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  • Essay / The Main Lesson from This is Water by David Foster Wallace

    The author of “This Is Water” uses unique character creation via default settings, keyword repetition, and philosophy to get his point across message about personal obligation that our society needs. in order to face “our lives, our bodies and our minds”. David Foster Wallace was an American writer and university professor in the disciplines of English and creative writing. Today he is renowned throughout the world for his highly acclaimed essays, novels and short stories. He begins his commencement speech to Kenyon College's class of 2005 liberal arts graduates by telling the story of two young fish who encounter an older fish who asks them, "What's the water like?" » The parable demonstrates that the most direct realities of the real world are often the most difficult to observe. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an original essayAccording to the author, its main lesson concerns the “default setting,” referring to the idea of ​​everyday tasks that most spectators perform without questioning whether it is the right thing to do or not. Wallace demonstrates how, in mainstream society, people often forget what they are most passionate about. By acting unconsciously, they do not pay enough attention to their experiences, leading them to ignore certain environments. For example, from the reader's thoughts, various people often prioritize work and money over more valuable things such as how their body works and what they can do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Of course, some of these aspects of dignity are what Wallace strives to present to each of them. Wallace uses repetition throughout his graduation speech in hopes of persuading the class to see the world as a whole rather than individually by stating, "If you worship money and things, if it is where you tap into the true meaning of life, you will never have enough. Worship your own body and you will always feel ugly. Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid. Finally, if you worship your intellect, you will start to feel stupid.” His intention to repeat “worship” and the parallelism of his sentences reflect the daily routine that most people tend to live through. Wallace says, “Since my natural default setting is the certainty that situations like this really concern me. As far as my anxiety and my fatigue and my desire to go home, it's starting to look like everyone's on their way." He expands on the subject of people always feeling the need to interpret situations from a natural instinctual point of view that the majority of others, including himself, frequently find themselves doing. To heighten the emotional appeal, he offers the audience an alternative point of view when he mentions, "Maybe she's not usually like this, it's possible she spent three consecutive nights at holding the hand of her husband who is dying of bone cancer. » Several times throughout his speech, the repetition of ideas and words that come to mind are mentioned with multiple parallels. He begins to establish credibility by using ethos to make it clear that he does not want to preach or police the reader and their expectations. Wallace is simply trying to keep the reader from thinking that they are listening to someone who holds higher authority than the average person. At the beginning of his essay, after having mentioned the story of two young fish who do not know what..