Style
Diction and syntax play a pivotal role in the development of Malcolm Gladwell's thesis. He uses these elements to give depth and understanding to the audience, so that his point will resonate with each reader.
Parallel structure aids Gladwell when describing the extraordinary opportunities that led to the success of Bill Gates. In the paragraph describing these opportunities, Gladwell starts sentences with, "Opportunity number one", "Opportunity number two", "Number three", and so on. The structure of this paragraph conveys the amazing amount of opportunities that "gave Bill Gates extra time to practice", furthering his "10,000 rule" theory.
In a later anecdote involving geniuses, Mr. Gladwell uses the term "prodigy", multiple times when referring to Chris Langan, a genius. The word prodigy is masterfully used because of the meaning of the word. A "prodigy" is someone that displays impeccable talent at a young age; however, the term does not necessarily mean that the person is successful. Because of this, the word prodigy is perfect for Gladwell's thesis in that extreme talent does not guarantee success.
In yet another use of parallel structure, Gladwell describes the reasoning behind plane crashes. In the section describing the pilot's duties during flight, Mr. Gladwell continually opens his sentences with
"He had to". After listing numerous technical tasks involved in piloting an airplane, Gladwell says that the pilot's most important job was "to talk". This contradicts most readers' assumptions that the technical aspects involved in flying a plane are more challenging and vital. By using the term "he had to". Gladwell conveys that even with the large amount of tasks that a pilot is responsible for, an often overlooked aspect, communication, can actually be a life and death difference, as communication caused the plane to crash.
Parallel structure aids Gladwell when describing the extraordinary opportunities that led to the success of Bill Gates. In the paragraph describing these opportunities, Gladwell starts sentences with, "Opportunity number one", "Opportunity number two", "Number three", and so on. The structure of this paragraph conveys the amazing amount of opportunities that "gave Bill Gates extra time to practice", furthering his "10,000 rule" theory.
In a later anecdote involving geniuses, Mr. Gladwell uses the term "prodigy", multiple times when referring to Chris Langan, a genius. The word prodigy is masterfully used because of the meaning of the word. A "prodigy" is someone that displays impeccable talent at a young age; however, the term does not necessarily mean that the person is successful. Because of this, the word prodigy is perfect for Gladwell's thesis in that extreme talent does not guarantee success.
In yet another use of parallel structure, Gladwell describes the reasoning behind plane crashes. In the section describing the pilot's duties during flight, Mr. Gladwell continually opens his sentences with
"He had to". After listing numerous technical tasks involved in piloting an airplane, Gladwell says that the pilot's most important job was "to talk". This contradicts most readers' assumptions that the technical aspects involved in flying a plane are more challenging and vital. By using the term "he had to". Gladwell conveys that even with the large amount of tasks that a pilot is responsible for, an often overlooked aspect, communication, can actually be a life and death difference, as communication caused the plane to crash.