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Anita Stewart

ENGL 1010-E01

Professor Paul

December 2, 2018

“The Power of Introverts”: A Rhetorical Tool Review

In February 2012, Susan Cain presents an important message in her talk, “The Power of

Introverts”. Her approaches make it a powerful speech that makes ‘introverts’ say, “so that

explains why I feel the way I feel” (Cain). Although out of her milieu, Cain makes the point of

telling the world about the power of introverts through anecdotes, figurative language, research,

and examples (Cain).

Cain is a self-proclaimed introvert who was once a lawyer for corporations (“Susan

Cain”). Cain’s calling has allowed her to be the author of the book’s, Quiet: The Power of

Introverts and Quiet Power. In 2015, Cain launched Quiet Revolution with the goal of “changing

the lives of introverts by empowering them with the information, tools and resources they need

to survive and thrive” (“Susan Cain”). Cain also directs The Quiet Leadership Institute and The

Quiet Schools Network that focuses on helping companies and schools encourage the introverts

in their establishments to thrive. In addition, Cain has a podcast to aid parents in understanding

and empowering their introvert children. (“Susan Cain”)

Cain begins her talk with a story of her going to camp and being told that she needed to

try to be more outgoing (Cain). From this point she begins to speak about how a third of the
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people in the world are introverts, yet the western world favors extroverts. Extroverts are the

center of attention in our society now, a major shift from when society “valued people for their

inner selves and their moral rectitude” (Cain). The favoritism of extroverts is seen in the most

important places of our lives such as schools with the constant group work and jobs with open-

plan offices (Cain). The shift from an agricultural society to industrial has caused society to

forget about the importance of solitude and self-awareness for cultivating multiple individual

solutions without the interruption of other people’s thoughts (Cain). For seven years Cain states

that she lived her own version of her grandfather reading in his library, and these seven years for

her were blissful. She was able to assemble an important message in her solitude, but the form of

her work has ironically changed to public speaking.

Cain begins with the story of one summer where she went to camp. When caught reading

her books, she was met with puzzling statements. The first time, Cain states a peer asked her,

“Why are you being so mellow?" (Cain). The second and last time she tried to enjoy her books,

Cain says, “the counselor came up to me with a concerned expression on her face and she

repeated the point about camp spirit and said we should all work very hard to be outgoing”

(Cain). After this, Cain says she kept her books away for the remainder of the summer. Later in

her speech, she recalls this love of reading again with another anecdote of her grandfather. She

starts by saying. “Just like the rest of my family, my grandfather's favorite thing to do in the

whole world was to read. But he also loved his congregation, and you could feel this love in the

sermons that he gave every week for the 62 years that he was a rabbi” (Cain). Although Cain’s

grandfather was a rabbi, she recalls him being sort of an introvert. Reminiscing on her

grandfather’s ways, she states:

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When he delivered these sermons, he had trouble making eye contact with the very same

congregation that he had been speaking to for 62 years. And even away from the podium,

when you called him to say hello, he would often end the conversation prematurely for

fear that he was taking up too much of your time. (Cain)

Despite Cain’s grandfather was an introvert, he used this trait for the betterment of other’s. These

anecdotes tie in perfectly with Cain’s message through figurative language.

Cain ends her speech with a call to action through figurative language with the suitcase

she had brought with her. I initially just thought it was her belongings, and since she was an

introvert it was a possibility that she was nervous and didn’t want to put her bag down. About 5

minutes into the speech she puts it down on the stool, and later picked it up 13 minutes into her

speech when she started the anecdote of her grandfather. Cain opened the suitcase and revealed

three books. Yet, it wasn’t until the end of the speech that I got the full meaning of the suitcase.

