Malcolm Gladwell It's A Sure Thing Analysis

Throughout Malcolm Gladwell’s passage, “ It’s a Sure Thing”, he conveys the central idea that Turner is not truly a risk taker, and that all his risks are calculated and thought thorough. In the text Gladwell uses a change of connotation throughout the text to show how Turner is not truly a risk taker. He also goes into more depth to show more detailed thinking behind the so called “risk”. In the beginning of Gladwell’s passage his connotation towards Turner is positive. He portrays Turner to be a spontaneous person who is never afraid to risk it all. In the passage Gladwell says,”He gave the impression of signing contracts without even reading them.” (Gladwell 18) This makes him seem very impulsive and confident in his decision a hundred percent of the time. He talks about Turner’s optimism toward purchasing a run down radio station, WJRS, and turning into a big hit. Despite the positive connotation of Turner and his spanatic decision making in the beginning, Gladwell gradually uses a change of diction to change his connotation to be a negative one. Gladwell changes his description of Turner from, “ He was Captain Courageous, the man with nerves of steel…” (Gladwell 16) to, “It’s because Turner is a cold blooded- bargainer who could find a million dollars in someone’s back pocket that the person didn’t even know he had.’ (Gladwell 63-4) In this

Overall throughout the passage, “ The Sure Thing”, Malcolm Gladwell develops the central idea that Ted Turner is not truly a risk taker and that all his risks are calculated and thought through, by using a change of connotation and by going into more detail about the background Turner’s