
Freedom, a basic human right that we are all born with and continue to have for as long as we live. On a practical level, freedom is defined as exemption from external restraint, regulation or control. But, is freedom that simple? I argue that Wallace uses the word freedom in a way that is far from the practical meaning. He uses this universal word in a way that he urges the reader to look at freedom from several different aspects every single day of our lives. Freedoms such as education, the freedom to have awareness, and the freedom to have discipline, are all examples of freedom’s we should never overlook. It is important to focus on freedoms from a different viewpoint because they create an open minded outlook on life. It can help people break free from the normalness of society and become their own person, in turn becoming free. He motivates the reader to focus on what freedoms are important to living life to the fullest. This difference could be very significant to impact one's life. According to Wallace, freedom has many more meanings than it is credited for, and has a much deeper meaning under the surface. To Wallace, freedom is not only being free from oppression but the liberty to expand one’s mind and the ability to increase the value as well as the joy of life. As people we have the right to make our own decisions, and Wallace is saying that with this power we should make the decisions that benefit our life in the long run such as wanting to become better people and understanding the struggles of others. This word is being used differently and it is important that the reader recognizes this in order for them to grasp the meaning Wallace is trying to explain, which is that freedom is something we can take advantage to choose our own path and the ability to make it great. 

School helps mold young and old minds everyday and is essential to the future of any nation. However, the education people receive from school is the real thing people are actually bringing out into the world. A person’s attitude, way of thinking, and overall way they carry themselves can be drawn back to their education. “This, I submit, is the freedom of a real education, of learning how to be well adjusted. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn’t” (Wallace XV). Wallace puts forth in his text that we all have the freedom to this real education and we all have the freedom to take advantage of this. A real education according to Wallace is the power to think in your own way and make your own decisions based upon your own values. This promotes freedom because it allows the individual to be their own person and not follow in the path others set for them and expect them to follow.  Freedom becomes more of an asset with the power of a real education due to the fact that a real education opens up room for so many more possibilities in one’s life such as being able to think for yourself. Wallace is using freedom to describe how one can change the way they think and completely re evaluate their attitude toward the world. The word freedom in this context is describing the way people can have their own mindset, they are the owner of their own mind and can chose what to follow and who to follow as well as thinking in any way want. 

Furthermore, Wallace argues in his speech that there is a whole collection of freedoms out there in the world waiting to be taken advantage of, yet he also stretches that the important kinds are sometimes mistakenly overlooked. “But of course there are all different kinds of freedom and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much about” (Wallace XVI). What Wallace is saying here is simple, he expresses that there are freedoms galore but we should try more as a population to focus on the real freedoms, the freedoms that can improve our lives. The most important freedoms in his eyes are the freedoms that allow people to be their own person such as  the freedom to choose, the freedom to pay attention and lastly the freedom for people to decide to see things how they want to. Overall, Wallace stresses the freedom people have to see things in their own way is the most precious because this will make people who they are. They can choose to see things in a positive manner which can make them a more optimistic and maybe even a happier person or they can possibly choose to see things in a negative way which can cause them to be pessimistic and perhaps less happy. This freedom ultimately lets people transform into who they want to be. Students often fall victim to false freedoms because they seem simple and are always their for the taking. Freedoms that mean something include the freedom to be happy and make others around you feel the same way, the freedom to care for others in a way never thought possible, or to have the freedom to make everyday better than the last, because something Wallace also expands upon in the text is life before death, and this living is not worth it if these freedoms are not apart of one’s life. 

Looking deeper into certain freedoms, according to Wallace, there are some that greatly outway others and must be apart of life. It is almost like Wallace is saying there is sort of a ranking system when it comes to freedoms and the ones in the upper echelon require awareness and discipline.  “The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline” (Wallace XVI). This statement can be derived from Wallace’s previous stance on important kinds of freedoms. Here we see what Wallace is really getting after, the specific types of freedom people should focus on and understand. These freedoms come from being educated and understanding the world around you. In addition, when looking at discipline and awareness I regard that Wallace uses these words as characteristics of caring for other people. We have the freedom to be aware of the world around us and to take what it from we can, and we have the discipline to chose what is right and what is wrong.  Freedoms that require awareness and discipline including being patient when dealing with people. Wallace also uses the supermarket example in his text where he shows that people judge others without putting themselves in their shoes. If more people had awareness and discipline they would be reluctant to quickly shame people for acting out of the norm in certain situations such as being visibly cranky in a supermarket.  When saying these aspects of freedom, Wallace is referring to sacrificing one’s own being for the welfare of others. In a way, I propose that Wallace’s intended meaning is the more people grasp the necessary freedoms in front of them, the more overall free they become. The more free these people become the happier they will become in their life ahead. Moreover, Wallace stresses life before death as well in the text and furthermore states, “The capital t-truth is about life before death. It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with simple awareness” (Wallace XVII). Here again we see Wallace referring back to what real freedoms are and how vital they are to one’s life before death. Simply put, without these groundbreaking, cardinal freedoms, life as we know it has less value. 

A college student’s graduation is a hallmark in their lives and a day they will certainly never forget. Everything down to the speech to the shoes they wore, a student will never forget that experience. By the same token, David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech is one that can never be overlooked. Providing insight, career advice, and long term keys to success, this legendary final feature will be engraved in the minds of students. The most important aspect of the speech as a whole is the idea of freedom. Freedom is way more than the eye can see. On the surface, freedom seems straightforward and plain but when we look closely, Wallace explains that freedom is one of the most important aspects of life. Freedom beyond the practical definition molds people into themselves and also allows them to make this process go in any direction they want. People do not only have God given freedom to not be controlled but they have freedom to make their own moral choices that will decide their outcome. Wallace argues that people must discover that they have the capability to decide for themselves and with this freedom they can make the quality of their life improve. The freedom of real education, the freedom to be free thinking, the freedom to be happy and care for others are freedoms that make life worth living and are not so simple but rather very complex. Conclusively, living a true life, or in other words, being free, according to Wallace is not impossible as long as citizens focus on the right freedoms. 