Cain concludes her speech with a call to action to all introverts and the meaning of the suitcase is

revealed. Cain uses this suitcase as a significant metaphor to her call to action. She states,

Take a good look at what's inside your own suitcase and why you put it there. So

extroverts, maybe your suitcases are also full of books. Or maybe they're full of

champagne glasses or skydiving equipment. Whatever it is, I hope you take these things

out every chance you get and grace us with your energy and your joy. But introverts, you

being you, you probably have the impulse to guard very carefully what's inside your own

suitcase. And that's okay. But occasionally, just occasionally, I hope you will open up

your suitcases for other people to see, because the world needs you and it needs the

things you carry. (Cain)

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Cain’s idea of showing other people what’s inside your suitcase is important. Even if someone is

an introvert, at times others need the passions and deep motivations that’s held within them.

Before making this major point, Cain mixes research and examples throughout her

speech to convey what introverts are and why they are important. To help the audience visualize

how many people are introverts Cain says, “A third to a half of the population are introverts -- a

third to a half. So that's one out of every two or three people you know.” Knowing this, Cain

notes that the places of great importance such as schools and workplaces, are designed mostly for

extroverts and their need for lots of stimulation (Cain). She mentions that this is strange, and she

states the following jokingly:

Research by Adam Grant at the Wharton School found that introverted leaders often

deliver better outcomes than extroverts do, because when they are managing proactive

employees, they're much more likely to let those employees run with their ideas, whereas

an extrovert can, quite unwittingly, get so excited about things that they're putting their

own stamp on things, and other people's ideas might not as easily then bubble up to the

surface. (Cain)

In addition to this, she states that studies have proven that “introverts actually get better grades

and are more knowledgeable, according to research” (Cain). While group work is important, it

makes it difficult for individual ideas to formulate. This individualism is important for creativity

and productivity (Cain). Cain mentions that according to psychologists, when they “look at the

lives of the most creative people, what they find are people who are very good at exchanging

ideas and advancing ideas, but who also have a serious streak of introversion in them” (Cain).
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Next, to help the audience understand what research has proven, Cain gives famous

examples for the audience to draw on. She states:

So Darwin, he took long walks alone in the woods and emphatically turned down dinner-

party invitations. Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, he dreamed up many of his

amazing creations in a lonely bell tower office that he had in the back of his house in La

Jolla, California… Steve Wozniak invented the first Apple computer sitting alone in his

cubicle in Hewlett-Packard where he was working at the time. (Cain)

This introversion coincides with solitude. Cain states that:

We have known for centuries about the transcendent power of solitude. It's only recently

that we've strangely begun to forget it. If you look at most of the world's major religions,

you will find seekers -- Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad -- seekers who are going off

by themselves alone to the wilderness, where they then have profound epiphanies and

revelations that they then bring back to the rest of the community. So, no wilderness, no

revelations. (Cain)

Cain giving these powerful examples aids the audience in visualizing that some of the best ideas

and messages in life have stemmed from solitude. These examples also convey a sense of logic;

they insinuate that no society could best function if everyone were extroverts and never enjoyed

the thoughts of their own brain alone.

Lastly, Cain uses the rhetorical tool of logos to present her point. She states, “It turns out

that we can't even be in a group of people without instinctively mirroring, mimicking their

opinions. Even about seemingly personal and visceral things like who you're attracted to, you

will start aping the beliefs of the people around you without even realizing that that's what you're
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doing” (Cain). The famous line of “Monkey see, monkey do” comes to mind here. Basically,

important revelations and creative ideas would not be possibly if people were together all of the

time constantly bouncing off of each other’s thoughts and ideas.

Overall, Cain delivered a speech that’s of great relevance to our society. The importance

of people spending time alone is a message that everyone needs to hear. Additionally, those who

are deemed as being anti-social or strange simply for being quiet is a notion that needs to be

changed. Solitude is imperative and within stillness lies the words of the soul. Cain does an

astounding job of using anecdotes, figurative language, research, and examples for her audience

to realize the logic, truth, and importance of introverts to society.

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Works Cited

Cain, Susan. “Susan Cain.” TED, TED, www.ted.com/speakers/susan_cain.

Cain, Susan. “The Power of Introverts.” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, 2012, www.ted.com/

talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts?language=en&utm_campaign=t

edspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare.