ipl-logo

Discussion Of Rhetorical Analysis Of This Is Water By David Foster Wallace

869 Words4 Pages

One of the most common assumptions regarding the millennials is that they are entitled and narcissistic. Though this statement might not be completely true, we have to admit that having a large ego could be a problem for young adults. David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water” commencement speech during the Kenyon College graduation was perfect to address this issue. In his (Wallace, 2005) speech, he argues that if we are able to change our perspectives and attitudes, only then can we appreciate all the other people around us. His suggestion is that all of us have a “default state” where we unconsciously judge other people (Wallace, 2005). Knowing this will definitely make you stop and think of the circumstances you have been in and realize that …show more content…

With the general assumption that millennials are arrogant, Wallace shares a story to prove to everyone that being arrogant is not worth it (Wallace, 2005). So much more can be done if we focus our energy in thinking in a more positive manner. For instance, he talked about being a little less arrogant, saying “Because a huge percentage of the stuff that I tend to be automatically certain of is, it turns out, totally wrong and deluded. I have learned this the hard way” and further claims “as I predict you graduates will, too.” (Wallace, 2005) The point here is that this is what it is supposed to mean by teaching the students how to think. It is not about having the capacity to think, but it is about the choice of what to think about (Wallace, 2005). Though it might sound simple, Wallace not only shared his own personal experience, but he also forecasted that the graduates will act the same way as well. Sure, this claim is only hypothetical and might not apply to everyone, but it puts things in perspective, that all of us are vulnerable to becoming negative thinkers. Wallace’s spot-on descriptions of how people view everyday situations from a cynical perspective allow the audience to empathize with …show more content…

Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what we worship” he then adds on these few lines “If you worship money and things, then you will never have enough...”, “Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure, and you will always feel ugly…”, “Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid…”, “Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out…” (Wallace, 2005). These anaphors give off an impactful feel to his speech and catalyzes his audience’s feelings and appeal to their emotions. This is highly relatable for young adults, especially college graduates from such a good liberal arts school as unconsciously, the graduates might already be worshipping these material possessions. Wallace succeeds in incorporating the pathos appeal because he is able to pull on the strings of the graduates’ emotions to make them realize that there is more to life than just blindly worshipping material possessions. Instead, they have the freedom to make a choice, and think whatever they want to think or worship whatever they want to

Show More
Related
218 Words | 1 Pages

Wallace, David Foster "This is Water" Kenyon College Commencement Speech 2005 In the speech "This is Water" David Foster Wallace attempts to explain how the general populace is self-centered and what a person can do to change the "default setting" within our mind. Wallace's main point is to get his audience to understand and realize that they have a daily choice to make between being inconsiderate and acknowledging those around them. They can either remain conceited and unsympathetic towards others, or they can change and attempt to see and understand the situations of those around them as they go through their daily trials. Wallace uses various examples to explain and expand his argument.

Read More
218 Words | 1 Pages

Wallace, David Foster "This is Water" Kenyon College Commencement Speech 2005 The general argument by David Foster Wallace in his work "This is Water" is that sometimes the most obvious realities are the hardest to comprehend. More specifically, he argues that thinking negatively is not a choice but a natural setting and we need to start thinking cognitively and outside the box. Wallace performs this speech for a group of graduating college students to prepare them for the future life they are about to embark on. He includes the grocery store example so that the reader's can connect to the story because they have gone through that situation themselves; he is trying to connect to the audience.

Read More
204 Words | 1 Pages

In the essay “The New Greatest Generation” by Joel Stein, Stein discusses characteristics of the millennials that he admires. First, Stein thinks the millennials “could be a great force for a positive change (Stein 572).” Stein may think this is so because of the data he has received from Tom Brokaw. Brokaw says, the millennials are “inventing new apps and embraces the whole economy.” Also, Stein may think millennials will make a positive change because they are “more accepting of differences (Stein 572).”

Read More
996 Words | 4 Pages

Rhetorical Analysis Essay: Consider the Lobster The lobster is a disgustingly beautiful creature, known for its delicate taste, menacing shell and controversy. In his essay, “Consider the Lobster”, David Foster Wallace describes the events and festivities of the Maine Lobster Festival and the history of the lobster to deliver a poignant message about the moral implications of killing and eating animals. Wallace is able to develop his position and vividly capture the audience’s attention through a strong use of humor, deliberate tonal shifts and a unique structure. David Foster Wallace, and “Consider the Lobster” in particular, are known for their footnotes- and for good reason.

Read More
731 Words | 3 Pages

David Foster Wallace really captures the use of pathos in his essay Consider

Read More
670 Words | 3 Pages

David Foster Wallace was an American Writer and an instructor at Illinois State University of English and creative writing. Wallace became the 2005 commencement speaker at Kenyon College in which he gave one of the best commencement speeches ever given. After his death three years later, the speech was printed in the Wall Street Journal and republished as a book. In his speech, Wallace made a lot of points and after thoroughly reading and thinking about them I can strongly agree with every single one of them. Such opinions were things that I had never thought about nor paid the littlest attention to, but after reading his speech I became fascinated.

