Examples of Other People

I don't know if there is an actual word for it, but Malcolm Gladwell does it a lot and does it well. In the last article I read, No Mercy, Gladwell frames the essay on a student, who he does not mention is Robert Oppenheimer until the very last sentence. He uses of examples of other people all the time in his articles. But these examples are extended to make a point, or are used as reasons or evidence. I personally love examples and their presence can make something that is complicated be lucid.

I'm in the middle of reading the article, Getting In, which is about the Ivy League admissions process. It reminds me of the Gatekeepers a little but gives a lot of information on the Ivy League Colleges. I now see why many people try to avoid the Ivy League Colleges, and my opinion on it is has definitely changed about them (and I'm not even done reading yet). Gladwell is pretty influential, not because he forces the reader to think his way, but along with showing his own opinion, he gives plenty of information, examples, and evidence to the let the reader form his or her own opinion. I'll be looking for what makes him so influential from now on, its a little hard to explain right now.

Also, for this article, Gladwell uses himself as an example of another person. He has been a writer for the New Yorker for a very long time by this article and has the authority to start his first sentence with "I" and have it be effective.