Essay on Wallace Rhetorical Analysis

Words: 1397
Pages: 6
Open Document
A Rhetorical Analysis of “This is Water”

If one were to try to imagine a world without air, then it would certainly be very different than the world as humans know it. Since air is essential to the livelihood of most life on Earth, it could be considered an “important reality.” In David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech, “This is Water” to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College, Wallace states that “the most obvious, ubiquitous, important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see and talk about.” (Wallace) Despite the necessity for air, most take its beautiful existence for granted. Wallace believes unawareness leads to unhappiness, and thus wants his audience to actively think about their surroundings. He …show more content…
It is structured to hook in the audience. Also, it gives a metaphorical background to real-life examples used in the speech such as not considering that “the Hummer that just cut [oneself] off is maybe being driven by a father whose little child is hurt or sick in the seat next to him, and he's trying to rush to the hospital, and he's in a way bigger, more legitimate hurry,” which makes the message even more vivid. The parable ends in a memorable manner, as well. Its resounding closing statement “that we have to keep reminding ourselves, over and over: ’this is water, this is water,’" ties everything back together that effort must be made in order to see people and consider their lives instead of viewing them as scenery.
By building common ground with the audience before getting far into his speech, Wallace hopes the crowd will see some of themselves in his experiences; relating with the Kenyon students would put more weight behind his argument to them. College-aged Americans might feel as if they are the epitome of existence, that the world revolves around them, and others are both inferior and in their way. Wallace recognizes this phenomenon, and confidently explains how it is normal human thinking. “This sort of natural, basic self-centeredness,” he elaborates, is not discussed “because it's so socially repulsive, but it's pretty much the same for all of us, deep down.” Wallace surely made a connection with the students by sharing his honest
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Wallace Rhetorical Analysis

A Rhetorical Analysis Of This Is Water By David Foster Wallace

This is Water Rhetorical Analysis David Foster Wallace argued that banal platitudes, although lacking entirely in originality and rendered among the dullest and most obvious of choices when constructing a speech, continue to serve as the rubric by which most speeches are composed (Foster n.p.). David Wallace earned a doctorate in literature; therefore, his scholarly grasp of the composition of speeches and effectiveness of orations is clearly far more advanced than the skills of many. He chose…

Words 1216 - Pages 5

David Foster Wallace Rhetorical Analysis Essay

although natural, is often looked down upon in social situations; therefore, when he talks about himself sweating it takes him off of a pedestal and makes him more of an average person, to which the graduates will be more willing to listen. David Foster Wallace uses ethos not only through connecting on the same level to his audience, but also through…

Words 249 - Pages 1

Rhetorical Analysis Of This Is Water By David Foster Wallace

perceived by David Foster Wallace in his “This is Water” speech, our natural default-setting is when we believe the world revolves around us. Throughout his entire speech, Wallace poses many interesting rhetorical strategies that contribute to his overall message: the effect of our natural default-setting. Thus, through Wallace’s use of logos, examples, and opinions, he effectively convinces the audience that we can change our mentality and our natural default setting.…

Words 828 - Pages 4

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Commencement Speech By David Foster Wallace

When David Foster Wallace gave the commencement speech to the Kenyon College graduating class of 2005, he provided an outstanding articulation that some would say laid the foundation for the audience to become vividly aware of their surroundings in a non-superficial way; and how doing so can improve one’s outlook on life dramatically, in other words, he tells them, let go of their natural default settings and live life for today. When David Foster Wallace gave the commencement speech to the Kenyon…

Words 142 - Pages 1

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Good People By David Foster Wallace

In “Good People” by David Foster Wallace, he writes about a young couple that had attended Peoria Junior College together. The couple names were Lane A. Dean Jr. and Sheri Fisher. It was springtime and they would be sitting on a picnic table by a lake both dressed nearly the same. Lane battled with justifying his faith wanting to be a good person and his love for Sheri. Sheri was a young lady that knew her faith and knew that what every obstacle that came her way, she would have to face them. Lane…

Words 450 - Pages 2

Essay on Analysis: Brand and Promotional Culture

CHAPTER ONE Blowing Up the Brand Melissa Aronczyk & Devon Powers “New Branded World” Redux Only about a decade ago, popular understanding of brands and branding was largely confined to the products and practices of the corporate enterprise. When journalist and cultural critic Naomi Klein wrote the bestseller No Logo in 2000, a searing critique of the “new branded world” (3) of industrial influence, the focus of her attack was on how corporations’ transnational reach, predatory methods…

Words 8607 - Pages 35

Department of English Spring 2014 Course Descriptions Essays

Department of English Spring 2014 Course Descriptions 89S. Imagining War. Instructor M. Maiwald. WF 8:30-9:45 In this course, we will consider how the experience of war has been represented in American fiction, non-fiction, and film. We will investigate how attitudes toward war have evolved throughout American history: our timeline begins with the Civil War—the traumatic event that birthed the modern American state—and ends with the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In particular…

Words 9501 - Pages 39