The Tipping Point: Rhetorical Analysis
The Tipping Point: Rhetorical Analysis
Throughout The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell explains to his reader his ideas about drastic changes in society, and how they seem to occur so rapidly. In this particular selection, Gladwell emphasizes the purpose of “connectors”, saying that they have a “special gift for bringing the world together (page 38)”. Gladwell states that part of the reason information or trends spread like wildfire is the presence of a specific group of people. They are called “connecters”, and they are people who know, or are connected to, people of “different worlds (page 51)”, and bring them together. In his book, The Tipping Point, Gladwell uses different forms of persuasion, rhetorical questions, and organization to demonstrate to readers his theory on “epidemics” and how they spread.
The purpose of The Tipping Point is to convince readers that, in the case of an “epidemic”, little things can make a big difference. One of the reasons Gladwell’s theory about tipping points is so impactful is because he uses persuasion techniques, such as ethos, to influence the reader’s opinions. In this selection, Gladwell utilizes ethos to improve his credibility, and convince the reader that what he is saying is trustworthy. Gladwell uses a personal example to prove his point on the existence of a special group of people known as connectors. He writes, “There is an easy way to explore this idea (page 37)”, and goes on explaining how each friend of his is connected to the next. He adds credibility to his statements by making the connections specific, “whom I met when her friend Katie brought her to a restaurant where I was having dinner one night”. In his example, he not only lists which friend is connected to whom, but he describes how he knows each one. Gladwell successfully utilizes methods of persuasion to convince the reader to believe what he has to say.
Not only does the author persuade readers to agree with him, but he peaks their curiosity to
Throughout The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell explains to his reader his ideas about drastic changes in society, and how they seem to occur so rapidly. In this particular selection, Gladwell emphasizes the purpose of “connectors”, saying that they have a “special gift for bringing the world together (page 38)”. Gladwell states that part of the reason information or trends spread like wildfire is the presence of a specific group of people. They are called “connecters”, and they are people who know, or are connected to, people of “different worlds (page 51)”, and bring them together. In his book, The Tipping Point, Gladwell uses different forms of persuasion, rhetorical questions, and organization to demonstrate to readers his theory on “epidemics” and how they spread.
The purpose of The Tipping Point is to convince readers that, in the case of an “epidemic”, little things can make a big difference. One of the reasons Gladwell’s theory about tipping points is so impactful is because he uses persuasion techniques, such as ethos, to influence the reader’s opinions. In this selection, Gladwell utilizes ethos to improve his credibility, and convince the reader that what he is saying is trustworthy. Gladwell uses a personal example to prove his point on the existence of a special group of people known as connectors. He writes, “There is an easy way to explore this idea (page 37)”, and goes on explaining how each friend of his is connected to the next. He adds credibility to his statements by making the connections specific, “whom I met when her friend Katie brought her to a restaurant where I was having dinner one night”. In his example, he not only lists which friend is connected to whom, but he describes how he knows each one. Gladwell successfully utilizes methods of persuasion to convince the reader to believe what he has to say.
Not only does the author persuade readers to agree with him, but he peaks their curiosity to