This is my response to today's in-class activity. Notice how all four "sandwich" elements (introduction, quotation, interpretation and analysis) are present in this passage.
Saki's short story "The Interlopers" explores the consequences of an archetypal, southern-style feud between characters Ulrich and Georg. Cultural theorist and best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell considers an analogous feud in his book, Outliers. Here, Gladwell defines a "culture of honor" as a "world"--such as that of "The Interlopers"--"where a man's reputation is at the center of his livelihood and self worth." In this world, a man "has to be willing to fight in response to even the slightest challenge to his reputation" (167). In other words, an individual living in a culture of honor prizes his reputation above everything else, and is ready to fight to the death to protect it.
Reputation is key for both Ulrich and Georg, whose bitter fighting perpetuates a long-held family feud. Gladwell's "culture of honor" thesis goes a long way to explain the violent and sometimes irrational behavior of both men...
