Emotional Analysis Of David Foster Wallace's This Is Water

This is Water, was a commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College in 2005. Ever since this speech has been given it has become well known. Because of the length, it can be hard to read through the speech while trying to understand the whole idea of it. Wallace fills the speech with stories, examples, and vivid ideas while trying to convince these college graduates how to view life in a positive perspective. While this speech is packed full of ideas he manages to give it in a way outside of the norm for commencement speeches. Yet still gets all the information to the graduates and anyone else who listens to it.

Wallace begins by using a story about fish in order to hook his listeners, ending with one of the fish humorously asking “What the hell is water?”(1). He explains that the meaning of the story is that “the most obvious important

Through proving that we are not always correct, and reminding the audience that different people can have different views of reality, Wallace is able to use logical reasoning to show that humans have the ability to change their perspectives.

1. David Foster Wallace opens his speech with an anecdote about fish and water. Metaphorically, what does this anecdote represent? What impact does it have when Wallace returns to the line “This is water”again at the end of the speech?

In David Foster Wallace’s Commencement Speech, he opens with a short parable about how a fish greets two other fishes and ask them how’s the water today, this parable introduces us to his message which is changing that default setting which is hard-wired into our brains to have a life worth living. I agree with his statement because this is’nt just the first time this formula has been brought to our attention. Many success people have said this statement in some form or fashion, we can even look at David Sedaris’s commencement speech.

In the book color of water by James mcbride talks about his mother Ruth's and how she had ups and downs in her younger life till now when she is a widow and how she a has this habit of riding her bicycle through the all- black neighborhood in which James and his family lived. In “The Color of Water,” by James McBride has many themes. Each theme he is trying to get a point across and he tries to make us understand what him and his family went through as being Jewish and African American. He tells about his past and his parents past to give us an idea of what they all went through. In this book he brings you into their lives.

At a young age, Joe had to pay attention to the world more excessively than the majority of ten year olds, however it abetted him to become a better man. This quote reminds me to slow down and emphasizes that idea of paying attention more. People today often plan their lives around schedules, work and appointments. Running around trying to please everyone eliminates time to stop and appreciate the little things. Busy agendas plague many people, limiting the likelihood they will slow down and cherish the “valuable” things. In between work, school and sports, my family is not at my highest concern. Realizing that, I acknowledge I need to kept my “eyes open” and treasure my

Wallace establishes a humorous tone in the first section to convey his argument. “There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, ‘Morning, boys, how's the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, ‘What the hell is water?’” (233) This anecdote introduces the fact the many people don’t understand what is going on around them and why Wallace believes it is important to be conscious of what is happening around you. “This is not a matter of virtue- it's a matter of my choosing to do the work of somehow altering or getting free of my natural, hard-wired default-setting, which is to be deeply and literally self-centered, and to see and interpret everything through this lens of self.” (233) Wallace argues that it is hard to get into a state of awareness because humans have their “hard-wired default-setting”. People need to get out of their own self-centered habits and see things in a different point of view. By using a humorous tone, Wallace can effectively get people on his side of the argument.

Wallace then discussed that the most important way to fight the urge of staying in their natural default-setting is to think. Wallace tried to persuade the audience by stressing the importance of exercising control over what that person thinks. Wallace felt it was very important to get the point across that people

“How can you buy or sell the sky-the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. Yet we do not own the freshness of air or the sparkle of the water. How can you buy them from us? We will decide in our time” (Chief Seattle: 1855). In the Documentary “Flow – for the love of water” it visualizes the global crisis we face on Mother’s Earth as it pertains to the diminishing of fresh water. The Documentary portrays along with the help of experts that this global crises is affecting each and every one of us in today’s society including animals. The film shows us that water is constantly being wasted, polluted, and privatized by big co operations. Prime examples of these greedy companies were mentioned in the film such as Nestle, Thames, Suez,

This one minute film is a motivating, lifesaver once you watch it. It can help motivate you to seek something in your life you always wanted. Director John X. Carey used different types of reasoning to help his point be made throughout the video. He emphasizes how important time is in this world. We cannot afford to take life for granted, because there’s not that much time we can afford to lose.

Wallace has a very colloquial style to his word choice and presentation of his speech. He has a unique way of making listeners feel comfortable and safe listening to him speak. He appears to talk to the listener’s as if they are having on a one-on-one conversation with each and every person listening. Wallace also works hard to present himself as an equal, no more righteous or smarter than anyone in the audience. He chooses to remind everyone not to “think that I'm giving you moral advice, or that I'm saying you're “supposed to” think this way” (Wallace 12), but to offer advice and new insight into changing our perspective on the world. This comfortable word choice is a unique way for Wallace to make himself more relatable to the graduates and listeners in general.

Carlos Wallace’s book, “Life is not Complicated, You Are” is an extraordinary digital narrative. It is a very meaningful piece of work. He has written this book during an emotional point of life due to the loss of his mother and father after they passed away. From this, he came to the state of realization about life. He acknowledged different ways an individual can choose to take in order to keep moving forward with the intention of creating a better life. Nevertheless, Wallace emphasized on progress. He believes motivation builds during the progress phase as a person is achieving his or her goals. One way he kept moving forward is by a supportive family. He often referred back to his mother, father, and his grandfather. The main role models

My peers view me as the capable intellectual who received perfect scores on subject tests and performed on Broadway. But I put little stock in my achievements; they are a product of effort, and while I am proud of them, I do not believe that my successes define me. Thus, I continue searching for my place and my purpose. Yet, I no longer view my search as a crisis, but as an expedition as significant and challenging and riveting as Lewis and Clark’s. I recall, as a freshman, observing groups of friends seated together during café, believing that they all knew where they belonged. Now, I cannot help but wonder if perhaps we are all fifth wheelers searching for a place amongst the 7.5 billion others. As of now, I suppose it is sufficient to revel in the beauty of the world, relishing the sight of the ever-changing expanse of sky so comparable to the canvas of the human mind, exploring the depths of the sea and analyzing philosophical mysteries. I suppose it is sufficient to peer into the unknown with a sense of exhilaration and optimism, and simply embrace my current position as the Perpetual Fifth

In my opinion, Deepa Mehta is a courageous and bold director to produce a movie ‘Water’ which is intended to affront the tradition and living style of Indians back then. She displays how every character brings up almost perfectly similar kind of stance which is because of the doctrine and beliefs that have been set in their minds for a long period of time. The practice inherited from one generation to another generation which later becomes the tradition of Indian community. I could see how every widow refuses and rebuffs changes; which they are forbidden to marry again as a result of believing in they themselves bring unluckiness or bad luck to others. In fact, other women either married