Outliers Malcolm Gladwell

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Pages: 3

My research topic will try to explain how the socioeconomic status of a person determines whether or not they will ever attain success, which I will define as prosperity. I will use Malcolm Gladwell’s criteria for success, specifically opportunity, to demonstrate the connection between poverty and success. Because a lot of opportunity shows up through a person’s education, I intend to show how underprivileged children attending underprivileged schools do not have the same opportunities as middle and upper class children attending well-funded schools. The reason why I am interested in this topic is because the poor are often blamed for their poverty - that they are lazy, useless people who are not trying hard enough. The impoverished are heavily stigmatized in Western culture. I want to show that the poor are still poor because they are unable to escape poverty due to a lack of opportunities that could raise them to their feet. There is a direct correlation between poverty and success because poverty determines whether an education will provide the opportunities that are crucial to succeed. …show more content…
He asserts that the fundamental determinant for success is opportunity. Using Gladwell’s criteria, I will explain how education is the primary path to gain exposure to opportunities that give way to success. To prove this, I found data indicating the direct connection between a person’s level of education and their salary. I also found that dropouts are more likely to live in poverty after dropping out than those who graduate high school. In other words, an individual’s level of education strongly dictates their level of success (in terms of money) in their