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Outliers Reflection

In: English and Literature

Submitted By tronlynt
Words 329
Pages 2
Tronlyn Thompson
Alsobrook
AP Lang
23 March 2015
Outliers – Chapter One Reflection In chapter one, Gladwell discusses the importance of opportunity and chance in the role of success. It is really interesting that trend of hockey players’ birthdates was relatively common, and amongst other sports as well. I never really understood that cut-off dates played a huge role in a person’s success, but that success isn’t just because of their birthdate, it’s because of the extra bodily maturation, the extra instruction, and the extra time spent perfecting a talent. My brother was born in July, and I’m now interested in seeing what his path will be, athletically. Gladwell really touches on how society chooses to ignore the fact that a child’s birth month ultimately determines if they make it or not. After this premise was found, there should have been some discussion about making the chances even. Gladwell’s language and word usage makes the book an extremely easy read, and his breakdown of different topics keeps the reader intrigued and also ready to move along to the next circumstance. I’m sure he structures his chapters the way he does because he wants the reader to blatantly recognize the different situations. Titling the chapter “The Matthew Effect” was clever. Once making the connection between the actual biblical passage and the true actualities of success, one can see that success has been a universal goal for quite some time. It’s also reassuring to see that the Bible’s messages are still relatable to today’s conditions. The implications of using cut off dates are simply the existence of unfair advantages. For instance, a child definitely cannot control the month in which he was born, and should not be hindered because of it. Morally, the idea of cut-off dates is not correct, but they must be used for organizational reasons. Gladwell does an exceptional job at stating facts and presenting his evidence persuasively, which makes his book an even greater read.

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