TOW #19 (IRB)- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

In the eyes of author Malcolm Gladwell, those exponentially more successful in life than the average human being are defined as “outliers.” Although in today’s society, what does it mean to be successful and how does one achieve success? Common societal beliefs say that those who work harder than their peers to achieve their goals are the ones ultimately become successful. In contrast to such beliefs, in his book, Outliers, Gladwell argues that some people within society may be given “unfair” advantages in life and are more likely to become successful. In addition to the talent and intelligence commonly thought to be necessary for success, those who have achieved success are often unknowingly subject to cultural and societal opportunities that give them an advantage over others, which Gladwell effectively argues with the use of very specific examples.

           

            In his first example, Gladwell analyzes the lifestyle of the small, close-knit town of Roseto, Pennsylvania. Roseto is not known for much, but many people argue that, in a way, they are successful because of the very low rate of heart disease among the citizens of Roseto. The vast majority of its citizens emigrated from the same town in Italy, and the town of Roseto was founded based on the same traditions that they had in Italy. Over the years, their traditions have remained the same, and the people of Roseto have grown very close and supportive of each other. This may not seem like a definitive advantage, but history have proven that this community has remained far healthier than a majority of towns across the US.

           

            In addition to Roseto, Gladwell does in depth to analyze a youth team in the Canadian Hockey League. The members of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who recently won their league championship, all have something in common that sets them apart from the other teams in the league. A large number of the players on the team were born in the months of January, February, March, and April. In a league where the age cut off is January 1^st, it is a clear advantage to have older players. Although the difference in age is only a few months, this gives the players on the Medicine Hate Tigers a noticeable size and strength advantage over their opponents. Because they grow earlier and are physically dominant, many of the Tigers’ players were able to make other elite hockey teams and play in better tournaments. These experiences further lead to their development as hockey players and set them apart from others in the Canadian youth hockey league.

TOW #18 (Visual Text)- Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate

            This being one of the snowiest winters in recorded history for Eastern Pennsylvania, I found it logical to analyze the rhetorical devices used by Swiss Miss to advertise their hot chocolate, which is surely in high demand this winter. As much of country is pounded by storm after storm and bitter cold weather, many adults and children frequently sip on Swiss Miss hot chocolate to warm up after shoveling the driveway or playing in the snow with friends.

            The goal of every company’s marketing team, including that of Swiss Miss hot chocolate, is to show that their product is superior to the competitor’s and worth the consumers’ money. Swiss Miss’ label effectively achieves this goal with its appealing image of the finished product and an elaborate background.

            Though Swiss Miss only sells packages of the hot chocolate mix that consumers have to mix in hot water in order to make their hot chocolate, the label displays a large image of the hot chocolate on the center of the package. Using an image of the final product was a wise decision by Swiss Miss because it looks a lot more enticing than a package of cocoa powder. Also, the hot chocolate is steaming, giving the allusion that hot chocolate made with Swiss Miss is always warm and delicious.

            The brand name “Swiss Miss” is named after the European country Switzerland, which lies on top of the Alps and is a hotspot for winter action sports like skiing and snowboarding. Throughout the background of the label, the hot chocolate is shown floating high above the Alp mountain range. This image of the mountains effectively appeals to Swiss Miss’ main target group, which consists of people that enjoy participating in outdoors activities and would likely need a hot, refreshing drink to sip on while warming up. Therefore, Swiss Miss’ label is certainly an effective marketing ploy as it displays the hot chocolate in an enticing manner and specifically appeals to its main group of prospective costumers.

TOW #17 (written text)- "Good Enough? That's Great" by Daniel Jones

As Valentines Day approaches, many men are desperately thinking of ways to surprise their wives with something special and romantic. Although, nowadays men find is harder and harder to do so as they slowly lose interest in their marriage. According to Daniel Jones from the NY Times, couples often lose interest in each other over time due to a lack of excitement and passion. Men become irritated with their relationship that is “punctuated with deadening routines, cyclical arguments and repetitive conversations.” So, in order to find an outlet for their relationship struggles, men are more likely to cheat on their wives, leading to even greater marriage struggles.

            In the article “Good Enough? That’s Great,” Jones effectively informs adults of these increasingly common relationship struggles and offers ways to improve them by offering ultimatums and using specific diction.

            Jones’ primary rhetorical device, cause and effect, is evident throughout the article. In the beginning of the text, he lays out common and realistic relationship troubles that almost all couples can relate to. Then, he almost puts himself in the shoes of the husband, and offers ways to improve a marriage. He states that if steps are not taken to resolve such problems, men are certainly more likely to cheat or look for a divorce and fresh start in the “love life.” In order to get readers to listen to this ultimatum, Jones carefully uses diction that effectively appeals to pathos. Using words such as “marital malaise” and “deadening routines,” Jones almost makes husbands and wives feel bad about themselves. By creating this tone, readers are more willing to seek change in their marriage. The powerful diction used by Jones acts almost as a threat to married men and women, helping them convince that the ultimatum may very likely become a reality and destroy their family.

IRB Intro Post #3- "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

With the AP exam is quickly approaching, I plan to read "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell as it both a challenging read and a genre that I am not familiar with. In this nonfiction book about psychology, Gladwell explores the world of outliers and analyzes how one achieves success in society. I have never read a book about psychology nor been very interested by the topic, but I know on the AP exam in May, CollegeBoard can choose from a wide variety of texts to assess APELC students. So, by reading this book, which was recommended to me by a friend who read it earlier this year, I hope to not only learn about what sets those who have achieved success apart from everyone else, but also to become better prepared for the AP exam.