Rhetorical questions
In his expository text, “Blink”, Malcom Gladwell uses rhetorical questions to get the reader interested in the content of the book. This trend begins in the introduction where Gladwell introduces the idea that the subconscious mind has extraordinary abilities that people do not know about. After the Getty museum was asked to buy a Greek Kouro statue that was in almost perfect condition. The Getty performed an investigation to determine whether the Kouro was a forgery or not. When introducing this event, Gladwell asks the reader, “Was the statue consistent with other known kouroi?”(Gladwell 2), and “Where and When had the statue been found?” (Gladwell 4). While Gladwell obviously does not expect the reader to answer
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For example, when introducing the topic of the book, Gladwell talks about the intricacies of how the human thinks and how “the mind operates most efficiently by relegating a good deal of high-level, sophisticated thinking to the unconscious, just as a modern jetliner is able to fly on automatic pilot with little or no input from the human, ‘conscious’ pilot” (Gladwell 12). Gladwell begins his book by ensuring that the readers understand how powerful the human unconscious is. Gladwell relates the mind, a topic that most people are not familiar with, to automatic piloting on planes, a topic that most people are familiar with or know of. By relating our brains unconscious to the autopilot of a jet, the reader is able to understand the theme quickly at the beginning of the book, which allows Gladwell to jump into more complex examples faster than he would have been able to without the use of the simile. Another example of Gladwell using simile to help the reader understand ideas central to explanations of the theme is his description of two food tasters. He describes two food tasters that have the ability to determine what ingredients have been added or omitted from a recipe just by tasting the food. He then describes how they are able to use their subconscious to make that determination. Gladwell describes eating with them as “like going cello shopping with Yo-Yo-Ma” (Gladwell 178). Gladwell’s use of simile makes the whole situation easier for the reader to understand. Most readers do not have intricate knowledge of the abilities of food tasters, so comparing the food tasters that Gladwell describes to Yo-Yo-Ma, a highly talented musician, allows the reader to see the level of skill that the food tasters have. Understanding the food tasters expertise makes it easier for the reader to