Every individual yearns to have success. The definition of success is different from one individual to the next. However, most everyone has dreamed of being the star quarterback, a Rock Star, or perhaps a famous actor/actress. People often will attribute their position in life compared to another’s to someone else having an innate ability that they lack. “10,000 Hours” written by Malcom Gladwell attempts to convince the reader that innate ability is a myth and the road to success is dependent on practice, using studies, historical examples, and modern-day examples.
The first method used to convince the audience of his hypothesis is the use of studies. The author starts out with the statement: “Exhibit …show more content…
Most individuals will relate to things that they think are fair or unfair. The author talks about hockey players that do not make it to the big leagues because they had the misfortune to be born at the wrong time of year. The author states some facts about how on the Czech and Canadian national hockey teams there was practically no one born after September 1st. The hypothesis is that they were smaller than their team mates when they started out, and when it came time to qualify on a national level they would have missed out on critical practice time needed to be successful. This fact further convinces the reader that hypothesis of 10,000 hours practice to be great at something is true and cements the fact in the reader’s mind because they are indignant at the unfairness of the poor child who doesn’t make the team because of a birthdate.
Malcolm Gladwell has a good understanding of human nature. He uses these to his advantage in the writing book Outliers: The Story of Success. The 10,000 hour rule that he outlines uses studies to convince the reader that the facts are irrefutable. He then goes on to use a historical example that the reader will have some familiarity with, but not an in-depth knowledge. The reader will not question the fact presented because they feel they do not have enough expertise to do so. The third thing the author uses is a modern-day example that will cause the reader to be sympathetic and not question the