Summary Of Judgement By Malcolm Gladwell

Words: 1686
Pages: 7
Open Document
Kristyn Bauer Mrs. Lind English 120 25 March 2024 Look Closely The belief of not judging a person or item by its appearance is a dictum that has been instilled into most people from a young age. It is viewed as unkind to judge solely on what is seen. This has led to people forcing themselves to follow statements like “Don’t judge a book by its cover” or “It’s what is on the inside that matters.” But, no matter how often these phrases are drilled into the brain, the subconscious of the human mind still refuses to believe them. Despite the person’s intention, what is seen from the outside is always taken into consideration. Malcolm Gladwell emphasizes this point on pages 160 to 166 of his book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by …show more content…
The brain makes assumptions immediately upon viewing, to formulate an opinion. These speculations are not always correct because the subliminal messages the brain receives help the subconscious create the judgment. All of this happens in the blink of an eye, it occurs so quickly that it is impossible to decipher how or why a certain presumption is made. Gladwell makes first impressions and the subconscious a central theme throughout this passage and the entire book. Even though this portion of the book does not directly educate about first impressions or the subconscious of the mind, Gladwell intentionally made sure this passage was still indirectly educating according to the theme, to keep the section tied to the main idea of the book. This helps stay on task with the purpose of the book and makes it easier for readers to stay focused while reading it (Gladwell 160-166). Blink has tremendous examples of how appearances matter. It highlights the importance of a first impression, as well as how crucial it is to present an accurate representation through appearance. This tactic is typically used in abundance when working with …show more content…
I have my own experience using this method, so I am aware of how effective it is. While asking a question is not always an easy-to-understand technique, it is an effective way to write in an engaging manner. Not only does Gladwell use particular word choices and sentence structure to convey his purpose for Blink, but he also uses punctuation uniquely. One punctuation mark that I noticed specifically was the hyphen. Most authors only use the hyphen in situations when the next word cannot fit in the allotted space on the page, or if it is necessary for grammatical accuracy. However, Gladwell incorporated the hyphen into Blink frequently. He uses the hyphen multiple times throughout this short passage, even in places where other authors may have used a parenthesis, semicolon, or started a new sentence. An example of this is found on page 161 of the text, where Gladwell wrote, “And sure enough, if they gave someone two identical pieces of bread — one buttered with white margarine and the other buttered with foil-wrapped yellow Imperial margarine —” (Gladwell 161). Gladwell used hyphens three different times in this short
Show More

Related Documents: Summary Of Judgement By Malcolm Gladwell

Blink - Book Review Essay

Xavier Labour Relations Institute Managing Human Behaviour Assignment Blink by Malcolm Gladwell A book review by Narendran Santhanam (G10031) Contents Introduction 3 A brief summary 3 Evaluation 5 Conclusion 5 Introduction “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant – in the blink of an eye – that actually aren’t as simple as they seem. The book deals with the smallest components of our everyday…

Words 1590 - Pages 7

Balance Igniting Potential Essay example

in consolidating success and happiness in life and in my professional career. My objective for you after reading this book is to encourage you for being on the right path, or if you haven’t reached there yet, inspire you to move forward. Summary: -Leadership and Genuine Leadership Presence -The Abraham Walk – Being the third side -Talent -Creating perfect Harmony without Saying a Word. Doing by not Doing -Travel the World -Balance -Emotional Intelligence -Approach yourself with honesty…

Words 6268 - Pages 26