...In his 2005 commencement address entitled “This is Water”, author and speaker David Foster Wallace emphasizes the importance of rethinking the most obvious realities as well as practicing a less self-absorbed awareness. Wallace begins his speech with a parable about a fish asking “What the hell is water?” Going on to explain how blind certainty can be damaging, Wallace affirms his point that getting lost inside one’s own head is nowhere near as rewarding and educational as paying attention to what is going on outside of the mind. Wallace further accentuates this idea by commenting on the frustration and annoyance of a typical trip to a grocery store. Wallace then advises his listeners to choose to look differently at an unpleasant situation,...
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...In David Foster Wallace’s speech, “This is Water”, he talked about the importance of people being aware of the world around them instead of being self-centered and focused only on what impacts them. Wallace focused on the fact that people spend their life worrying about surviving and getting through the day, rather than actually living and enjoy everything that goes on around them. The fact that the video was showing the daily life of grownups was very interesting to me because it made it easier to relate to the words that were being spoken. All these events that were being shown in the video - the driving, the waiting in line, the boardness- made this video very relatable, hence, because they are events that go on in mostly everyone’s life....
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...Essay #1 “Good People” by David Foster Wallace Karin Shoemaker When you hear the comment, “They are good people” what is your first impression? Do you ever wonder what exactly is good people? What truly gives people the title or role of being “good”? In the story, “Good People” by David Foster Wallace, those are the questions that the main character, Lane Dean Jr is faced with. Lane and his girlfriend have just found out they are expecting. They are a young couple still in college and very scared about what the future may hold. Throughout this short story Lane is having a subconscious battle; a battle based on his own morals stemming from his personal thoughts of what faith means and the struggle to maintain the status of being “good people” for not only himself, but his girlfriend also. When a person, or people are faced with the consequences of a poor choice, such as unprotected premarital sex, must it define them as bad people? Will it follow you for the rest of your life? Why would you not be considered “good people” because of a particular situation, and who makes that call in the first place? Is it God or is it was society leads us to believe? The stories setting takes place with the couple sitting on a table top of a picnic table right next to a lake. “It was springtime, and the parks grass was very green and the air suffused with honey suckle and lilacs both, which was almost too much. There were bees, and the angle of the sun made the water of the shallows...
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...“This is Water” Close Reading Analysis: The Fluidity of Life “This is Water,” written by David Foster Wallace, is a commencement address he gave to a graduating college class in 2005. In this text, Wallace uses water as a symbol for life. As a result of water referring to life, the theme of “This is Water” is the fluidity of life. He shows this to his audience through short stories within his speech. Wallace begins his address with a story about fish. It is mainly about three fish, two young and one old. The two younger ones do not realize they are swimming in water when the older fish asks them “how’s the water” (Wallace X)? They do not know they are submerged in water because they are young and inexperienced: they have not practiced everything...
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...My response to This is Water by David Foster Wallace. I originally thought of his speech has boring and I really don’t want to hear this right now. While, listening to his speech he brought up the basic question that everyone must ask themselves. It started with the joke, “What is water?” I immediately thought of the glass half full or empty concept. We can chose to see the world has frustrated, routines, and crowd or we can chose to be happy. We can make the choice to not have this “default” setting. Wallace talks about. I thought about times I went to this default setting with my elders, my surrounding and just not thinking. I thought about my generation view on our elders. Our elder have wisdom be upon our imagination, but we are so cynical...
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...Throughly reading the speech presented by David Foster Wallace he has made valid points throughtout his speech that has consisted of real life problems and talks that he later explains in depth. The arguments that he has made can be seen as plot twists and how many other people can for see life as they know it. Also how the world around us is known to be oblivious and ignorant. What he then begins to talk about after many stories being told is that you have have education and to not fall behind. You get the freedom to learn and educate your well being. With the mix of many analogies and different stories he has brought to the thought of our minds he conveys the speech not only to the graduating class of 2005 but also to the parents and elders...
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...In 2005, David Foster Wallace, an instructor of English and writing as well as a novelist, gave a commencement speech to the graduating students of Kenyon College dubbed “This is Water.” In 2009, a year after Wallace’s suicide, Little, Brown, and Company published a book adaptation of the speech under the guise “This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life.” At first glance one would think that the book would just be a direct transcription of the speech itself in order to reach a wider audience. However, at closer look, it is clear that the book version has multiple instances of alteration. These alterations are caused by both the publisher itself along with the very change of the medium. Throughout the book version of “This is...
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...The article” Consider the Lobster”, written by David Foster Wallace, describes the sensation associated with the inhumane consumption of lobster during the infamous and well known MLF, held yearly in Maine. Wallace, the journalist for the 56th Annual Main Lobster Festival, chronicles the Tourism and Lobster based festival with the excitement of concerts, pageants, parades, crate races, carnival rides and food competitions, which he believes mask the massacre. Wallace’s purpose is to intentionally stimulate readers to envision the unintentional abuse of animals. He begins by describing the festival with all its marvel and extravaganza with its tradition, communities and vastness. He brags of the festivities, including its many visitors and...