Read More
501 Words | 3 Pages

In the story “The Know-it-all Generation” the author sets the scene in the first person and gives a personal account to prove an underlying issue that the generation may be facing. The generation consists of individuals that ultimately go off into the world with a sense of entitlement, false hope, and a pompous attitude due to constant specious comments made by those around. Meaningless compliments have become requirements for teachers, coaches, parents, and even peers. Being wrong is not an option in this generation. The main two points that the author states throughout the paper are 1.)

Read More
738 Words | 3 Pages

The focus of an individual on personal improvement was an idea that came to life in the mid 1970s. The exhaustion of alliance, whether with political parties, labor groups, or social classes, was leading people to turn inward for improvement. With this self-exploration came a sense of selfishness and people began to focus on their needs and interests instead of a larger group. This obsession with the self and the effects of an entire generation caring about themselves are explored in Tom Wolfe’s 1976 article in New York Magazine. In this article Wolfe shows the pervasiveness of this “Me Decade” through various lenses.

Read More
812 Words | 4 Pages

Richard Louv, a novelist, in Last Child in the Woods (2008) illustrates the separation between humans and nature. His purpose to the general audience involves exposing how the separation of man from nature is consequential. Louv adopts a sentimental tone throughout the rhetorical piece to elaborate on the growing separation in modern times. Louv utilizes pathos, ethos and logos to argue that the separation between man and nature is detrimental.

Read More
961 Words | 4 Pages

“The only thing that we can do is control what we do next. How we live our lives. What we consume. How we get involved. And how we use our vote to to tell our leaders that we know the truth about climate change”, says Leonardo Dicaprio.

Read More
779 Words | 4 Pages

Millennials put their own Surprising Stamp on the American Dream The idea of what is your American Dream? Is based on the idea that every young adult is the master of their own life. However, the Millennials have contributed into working to redefine it. In particular, we, as Americans, have seemingly resolved or smoothed-out some version of the “American Dream”, but are still faced with so many hardships.

Read More
774 Words | 4 Pages

In this passage, Charlotte Perkins Gilman highlights the theme that women must use their intellect or go mad through the use of literary qualities and writing styles. Gilman also uses the use of capital letters to portray the decline in the narrators’ sanity. This shows the decline in the sanity of a person because the words in all-caps is shown as abrupt, loud remarks. Gilman uses this method multiple times in her short story and this method was used twice in this passage. When the narrator wrote, “LOOKING AT THE PAPER!”, the major decline in her mental health was shown.

Read More
1597 Words | 7 Pages

Now, we live in the world where people are being categorized by their beauty, wealth or academic achievement. In order to become successful person or being recognize by other, we forget the importance of keeping good relationship with people around us and go all the way to becoming self- centered person. Generally self- centered also can be defined as self- absorbed or narcissism. Narcissism refers to a “pervasive pattern of grandiosity” that symbolized by arrogant behavior, lack of empathy towards other and feelings of entitlement (APA, 1994 as cited in Horton, Bleau, and Drwecki, 2006). This current practice in society makes younger generation become more self-centered than earlier generation because of their exposure to sophisticated technology,

Read More
1333 Words | 6 Pages

Twenty somethings that are living today are, in large, categorized as Millennials, a term coined by Neil Howe and William Strauss in 1991. Each generation has distinct characteristics of the group of people born and raise during a set time period. The Greatest Generation (1901-1924) where the children of WWI and fighter in WWI and young in the Great Depression; which allowed them to be team players to overcome and push forward. The Silent Generation (1925-1945) are the children who grew up during the time where people worked hard and kept quiet. The Baby Boomers (1946-1964) were kids born after WWII tended to be “save-the-world” revolutionaries or party-hardy career climbers.

Read More
605 Words | 3 Pages

The article “The Me Me Me Generation” by Joel Stein mentions how Millennials are a self-centred generation who have been raised with many participation awards and parents who mistakenly believed that strengthening their self-esteem was they key to success rather than focusing more on strengthening up their character and skills. Stein mentions that the younger generation lives mostly through screens, whether those on phones, iPad’s, or computers, and believes someway that it is entitled to success without experiencing the rough situations in lifetime. Stein also presented studies showing that the incidence of narcissistic personality disorder among Millennials is massive. Stein concludes the article by mentioning that this has not taken him by surprise, because this began with their parents’ generation, the Baby Boomers, or known as the “Me Generation.” Millennials seek to make their own mark on the world.

Read More

More about Discussion Of Rhetorical Analysis Of This Is Water By David Foster Wallace

Related Topics

Open Document