Religion is one of the most extensive and complex ideas that is discussed. There are approximately four thousand two hundred different religions throughout the world. All of these religions contain similar values but also contain different values. Religion is one aspect of life that makes all people unique. Many different people follow different religions and have opinions about the importance and the influence of it on life. When looking at writing, authors with some religious backgrounds often incorporate religion into their works. By comparing David Foster Wallace's, This is Water, and Martin Luther King Jr's., The World House, we gain a deeper understanding of religion. Both Wallace and King integrate religion into their writing and lives. However, Wallace views religion in a different manner than the way that King does. 

David Foster Wallace was a successful author with a unique and intelligent style and meaning behind his writing. This is Water is a famous commencement speech that Wallace wrote and delivered to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College. Rather than writing a cliche commencement speech, Wallace used his unique style and ideas to address the value of a liberal arts degree. Wallace began the speech by describing a common trap that many working professionals succumb to after graduating college and transitioning into the real world. People get a job and eventually they fall into the default setting. This basically means that life becomes a routine and is day in day out with little change. People lose sight in the greatness of life and everything becomes tedious and frustrating. However, Wallace stresses that the real value of a real education has almost nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with simple awareness. The main idea portrayed throughout the speech was the argument that after earning a liberal arts degree in college, there is more to life than the money one could possibly earn from a job after graduation. Liberal Arts colleges teach students to think differently and be able to better control the way they think about things.

The topic of religion is discussed at the end of the commencement address, This is Water. Wallace believed that atheism is non-existent throughout the world. All people worship something and that ranges from gods, spirits, items, or ideas, etc. Worshipping is based on the individual person's thoughts and feeling and is their choice. Wallace emphasized the benefits of the idea of worshipping gods or spirits due to the intangible nature. All other things that people worship can cause damage to their lives. For example, if a person worships money and believes that it is the most important thing in the world, there is a problem. That person will then become obsessed with the idea of money and any amount will never be enough. The concept of worshipping something like money and then it never being enough seems to be a known concept. The way to avoid getting caught up in this form of worship is to be aware of this truth and concept and do not let it impact life. Wallace stated, 

"The insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful; it is that they are unconscious. They are default-settings. They're the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that's what you're doing."

In the commencement address, David Foster Wallace showed that he believed that religion exists in all of society. However, it is the direction of the persons focus and worship that leads to a more open minded life. 

In another speech, The World House, written by Martin Luther King Jr., religion is also incorporated and used to express meaning to the audience. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in a religious family and religion was always a very important part of his life. When he became a civil rights activist and leader, he used his religious background to gain followers and support. King also used religion to create his speeches and ideas for change. In The World House Speech, King talks about the many different issues of inequality throughout the country. Whether it is between different races, genders or financial standings, at that time the world was filled with problems of inequality. Martin Luther King Jr's. main claim in the text is that life will not improve for any member of society until everyone learns to live together and help one another. King's goal was for the world to be a house for all people of all races and differences and for all of the people to be equal. King used religion in this speech in order to connect his history of religion in his childhood to his passion for civil rights when he grew up. David Foster Wallace and Martin Luther King Jr. both became very successful in their lives. Writing with emotion and meaning helped them to grow as people and also connect to their different audiences. The speeches, This is Water and The World House, have powerful messages that include religious influences and ideas. In both of the speeches, the combination of a message and religion help the audience to understand more about the influence and role of religion throughout life. For some, religion can be a difficult idea to comprehend thoroughly because of its many different types. The connection of a real life example made by the two authors gives the audience an idea to grasp on to with the concept of religion. 

When looking at how David Foster Wallace and Martin Luther King Jr. talk about religion and the way they use it in their writing, there some differences as well. David Foster Wallace seemed to talk about the concept of religion and worshipping. In This is Water, the concept of what or who to worship is the extent of the religious content of the speech. This may be because of his less religious background growing up but also does not mean that he is not very religious. He emphasized that everyone worships something and there is no such thing as atheism. Wallace does treat religion as important part of life as shown in This is Water. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. treats religion as one of the most important parts of life. He grew up in an environment in which religion was the starting base of his values and morals. From that point on, he flourished into a successful man through his skills in the civil rights movement. Like Wallace, King used the concepts of religion throughout his texts and more specifically, The World House. However, King also used specific examples and quotations from biblical texts. Often, King would read a verse from the bible or use words heard and found in the bible and the church. Both Wallace and King used religion effectively in their speeches in order to portray a message to the audience. 

The time that the speeches were written and delivered is also helpful when determining the importance of religion. This is Water was written and delivered to the graduating class of Kenyon College in 2005. This a is relatively recent time compared to when The World House was written and delivered. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote and delivered this speech in 1964 briefly during his Nobel Peace Prize lecture. The World House is actually a chapter in King's last novel, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? The speech is just an excerpt from the great novel. The World House was written during a time of conflict between not only race but also all differences including religion. The strong religious influence in Martin Luther King's speech further showed his determination for freedom and equality. This is Water, written in more recent times, still has a somewhat strong religious conceptual influence and effect on the audience. There was much change in time but also in the world between the delivery of the two different speeches. The fact that religion still played an important and meaningful role after time and the world progressed shows that religion is very powerful and many people are firm believers of its importance in society. 

When analyzing different texts, it is very important and helpful to compare and contrast in order to have a better understanding of the thoughts and meanings in the texts. After reading This is Water written by David Foster Wallace and The World House written by Martin Luther King Jr., there were many similarities found between the two as well as differences between the two texts. Both authors successfully incorporated religion which helped the reader to gain a better understanding of religion as well as how religion can be implemented into everyday life. While Wallace used a more conceptual approach to writing with religious ideas, King used concepts but also specific excerpts and examples throughout his writing. Religion is a very interesting and large topic and than many authors attempt to connect into their writing. Although with different styles, David Foster Wallace and Martin Luther King Jr., incorporated religion effectively in their respective speeches. 

