Themes
What is the overall theme of ‘David and Goliath’?
Disadvantages can sometimes turn into an advantage, while strengths can also be weaknesses.
“In certain crucial parts of the brain–those that deal with reading, and processing words–dyslexics have less grey matter” (Gladwell 99).
Dashes add extra information
“But they were equally anxious about how law and order would be enforced” (220).
Shows concern about how something will happen, emphasizing uncertainty
“You wouldn’t wish dyslexia on your child. Or would you?” (Gladwell 102).
Pathos
What does Gladwell mean by ‘The Theory of Desirable Difficulty’?
A challenge or a disadvantage that helps a person grow stronger.(97)
“There are two possible interpretations for this fact. One is that this remarkable group of people triumphed despite their disability: they are so smart and so creative that nothing–not even a lifetime of struggling with reading–could stop them” (Gladwell 106).
Builds momentum
“He was from a community that had always been the underdog” (170).
Stresses a long, continuous history of disadvantage.
(Graph on page 87)
Logos
What is the ‘problem’ and ‘resolution’ for Jay Freireich?
Problem: childhood trauma and poverty. Solution: become a doctor and deal with leukemia patients. (125)
“He doesn’t appreciate that power can come in other forms as well–in breaking rules, in substituting speed and surprise for strength” (Gladwell 13).
Shifts to focus on examples
“And why do we do that? Because we think we’re helping them” (93).
Shows irony, suggesting people may not actually be helping
What does this establish for DeBrito? “The principal of Shepaug Valley Middle School is a woman named Teresa DeBrito. In her five-year tenure at the school, she has watched the incoming class dwindle year by year” (Gladwell 53)
Ethos
How did Caroline Sacks show that advantage can be a disadvantage?
She went to a really competitive school, and she lost confidence and struggled more than if she had gone to a less competitive school.(63)
“Dyslexics are outsiders as well. They are forced to stand apart from everyone else at school because they can’t do the thing that school requires them to do” (Gladwell 115).
Clear and short, isolating how dyslexics feel
“But Clear's point is that if you lock up too many people for too long, the collateral damage starts to outweigh the benefit” (246).
Emphasizes excess, showing overuse leads to harm
“In 1972, there were 1,495 shootings, 531 armed robberies, 1,931 bombings, and 497 people killed. One of those 497 was a seventeen-year-old boy named Eamon. Eamon was Rosemary Lawlor’s little brother” (Gladwell 223).
Pathos and Logos
How does the example of David Boies show that underdogs can succeed?
David shows that underdogs can succeed because his dyslexia made him a strong listener and speaker, which made him a great lawyer.(99)
“And the crisis created by Wyatt Walker was the photograph of a teenage boy being attacked by a police dog–leaning in, his arms limp, as if to say, ‘Take me, here I am’” (Gladwell 173).
Making moment impactful
“Then we turned onto Slate Street, where the school was—my school” (229).
Shifts to a personal tone and emotional connection
“In 1965, Freireich and Frei published 'Progress and Perspectives in the Chemotherapy of Acute Leukemia' in Advances in Chemotherapy, announcing that they had developed a successful treatment for childhood leukemia. Today, the cure rate for this form of cancer is more than 90 percent. The number of children whose lives have been saved by the efforts of Freireich and Frei and the researchers who followed in their footsteps is in the many, many thousands” (Gladwell 160-61).
Ethos, Pathos, Logos