David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech at a Kenyon College, This is Water, attempts to convince his audience of the necessity to think consciously and critically, while also enlightening them to the realities of life ahead. His speech is complex and difficult to understand initially. With this being a speech however, Wallace only had one opportunity to be certain his listeners fully understood his message. His use of repetition, metaphors, and real life examples successfully communicates his message to his audience.

In This is Water, Wallace repeats the phrase liberal arts to enhance the credibility in his speech. The phrase works well with his audience since they are liberal arts graduates who already have a predisposed connection to the expression. To them hearing it used as an adjective meaning “to think critically” is nothing new. Wallace manipulates this to increase the value of his argument. In the middle of his speech Wallace states, “It’s easy to run this story through kind of a liberal arts analysis: the exact same experience can mean two totally different things to two different people, given those people’s two different belief templates and two different ways of constructing meaning from experience (Wallace,XI).” The importance of this quote was Wallace’s decision to incorporate the expression liberal arts. There are many other adjectives, arguably even some that are better, yet he still choose liberal arts. The rationale behind this decision was to give significance to this perceived special type of analysis, drawing on the audience's connection to the phrase so they feel that only this exclusive group, those who know how to think critically, can see the deeper meaning to the parable. He draws on their egos to win the audience’s attention and their belief in his message. 

Wallace uses this same strategy a bit earlier in his speech when referencing the negative connotation of the liberal arts cliché. He mentions how it’s usually perceived to be an insult and used to draw on the negatives of their degree. However, he spins it as a positive attempting to gain the respect of the crowd. “But I’m going to post it to you that the liberal arts cliché turns out not to be insulting at all, because the really significant education in thinking that we’re supposed to get in a place like this isn’t really about the capacity to think, but rather about the choice of what to think about (Wallace,XI)” In one sentence Wallace shines a positive light on a negative idea. Like the previous example this plays off the audience’s attachment and bias to the adjective liberal arts. By eliminating the one negative connotation the listeners have for the phrase, Wallace is able to strengthen their affinity for it and give them a positive first impression of him. This gives Wallace more credibility in their eyes, which in turn provides a significant contribution to him successfully communicating his speech to his audience.     

Another way Wallace effectively relays his message is by incorporating multiple parables and real word examples to help simplify his complex speech, making it easier for listeners to understand. This is a massive part Wallace’s attempt to reach his audience, with the name of the speech even coming from his first parable. Wallace’s second short story is about two men arguing about the existence of God. The story resolves with the two men seeing an identical event in two different ways. Wallace uses this parable to present his point, first subtlely in the story, then by guiding the analysis to bring the audience to his conclusion. Upon arrival Wallace says “But religious dogmatists” problem is exactly the same as the story’s unbeliever: blind certainty, a close-mindedness that amounts to an imprisonment so total that the prisoner doesn’t even know he’s locked up. (Wallace, XII)” Wallace’s point is extremely complex and incomprehensible without examples or explanations. By providing them in the build up to his conclusion, Wallace is able to be certain his audience will be able to fully grasp the concept and be prepared for the next section of his speech. This understanding allows him to translate this same concept into real world application and examples. 

Wallace’s examples are everyday events such as being stuck in traffic, grocery shopping, or at the DMV. These are all scenarios his audience has experienced. He depicts two sides of each example for his listeners, one that they know and a second side that is rarely thought about. “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)” Once again, Wallace is playing to the ego of his audience. By intertwining this with the real word examples, Wallace is able to strengthen his message by association. All of the examples he mentions are associated with selfishness. By invoking self-centered emotions in the audience, it makes it a lot easier for Wallace to sell them on it being their choice to think consciously. 

Wallace successfully communicates his message through his use of repetition, parables, and real world examples. His decision to repetitively use liberal arts as an adjective manipulates the ego of his listeners. His choice to employ parables simplifies his message so it’s easier to understand. His real world examples influence his audience’s emotions to make them more susceptible to embracing his message. Together they create a perfectly crafted approach to communicating a complex theme.
