Grit is an essential trait needed to achieve your goals? The chapter “Showing Up” in Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Lee Duckworth goes into detail about just how necessary grit is. Duckworth defines grit as the “passion and sustained persistence applied toward long-term achievement.” Angela Lee Duckworth is a psychologist who is very interested in what makes successful people successful. In this chapter, the reader is brought along on her journey to find answers about traits that predict success. As part of her research, Duckworth interviews a variety of individuals from different fields. Duckworth interviews successful people in their occupations and observes students at West Point’s Beast program on her path to answers. In this chapter, Angela Lee Duckworth effectively uses ethos, logos, and pathos to back up her findings that grit is a must-have for success.
Ethos is used successfully in her writing when Duckworth references her credibility. Duckworth brings up her background in psychology. She also brings up her time in graduate school. Discussing her time in school made Duckworth’s observations much more credible. In graduate school, Duckworth first gained a fascination with the traits needed to succeed and persevere through challenges. When looking at Beast, an exhausting program at West Point, Duckworth wondered what kind of person made it through and said, “[i]t was 2004 and my second year of graduate school in psychology when I set about answering that question”(5). Duckworth’s time spent in graduate school while researching helps the reader feel more comfortable with her evidence that grit is crucial to success. The Beast program’s observation propelled Duckworth’s curiosity about who exactly made it through such harsh training. From her research, Duckworth developed a Grit Scale. The Grit Scale was a test that “measures the extent to which you approach life with grit”(5). It wasn’t long until students at West Point took the Grit Scale test. This test was used by West Point to examine their cadets’ level of grit. With West Point trusting Duckworth’s research enough to test it on their students, it’s clear that her findings have merit. From the reader’s perspective, West Point being confident enough in the concept of grit and the Grit Scale test proves that Duckworth’s discoveries are trustworthy.
Logos is used favorably by Duckworth when she presents the logic behind her findings. Duckworth incorporates logos into her writing by talking about the interviews she conducted while researching. While in graduate school, Duckworth took time to interview prosperous professionals on what made them successful. Duckworth “was interviewing leaders in business, art, athletics, journalism, academia, medicine, and law”(7). During her quest for answers, Duckworth took the time to meet with professionals from all walks of life. Through these interviews, Duckworth recognized certain prevalent traits in these professionals that aided them on their journey to success. These interviews assisted Duckworth greatly in learning more about successful individuals and the qualities they possess. One thing she found was that these individuals “knew in a very, very deep way what it was they wanted”(8). The sureness and confidence the professionals had in their path made these interviewees stand out. Duckworth also noted that these professionals had big goals and wouldn’t dream of giving up. Without certainty in their paths, successful people would give up during hardships. The certainty the interviewees had in their goals is what contributed to their grit. With a bigger goal in mind, individuals are more likely to persevere through hardships and failure. From this, she found that “[i]t was critically important–and not at all easy–to keep going after failure…”(7). The quality the interviewees had that consisted of perseverance and passion was what Duckworth called “grit.” Grit is the quality that develops when perseverance meets passion. Perseverance through failures is a significant predictor of success, and the people Duckworth interviewed showed a great deal of perseverance. Everyone Duckworth interviewed persisted through tough times and had an unwavering focus toward their goals. Duckworth also looked at this quality when seeing who would make it through the “Beast” program at West Point. She found “[g]rit turned out to be an astonishingly reliable predictor of who made it through and who did not”(10). This piece of information uncovered by Duckworth is very telling. Duckworth’s goal in her research was to determine what quality predicts the success of an individual. The cadets who showed passion and perseverance were more likely to complete their time at West Point. Her observations about West Point’s cadets, along with her interviews with triumphant professionals, proved that grit was a reliable predictor of a person’s success.
Pathos is used flourishingly by Duckworth to support her findings on what quality contributed to individuals’ success. Duckworth appeals to peoples’ emotions when she discusses the struggles successful people face and the struggles students at West Point face. Something Duckworth took away from interviewing professionals is that “[e]ven if some of the things they had to do were boring, or frustrating, or even painful, they wouldn’t dream of giving up”(8). The author’s word choice of “boring” and “painful” provoke known emotions in the reader. These emotions root the reader in the reading. When the reader feels emotions while reading, it helps them relate to the story and feel inspired. This is something Duckworth did very well in her writing. When Duckworth discussed the Beast program at West Point, she said it’s known as “‘the most physically and emotionally demanding part of your four years at West Point…’”(4). Duckworth’s use of the phrase “physically and emotionally demanding” plays to the reader’s emotions excellently by stirring up common feelings in the reader. Duckworth also discovered that successful people are satisfied being unsatisfied and never feel fully complete in their accomplishments. She adds that each person she interviewed is “chasing something of unparalleled interest and importance, and it was the chase–as much as the capture–that was gratifying”(8). The word “gratifying” awakens intimate feelings and experiences in the reader. Almost everyone remembers a time they felt grateful for achieving something, and the use of this word brings the reader back to that moment in their life. Also, the quotes discussing chasing a goal bring emotions to the reader. Almost everyone has had dreams they were passionate about and driven to complete. The passage alludes to pursuing a goal unwaveringly, which triggers familiar emotions in the reader.
Ethos, logos, and pathos are used constructively by Angela Lee Duckworth to prove that grit is a critical trait to attain success in any endeavor. Ethos was used as Duckworth discussed her credibility as a researcher and a psychologist. Showing her credibility gave Duckworth’s opinions and findings more weight to the reader. Logos was used when Duckworth talked about the logic and facts behind her findings. Along with stating her credibility, the use of logos by Duckworth was vital in expanding on her findings. Her explanations of her findings using logos effectively educated the reader. Pathos was used when Duckworth discussed the journeys of the people she interviewed. These journeys typically harbored emotion, whether it be from failures or from success. Duckworth mentioned how interviewees felt when they achieved success, and these details awakened similar emotions in the reader. After she completed her research, Duckworth found that whether or not someone possesses grit will be a predictor of their success. Throughout the reading, Duckworth seemed determined and passionate about her findings and her journey to uncover them. Her determination in learning about grit showed that she harnessed a great deal of grit herself. From Duckworth’s work, the reader can learn how necessary it is to be dynamic and persistent, or in other words, have grit when in pursuit of their dreams.
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