David and Goliath Essay 
Tushall Sharma
Scott Lankford
English 1A / Essay 2 / Prompt 1
03/17/2015
Overcoming Odds the Singaporean Way: Lee Kuan Yew
Once a small fishing village with almost no natural resources, Singapore has flourished into a point of pride for the world. As Nicolas Berggruen, a famous French investor and philanthropist said, “Singapore was created out of the swamp, with a strong emotional idea: a safe place mostly for Chinese, but accepting other cultures and other races.” Singapore had been at a disadvantage for most of its early age, until the achievement of its first world status towards the end of the 20th century. Much of this success can be attributed to the first prime minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. Malcolm Gladwell in David and Goliath emphasizes the results when ordinary people confront giants and categorizes giants as, “powerful opponents of all kinds – from armies and mighty warriors to disability, misfortune, and oppression.” Singapore overcame such odds through the right decisions made by a key leader of this city-state through strong legislation, stringent laws and a favorable geographical location. Based on Singapore’s success, I agree with Gladwell that underdogs can use unconventional methods such as turning disadvantages into advantages. Economists might argue that Singapore’s GDP is lower than most leading countries which I agree with. However, when taking into account GDP per capita, Singapore ranks as one of the world’s most successful countries, proving its ability to turn its disadvantages into advantages. This is important because countries in Asia benchmark themselves against Singapore to judge how well they do, which in turn affects the rest of the world economically. They can also learn from Singapore as an example.
Why was Singapore an underdog? In order to figure this out we have to first analyze the effective moves Mr. Lee made that set the groundwork for his political establishments. During World War II, when the Japanese
Scott Lankford
English 1A / Essay 2 / Prompt 1
03/17/2015
Overcoming Odds the Singaporean Way: Lee Kuan Yew
Once a small fishing village with almost no natural resources, Singapore has flourished into a point of pride for the world. As Nicolas Berggruen, a famous French investor and philanthropist said, “Singapore was created out of the swamp, with a strong emotional idea: a safe place mostly for Chinese, but accepting other cultures and other races.” Singapore had been at a disadvantage for most of its early age, until the achievement of its first world status towards the end of the 20th century. Much of this success can be attributed to the first prime minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. Malcolm Gladwell in David and Goliath emphasizes the results when ordinary people confront giants and categorizes giants as, “powerful opponents of all kinds – from armies and mighty warriors to disability, misfortune, and oppression.” Singapore overcame such odds through the right decisions made by a key leader of this city-state through strong legislation, stringent laws and a favorable geographical location. Based on Singapore’s success, I agree with Gladwell that underdogs can use unconventional methods such as turning disadvantages into advantages. Economists might argue that Singapore’s GDP is lower than most leading countries which I agree with. However, when taking into account GDP per capita, Singapore ranks as one of the world’s most successful countries, proving its ability to turn its disadvantages into advantages. This is important because countries in Asia benchmark themselves against Singapore to judge how well they do, which in turn affects the rest of the world economically. They can also learn from Singapore as an example.
Why was Singapore an underdog? In order to figure this out we have to first analyze the effective moves Mr. Lee made that set the groundwork for his political establishments. During World War II, when the Japanese