David Foster Wallace This Is Water Summary

In David Foster Wallace’s graduation speech, This Is Water, he uses logical and emotional appeals to discuss the importance of critical thinking. Wallace uses the term “conscious” to signal critical thinkers, while those who do not think critically are referred to as “unconscious.” Wallace’s main argument is that a person has the choice to think critically and should do so every day. Wallace’s analysis of consciousness and unconsciousness focusses too heavily on the logical and emotional appeals and ignores the possible ethical arguments that support the development of conscious societies, such as activism. In doing so, Wallace favours the self-interested members of the audience and alienates those who favour altruism, limiting the

You, a single individual, are not the center of the world; contrary to the belief many people are fed as children. This Is Water by David Foster Wallace continues well into detail about such. It is a natural human instinct to care more about your personal situation than that of others. We choose to place ourselves first because of the fear of vulnerability. When fellow human beings become obstacles in our lives we label them as any condescending adjective under the sun; often the terms stupid, annoying, infuriating, pig-like, and slow make their appearances. This is only because the individuals have become hindrances to your daily life however most pose no threat. It is difficult to break the mold but it is indeed possible. Every human has

Reading the speech This is Water by David Foster Wallace made me think about my life. I have many questions floating around my head. Am I self-centered or well-adjusted? Is my natural default setting the same as David Foster Wallaces’? Are the most noticeable and significant realities actually the ones that are many times the hardest to notice or speak about?

To discuss the value of liberal education, there should be a mutual understanding that investing in college means to invest in oneself. Furthermore, while some consider this investment to be a critical stepping stone to success, others dismiss it, explaining that school simply cannot prepare someone for the “real world.” Sanford J. Ungar and Robert Reich explore both of these subjective values in their essays “The New Liberal Arts” and “College is a Ludicrous Waste of Money.” Ungar, the president of Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, discusses why a liberal education should be sought after; he does so by introducing common misconceptions about liberal arts and, using argumentative persuasion, proves their insignificance. On the other hand, Reich, the former secretary of labor, argues against the conventional belief of college being the only road to financial wellbeing; rather, he explains why a two-year education may better accommodate many college students, especially those in need of immediate work or those that simply cannot afford a four-year education. In all, although both Reich and Ungar generally discuss liberal education, their perspectives differ when it comes to its practicality in the current economy. Also, to express their different views about liberal arts, the authors use contrasting tones to present their ideas to different intended audiences.

In discussions of liberal education, one controversial issue has been if all who have the academic ability to absorb a college-level education should in fact get one. On the one hand,

Does the education system encourage or improve your intelligence?. Base on the two articles “This is water” by David Wallace and “Learning to read” by Malcolm X. What I really Know is that education knowledge help you to see life in different ways, open your mind. May be education accelerate the process. In the next steps I will interpret the different ways to see education base in two papers.

How should you be thinking? The author The topics and arguments This is Water brings up to contrast your beliefs and ideologies.

In “David Foster Wallace, In His Own Words,” David Foster Wallace talks about the liberal arts cliché and its full analysis. In the article, Wallace is clear about all of his reasons for people misinterpreting liberal arts, and I agree with the fact that everyone is surrounded by their own self-centeredness and it can be fixed by becoming well-adjusted. However, the liberal arts program cannot simply provide an individual with information on seeing past his/her own thoughts.

I agree with David Foster Wallace in This is Water that a good education doesn’t teach you what to think, but rather, how to think. It remarkably easy to wallow in self-pity and see things as getting in your way as this is how a human’s brain is wired, but a truly educated person is able to recognize this flaw, step out of their shell and and take on a more broad perspective. For example, my mother became upset with me for using exclamation points in my texts as she felt as if I was “yelling” at her. At first, I thought this was completely ridiculous and I refused to apologize, but then I realized that it doesn’t matter what I thought about using exclamation points⸺it matters how she perceived it. I adopted her mindset, apologized

In the opening of David Foster Wallace’s speech, he talks about two young fish swimming past an older adult fish who is swimming in the opposite direction. The older fish asked them a question about the water, and yet they had no idea what water is. Wallace made an interesting point with this story by emphasizing that what is right in front of us we tend not to be conscious of it. Wallace painted a picture for the audience about two men in a bar arguing about religion. The significance to this story is that one person can interrupt the same experience or situation differently.

We are not obligated pay attention to the richness or even the presence of this water; our default mode is to let its existence slide beneath the radar of our conscious mind. We can float through our days unthinking and uncritical of the world around us, like the young fish in Wallace’s quote, and, as he suggests, this viewpoint is especially easy to adopt in the inexperience of adolescence. But all of us, regardless of age, should aspire to be the older fish. Not only does the older fish recognizes the presence of the water, but he also talks about it and questions it. Translating Wallace’s extended metaphor to real life, we should strive to be aware of the world around us, in all its beauty and complexity, and our awareness should include conversation and examination. Just like fish who don’t think about water are missing out on an integral part of their existence, so too are we if we don’t choose awareness over

Are you the wise old fish who tell the younger fish what the hell water is? Well, David Foster Wallace, author of This is Water says he is not, so who is? Maria L. Schantz, a registered nurse with a Doctorate of Philosophy, the author of Compassion: A Concept Analysis, and a professor at St. Luke’s School of Nursing at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania seems to be the wise old fish who tells a nursing forum and its readers what the hell water is. The demonstration of using sources to support her ideas, her articulation of issues or problems that are considered critical in a manner that provides meaning to terms, the exploring of ambiguities, determining boundaries and/or establishing backgrounds, and the distinguish between actions

Despite my familial influences there is one man who has changed my entire college experience and has overall contributed to the man I am today. First and foremost, I want to respectfully introduce the speaker of “This is Water”, Mr. David Foster Wallace. David Foster Wallace was an American short story writer, novelist, essayist, as well as a professor of English and creative writing. After watching his 2005 Kenyon Commencement I have gained a new level of respect for David Foster Wallace and his incredible journey. I consider myself an author and “This is Water” contributed and enforced my love for writing. I mention this because it goes to show that his words have rung in the ears of society and changed many lives; including mine. He left

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?

When you wake up on a tile floor, it is normal to have a ache in your back. My plan for the day was to go, find, and collect water. I grabbed a spool of fishing line and tied the end to my door frame, and I put the spool in my backpack, so that when I walked I made trail of string to follow back home. With this safety measure in place, I went out in search of water. After only a few hours of exploring, I heard the trickling of water. I bee lined for the source of the noise. I had found a fresh water spring! I fell to my knees, and started drinking. As far as I was concerned, this was the best tasting water on God’s green Earth. I filled several jugs that I had brought from the store, and went on exploring.