David Foster Wallace's This Is Water

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"This is Water" is a speech performed by David Foster Wallace at a college commencement. Wallace expresses the idea of breaking out of one's default setting because its is inconsiderate and thoughtless. Wallace imposes the concept of going through the adult stage of life being mentally enslaved versus being conscious and able to think by using tone and the appeal of pathos. In the text, Wallace claims "and look at how repulsive most of them are and how stupid and cow-like and dead-eyed and nonhuman they seem here...I can't even go home." Wallace uses an annoyed tone tone when speaking of this situation because he wants to indicate how boring and ordinary adult life is while being in one's default setting. Wallace adds "You get up in the morning,
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