm Gladwell explains how there are numerous factors that play into weather you become successful or not like, timing, practice, where you were born, open mindedness, luck, etc.
Its usually bad form to use the second person when writing non-fiction, but it was a very specific choice by Gladwell to create a mood (and method) that would bring the reader in to his logical appeals so that people could apply his claims directly to their own experiences.
ReplyDeleteThis conversational style is one of the contributing factors of a new term that describes this kind of of informative writing: "Gladwellian."