In the chapter “Rice Paddies & Math Tests,” Gladwell discusses the way that a cultural legacy — like rice farming — can lead to an attitude about work and persistence that can be profitable in later contexts (like math classes). And in “Marita’s Bargain,” Gladwell shows how a different cultural legacy — the tradition of summer break from school — can have negative effects on learning, effects that have an immense impact on future individual success. He ends the chapter on Marita’s Bargain with the word “meaningful work.”
For this paper, address the following question:
What makes meaningful work the key concept for understanding Gladwell’s point in both “Rice Paddies & Math Tests” as well as “Marita’s Bargain”?
Format
Your paper should be at least THREE complete pages in length (even one line less than two pages is too short), double-spaced, with one-inch margins top, bottom and both sides.
For more information about how to write this paper well, see the additional guidelines for writing essay 2.
A successful paper will…
Be an obvious attempt to follow the assignment;
Have a thesis statement at the end of the introduction;
Have an organization that is logical and easy to follow, making serious use of the “they say, I say” design and relevant templates;
Have a reasonably well-developed (as in detailed and specific) discussion, including thorough descriptions and explanations of Gladwell’s ideas from both “Rice Paddies & Math Tests” as well as “Marita’s Bargain”;
Have paragraphs with organizations that are logical and easy to follow (including topic and concluding sentences and transitions within and between paragraphs that indicate logical relations between your ideas);
Have sentences that are grammatically complete, logical and easy to follow; and
Have a minimum number of surface feature errors—correct use of periods and question marks, correct spelling, absence of typographical errors, etc., including no use of any form of the pronoun “you.”
Audience and Purpose
Your readers are people who hold standard views about work, summer school, childhood. Your goal is to move readers from what they already believe before they started reading your paper to what you want them to believe by the end of the paper.
Structure
Using one of the templates for “Introducing standard views” found on page 23 of They Say/I Say, your paper should also begin with an introduction that ends with your thesis statement.
You should have body paragraphs that each begin with a topic sentence and then elaborate and support that topic sentence.
One or two of your body paragraph should summarize the two essays by Gladwell, explaining to your readers exactly what ideas your essay will address from those two chapters.
Your remaining body paragraphs, using they say, I say “moves,” should include both specific ideas or quotes from Outliers as well as your response to those ideas or quotes. In short, frame this discussion in the context (using evidence from) of Malcolm Gladwell’s claim. This includes a reference to the author, the book title, and any relevant passages from Outliers.
And the paper should end with a conclusion paragraph.