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...“Consider the Lobster”, by David Foster Wallace, is an informative review for Gourmet Magazine. The article is focused on the Maine Lobster Festival, where people from all over the country come to enjoy this fun-filled festival with thousands of pounds of lobster. However, Wallace describes the reality of this festival: long lines, noisy families, and foul smells. He also goes into immense detail about the preparation, taste, and anatomy of lobsters. As a well-known writer, Wallace tries to encourage people to think outside of their default setting and realize that not everything is about them, as shown in “Consider the Lobster”. Wallace brings to light the morality of boiling the lobsters alive and whether our treatment of any animal is justified by our cravings for the most delicious dish. In the final paragraphs of the article, he uses strong diction, strategic questions, and critical tone to encourage readers to take a moment and think about their morals. Wallace uses strategic diction, using words such as “curious” and “confused” as to why people are so ignorant and selfish because they “like to eat certain...
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...David Foster Wallace gave an extremely memorable speech at a Kenyon University Graduation. He began with a story saying, “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?’"(This Is Water p.1) He explains that “The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about.”(This Is Water p.1) With the story as a backdrop, he argues that the significance of liberal arts education isn’t about learning how to think, but is...
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...In David Foster Wallace’s article, “Consider the Lobster”, he takes into account and sheds light on various topics that often lay hidden away from the surface. Wallace at first begins to talk about the Maine Lobster Festival where eating lobster is seen as a festivity and a means for celebration. At first the article seems boring and rather dry, but surprisingly Wallace actually sheds some light on a few notions concerning the lobsters further on in his article. The first unanticipated turn that Wallace makes is when he discusses what exactly the lobster is. He further discusses the habitat and natural manners of the lobsters, even comparing them to garbage men because of their diet. Although the topic leans further to the mundane side of the spectrum, Wallace is able to make the discussion interesting by providing titillating facts while also using a strong voice throughout. With a smooth transition, he was able to progress to his next provocative analysis. Wallace’s next factoid dealt with the symbolism and assumptions surrounding the idea of lobster. He further discusses how lobster is often viewed as a delicacy, but what made this topic specifically interesting was when he stated that lobster used to be viewed as peasant food....
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...The “commencement speech” is a genre of writing that does not like to color outside of the lines. In them, you will hear platitudes such as “this is the beginning of the rest of your life” and “go change the world” that never fail to make the audience roll their eyes. In the vast sea of mediocre commencement speeches, only a few stray from the typical commencement speech formula and are considered exceptional. One of these notable commencement speeches is “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace. In his 2005 commencement speech to Kenyon College, David Foster Wallace’s makes a complete one-eighty from the typical commencement speech; discussing complex topics that were all too vital to the baby-faced, liberal arts graduates. He tackled the...
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...David Foster Wallace’s view on ‘This is Water’ helps us look around, open our eyes, and see the world from a fresh perspective. He started off by stating the fish analogy. It begins with two young fishes swimming and a big fish passed by saying to them, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” and the two young fishes look at one another and goes “What the hell is water?” This is an example that shows us how unaware we become to our surroundings. Too often, we live in our own bubble and think we’re not affecting the environment around us. However, the truth of the matter is, the way we think will determine the consequences of our actions, whether it’s negative or positive. It’s human nature for people to automatically think about themselves first. For example, when you’re waiting in line and end up getting frustrated in the end, it’s hard to be reasonable and think...
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...Darby Farrish English 112 11, Sept. 2014 Maturing Through the Eyes of David Foster Wallace He is finally in line for the high dive. Should he look bored? Cross his arms? Look at the other girls and boys or just in a general direction? Too late, there is no time to think. It is time to climb. In David Foster Wallace’s memoir “Forever Overhead”, Wallace depicted how maturing can be scary, but worth the strife through his great description of his 13th birthday. The setting I s describes in such detail and portrays the theme in many different ways. Three places that the theme is portrayed is when he completely bypasses his parents on his walk to the diving board, when he sees the “girl-women, women”, and the preparation and the, assumption of, act of jumping off of the diving board after contemplation. As he recalls himself at a swimming pool for his 13th birthday, he sees the high board. He knows that he and his family will be leaving soon, so he makes the quick decision to go get in line and do it. As he gets out going to get in the line, he walks right by them without saying a word. “Get out now and go past your parents, who are sunning and reading, not looking up. Forget your towel.” His parents, not even paying attention to their birthday boy, show more trust in him by letting him do whatever he pleases, not looking over his shoulder every ten minutes. Also, once most people hit the age of 13, an official teenager, most kids tend to think their parents are annoying...
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...The Ghana Empire (c. 300 until c. 1200) was located in what is now southeastern Mauritania and western Mali. Complex societies based on trans-Saharan trade with salt and gold had existed in the region since ancient times[1] But the introduction of the camel to western Sahara in the 3rd century A.D. gave way to great changes in the area that became the Ghana Empire. By the time of the Muslim conquest of North Africa in the 7th century the camel had changed the ancient more irregular trade routes into a trade network running from Morocco to the Niger river. The Ghana empire grew rich from this increased trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt allowing for larger urban centers to develop. It further more encouraged territorial expansion to gain control over the different traderoutes. When Ghana's ruling dynasty began is uncertain; it was mentioned for the first time in written records by Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī in 830.[2] In the 11th century the Cordoban scholar Abu Ubayd al-Bakri collected stories from a number of travelers to the region, and gave a detailed description of the kingdom. He claimed that the Ghana could "put 200,000 men into the field, more than 40,000 of them archers" and noted they had cavalry forces as well.[3] As the empire declined it was finally made a vassal to the rising Mali Empire at some point in the 13th century. When the Gold Coast in 1957 became the first black nation in sub-Saharan Africa to regain its independence from colonial rule it was...
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