Impact of Cultural Legacy
“No one who can rise before dawn three hundred sixty days a year faults to make his family rich.”
Inquiry Question: How do you think a cultural legacy can impact the degree of a person’s success?
Background
In chapter 9 nine of Outliers, “Rice Paddies and Math Tests”, Gladwell provides some examples of proverbs that Chinese rice farmers would often recite such
as “Farmers are busy; farmers are busy; if farmers weren’t busy, where would grain to get through winter come from?” and “In winter, the lazy man freezes to
death” (238).
Prompt:
Gladwell uses these examples of proverbs from Chapter 9 to help explain the concept of cultural legacy. In Chapters 6, 7, 8, and 10 Gladwell argues that
understanding cultural legacy can impact a person’s success. Write a well-developed essay in which you define the term ‘cultural legacy’, discuss its impact,
and discuss the role that proverbs play in keeping a cultural legacy alive. In this essay, you can either support Gladwell’s notion that cultural legacy has a
profound impact on success or argue against it. In the essay’s introduction, give some background to Outliers. Then come to terms with Gladwell by
explaining what he means by ‘cultural legacy.’ In your thesis, answer this question: What kind of impact does cultural legacy have on a person’s life? Can the
impact be positive, negative, or both?
Requirements:
5-7 pages (MLA Format)
include four (minimum) outside sources (sources other than OUTLIERS)
two outside sources must be an academic article from the Delta College Databases.
Strong hook/attention grabber
Introduce topic/necessary background information (define cultural legacy, etc)
Thesis that addresses the prompt: What kind of impact does cultural legacy have on a person’s life? Can the impact be positive, negative, or both?
Body
Multiple body paragraphs that are
guided by topic sentences that explain the main idea of paragraph
follow an organizational strategy
use examples from the reading in the form of quotes (use quote sandwiches)
Other Evidence CLICK HERE FOR AN EXPLANATION OF TYPES OF EVIDENCE (Links to an external site.)
Evidence:
Facts (from your research)
Descriiptions and Anecdotes
Expert Opinions (introduce with appositive phrases)
use personal examples
proverbs from the proverb activity
stories
Conclusion
Research
Four Outside Sources
Two Academic Articles from DatabasesReputable Website (One that passes CRAAP Test)
Interview
Style/Technique
Appositve phrases
Participle phrases
Colons
Semicolons
Paragraph hooks
Variety of “lead in/tag phrase” placement