Gladwell, Malcolm. David and Goliath Discussion

Let’s see if we can analyze how Gladwell supports the thesis he lays out in the David & Goliath introduction with the examples he provides in Chapter 1. Gladwell clearly knows how to write a persuasive argument (here, he’s arguing that advantages are sometimes disadvantages and disadvantages are sometimes advantages), but how does his rhetorical approach work? How does Gladwell use ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade you?

See if you can find at least one instance of each in Chapter 1, share them with us, and tell us how they work as part of the persuasive argument. (There are obvious examples and less obvious examples of all three.)

And finally, what do you think of Gladwell’s point that “we consistently get these kinds of conflicts wrong” by not recognizing the weaknesses in giants and the strengths in underdogs?

From the teacher:

(A quick note: In the past when I’ve asked this question, I noticed that a lot of students used the same wrong examples. Then I discovered that there is a student-created Prezi out there that attempts to answer a similar question but is largely unsuccessful. Please resist the urge to Google the answer to this question! Instead, rely on your own intelligence to answer it successfully. Thank you!)