Although it certainly didn't take a "blink" to read, Malcolm Gladwell's Blink provided novel insights for the split second decisions made by individuals. Finishing this independent read displayed not only intuition about how these “thin-splices” work but also a level of rhetoric and stylistic skill that left the reader in complete agreement.
The remainder of Blink discussed further upon the skills of thin-slicing: of how sometimes they can be horribly wrong, of how this spontaneity can be “trained”, and how the proper “thin slice” needs to be seen. Gladwell dives into stories of how President Harding became one of the worst US presidents and how innocent Diallo was murdered, both from improper analysis and intuitions. Yet, in contrast to these obstacles, Gladwell points to how through split-second decisions General Van Riper defeated the entire US army (armed with total intelligence) in a simulation, and how by seeing and both hearing singer Kenna he just “struck” with people.
Perhaps Gladwell’s strongest rhetorical device is that of arrangement and transition between topics. Gladwell follows an arrangement that’s a synthesis of exemplification and definition: as he proceeds to describe different parts of these split second decisions, there are general topics and examples for each. From each general topic, such as the story of the singer Kenna and how it relates to OVERALL rather than specific first impressions, Gladwell branches off and discusses smaller but interconnected examples, such as taste tests revolving around root beers and Coke vs. Pepsi.
Through logical transitions between all examples, Gladwell is able to bring Blink full circle by suggesting the power that we have as these gifted individuals at perception, and that through these examples readers gain control over their powers in perception and decision making: to master, as the cover suggests, “the power of thinking without thinking”. (Rhetorical Analysis Used: OPTIC)
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