This Is Water And Annie Dillard

In the Commencement Speech, “This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life,” Wallace claims that people are naturally self- centered. (235) We only tend to see the world as it relates or pertains to us. Wallace’s speech is meant to change the graduate’s perspective on the world. Wallace believes that the graduates should heed his advice because it will eventually provide an important

In the 2005 commencement address at Kenyon College, David Foster Wallace delivered an unusual message to the graduates. He uses a unique approach to the typical conventions of a commencement speech in order to catch the attention of the graduates and to reinforce the honesty of his message. By defying their expectations, he urges them to consider their own obliviousness and to look past their own natural biases in order to see what’s truly right in front of them.

Though written in a very light and simple manner, the poem comes across as something very profound, laden with meaning through its incongruities. The persona, wanting to see something, often goes to the well and looks down at the water to see it. This certain search below the water's surface can be compared to man's search beneath the human experience for meaning, for certainty.

In the poem “Stars Over the Dordogne” by Sylvia Plath, the author illustrates a message by using different techniques. The message slowly develops as the readers go throughout the piece, however all the techniques are effective and leave an impact on the audience. Moreover, it causes the audience to have different views throughout the piece. The message in this poem is about how everyone has a different perspective on the world. The author shows this, by using imagery, personification, and shift to develop a message.

The process of discovery refers to the perception created upon experiencing the unfamiliar and redefining what is familiar. Discovery can be achieved through unexpected means or deliberate expeditionary, whether it be tangible or a fragment of our thoughts/imagination/emotions. Poems ‘The Tiger’ and ‘Young Girl At A Window’ by Rosemary Dobson and poem ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley thoroughly explore this concept via their ideology of human nature and its effect on discovery.

In Tara Isabella Burton’s “Study Theology Even if You Don’t Believe in God,” she contends the study of theology forces us to look at other perspectives, and history resulting in more empathetic individuals. David Foster Wallace impacts this premise of Burton’s argument in his commencement speech, “This is Water”. He argues that empathy, or being aware of other’s perspectives is the driving force behind success. Without empathy, we would be stuck in our “default setting” or the belief that the world revolves around us ( ). According to Wallace, this would be problematic because it limits freedom and knowledge. By freedom, Wallace is not talking about rights rather he describes that “the really important kind of freedom involves attention

Many people tend to become frustrated with their daily lives and start to have a negative mindset of blaming other people for their problems. In David Foster Wallace’s speech, “This is Water,” he informed the audience of the importance for everyone to know they have a “natural default-setting,” which is the automatic way that a person feels they are the center of the universe and that negative situations are other people’s fault. He also discussed the importance of trying not to act in this “natural default-setting”, and try to think of problems that other people have to go through in their lives. The main purpose of Wallace’s speech was to persuade the audience to fight the urge of staying in their natural default setting to prevent frustration in a person’s daily life.

While looking at the same things, some people may perceive or “see” things differently. Henry David Thoreau quotes that “The question is not what you look at, but what you see”. In the poems “We grow accustomed to the Dark” and “Before I got my eye put out” by Emily Dickinson and “Musée des Beaux Arts” by W.H. Auden, the authors share the idea that our vision reflects the true beauty of the world. Through the eyes of people,

Annie Dillard’s “Seeing” discusses the two possible ways to properly see things and relates them to light versus darkness in nature, and upstream versus downstream of a river. The essay explains that there are two ways to see things in the world; to look for something specific, or to let go of that desire to see something. Both types of seeing are also combined with either brightness or darkness and with either upstream or downstream. Dillard has trouble seeing anything in the upstream of the river because that part of the river is always dark or cloudy. On the other hand, she can see the animals in the downstream of the river, where everything is bright and lively. The river is split in two different symbols which help show the best way that one should view nature. The downstream and the upstream of the river have unique characteristics, and Dillard also compares them to darkness and light. By using powerful imagery and diction, Dillard is able to compare the two types of seeing and explain why letting go of the desire to see is the best way to look at things.

Annie Dillard’s “Seeing” discusses the two possible ways to properly see things and relates them to light versus darkness in nature and upstream versus downstream of a river. The essay explains that there are two ways to see things in the world; to look for something specifically or to let go of the desire to see something. Both types of seeing are also combined with either brightness or darkness and with either upstream or downstream. Dillard has trouble seeing anything in the upstream of the river because that part of the river is always dark or cloudy. On the other hand, she can see the animals in the downstream of the river, where everything is bright and lively. The river is split in two different symbols which help show the best way that one should view nature. The downstream and the upstream of the river have unique characteristics because they also compare to being darkness and light. By using powerful imagery and word choice, Dillard is able to compare the two types of seeing and explain why letting go of the want to see is the best way to look at things.

In her essay “Death of a Moth,” Annie Dillard explores the amount of commitment required to be a writer. She finds that in order to be successful as a writer, you have to be fully committed, and ready to fully dedicate your life to your craft. Dillard models these ideas with a story about a moth that flew into a candle and burnt; becoming a second wick. She tells this story in great detail, and then connects it to her ideas about writing by describing asking her class if they truly want to be writers, giving the impression that she also just told them this story. Her use of descriptive language adds meaning and importance to an otherwise insignificant event, and creates an

Oceans are essential for our environment since they produce more than half of the oxygen in the atmosphere covering about seventy percent of the Earth. Without our vast oceans, humankind would be unable to survive. In Annie John, by Jamaica Kincaid, utilizes water as a motif to show the growth and develop of Annie, a young girl in the Caribbean. Learning how to properly balance the values of the colonial world and the native Caribbean culture, Obeah, Annie grows up through her mother’s parenting. Kincaid uses water as a tool of empowerment to Annie’s growth by curing, nurturing, and transforming her.

“This is water” by David Foster Wallace is a very well written truth, for the most part, the advice that Mr. foster had for the college seniors was necessary and needed, it seems that the advice will be needed more in the future. Mr. David Foster depict how most of the college senior’s life will be, he also gives various examples that the college seniors can relate to, including myself, the example of the grocery shop where the line is super long, or getting stuck in traffic, is something that happens every day. Back when I was in high school, I used to experience heavy traffic early in the morning as well as the afternoon, however, I’m not a college senior, I still experience traffic, my point is everyone is going to experience it at least

Being in a crowded area, and someone giving a speech and all we can think is what is the point of this speech? Or who is this speech for? Many Kenyon graduates, of the year 2005, can relate when they were listening to David Foster Wallace in their commencement speech. Many people can agree that the last thing these graduates want to do is to be in this really long ceremony before they can go on and start their lives with whatever career they decided to study. Wallace does not only make a really good speech to capture his audience attention, but he does it in a really unique professional way. When it comes to speech pathos, logos, and ethos is very important and each one of those things need to be in the speech in order

The imagery of “Intellect” is challenging: the poem features a fountain, a wave, the shore, and wings—all in just six lines. This abstract imagery allows us to tap into our own intellect and it leaves room for the reader to interpret its meaning. Let us contemplate the fountain first. A fountain is often used to symbolise the source for something desirable: whether it be a drinking fountain, a fountain of youth, or the fountain of life we come across in Christian doctrine. Often times we crave rules; or we might just crave direction or someone to tell us what to do. Unfortunately, the source of these rules is often society. We choose to listen to the voice of society for direction, instead of turning inward. Perhaps by writing