



Themes are a key element when it comes to stories, poems, essays, and other pieces of writing. Not only do they help in keeping the story flowing, but they also help to have the story make sense to its audience. Themes make what the audience is reading have a point and make sense. It makes things seem worthwhile to the reader. In order to have clear and strong themes in pieces of writing, it is important to look at key methods used by writers. By looking at This Is Water by David Foster Wallace, we can see that diction and syntax play key roles in a strong piece of writing. By having strong diction and syntax, it makes it easier for the audience to follow along and shows organization along with helping the author to have a stronger support for their claims. 

David Foster Wallace uses this speech to get his audience to think about themselves, their own personal experiences, and how they relate to the people around them.  Everyone has freedom, but it can be used and interpreted differently by all kinds of people. In his speech, Wallace says “If your total freedom of choice regarding what to think about seems too obvious to waste your time discussing, I’d ask you to think about fish and water, and to bracket for just a few minutes your skepticism about the value of the total obvious” (Wallace, XI).  In this section, he is trying to convey that real freedom is a sacrifice. It can be a mental state and it is not just given to you. By using the words “you” and “your” in this quote, it really causes the audience to reflect and think about what they are doing with their freedom and what it means to them. He also says “The world as you experience it is there in front of YOU or behind YOU, to the left or right of YOU, on YOUR TV or YOUR monitor. And so on. Other people’s thoughts and feelings have to be communicated to you somehow, but your own are so immediate, urgent, real” (Wallace, XII).  He is expressing how you know yourself better than anyone else. Everyone’s wants, needs, and desires are in their own head; there is no need for anyone to go searching. He uses repetition in this quote to make a point. He is emphasizing that as humans, we are automatically our first thoughts. It is the same for everyone, so we need to step out of that mindset and think about what others are thinking as well. In this speech, Wallace gives a lot of power to the word you. He makes it extremely empowering, but at the same time makes it an underlying influence on his audience.

Diction allows a reader to experience the different emotions and effects that a writer is trying to convey in their writing. In the speech This Is Water by David Foster Wallace, the word “you” causes the audience to reflect upon themselves and it helps in giving the audience power as well as a new perspective. This is not always the case for the use of the word you. In the poem forgiving my father by Lucille Clifton, she uses the word “you” in a totally different manner. Clifton uses the word “you” to address a single person directly- her father. Unlike This Is Water where the term is used to inspire people, here, she uses it to bring someone down. In the second stanza Clifton writes “old liar. i wish you were rich so i could take it all” (Clifton, 525). This is a prime example of the hate and disgrace she has for her father. By using the word you, she is directly addressing him as if she was speaking straight to his face. Wallace uses the word to empower his audience. Clifton uses the word to empower herself. It is also demeaning to her father because she is confronting him with so much passion. Clifton also uses the word you as a transition for the poem. She starts off in the first stanza with her love for her father, the second stanza states how he is a crook and she hates him, and in the last stanza she forgives him. The word you is consistently addressing her father, but the words and feelings surrounding the word helps to give it different meaning. She uses this word to flow with her theme and to help express her emotions. Her theme is forgiveness and she goes through the stages of forgiveness by using the word you.

Syntax is another key component when it comes to a piece of writing. Without it, the writing has no flow to it and can be extremely hard to follow. Especially in a speech, it is vital to hold onto an audience’s attention as a message is being conveyed. In This Is Water by David Foster Wallace, he is trying to inspire five main points to his audience: real freedom is a sacrifice, you are not the center of the universe, do not live life by default, you choose what to worship, and be aware of the world around you. Through examples and analysis, he expresses these points clearly to his audience without any confusion. Only after one point is completely analyzed and expressed to the audience does he move onto his next claim. The use of syntax adds immense influence to the speech; if arranged the right way the audience will be engaged in the text. Wallace would not have been able to express his five main points in an influential manner if he had skipped around from one to the next without ever completing a thought. Syntax adds a sense of completion and organization to pieces of writing.

In order to create a strong theme and reach your audience, there are certain techniques that are useful for pieces of writing. Diction and syntax are the structure of your paper and help it to be organized and help show emotion. David Foster Wallace uses repetition and emphasis to get the audience to think about themselves in certain situations and how they act. His speech calls for a lot of self-reflection and without the use of the word “you” like Wallace has it, the speech would not be nearly as effective. Lucille Clifton, on the other hand, uses the word “you” to directly address her father and goes through the stages of forgiveness.  Syntax is vital when it comes to organizing thoughts and making clear points in writing. Through the use of proper diction and syntax, themes are more clear to the audience.  





