Authors use repetition of certain words or phrases in writing in order to enhance their writing and to help convey the message they intend to display. This repetition shows importance or even a deeper meaning in the writing. In each instance the word is used, it can have the same meaning as it was previously used or it can also mean something completely different. It is up to not only the writer, but also the reader on how this message is comprehended. In David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water”, the repetition of the word “worship” means the same thing as one would expect based on a dictionary definition, meaning worship is what one consistently does throughout their life regardless of the situation. Worship is generally regarded as action by people that think about something greater than themselves. Regardless, they do not believe in something that does not connect them to something greater than their individual belief. The word “worship,” as used by David Foster Wallace, is often used to generate a universal thought. In this case, pulling together an audience member’s own thoughts and those of Wallace himself. Thus, using the repetition of the word “worship” throughout the commencement speech, Wallace emphasizes the importance of one’s own life as well as what they deem important enough to “worship.” 

In the first of many instances, Wallace talks about how there is no such thing as atheism. He does not believe in it, saying, “There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships” (Wallace 10). This sentence is the start to Wallace’s discussion on the importance of worship. In this instance, Wallace is trying to say that no matter what people think they do or they believe in, they still always worship. There is no way that a human can live without worshipping something. It is one of the most important human qualities, which is why there is no way around it. Worship is not just the simplistic definition that is considerably associated with the term. In retrospect, worship is devotion. For example, one could be devoted to brushing their teeth in the morning. Wallace goes on to reiterate this point for the next couple sentences, showing proof that everyone must worship something. Not only does Wallace talk about how atheism does not exist, he goes on to explain the different things that can be worshipped. This proves a thought that can be widely considered as universal. When one hears the term “worship,” they usually consider religion as a leading prospect of thought. Yet, Wallace’s reiteration of the topic brings forth the thought of the audience. The audience now must think about what they, personally, believe is a necessity to their lives that may not necessarily be needed by someone else. In short, what Wallace does here is actually very powerful. As he initially states “Everybody worships” (Wallace 16), but furthering his argument he brings together a universal flow of that statement, as we do not have full control over what worship actually is. 

We do not have a choice as a human to not worship. Everyone at some point in their life will worship something, but we can control what we want to worship. Having this control is very important and gives every single person their own choice. Wallace explains how there are so many different things someone could worship, but people default to a type of god as almost a safety net.  I believe that he says this and reiterates it because it shows a sense of choice to the audience. This choice is something that can be a turning point to an audience. As they near total understanding, they are lacking control, especially of their own thought of choice. This includes the choice in what to worship. Wallace reinstates the audience’s peace of mind by stating that no matter what one worships, they will always be concerns and negatives. “Worship your body and beauty and sex allure and you will always feel ugly” (Wallace 16).  He then goes on to show the readers that there could be a problem if anything else is worshipped. The problem is that you will always have a negative in worship. Take money as an example. If nothing but money is worshipped, no matter how much money someone has, it will never be enough. Or in the Wallace’s own words, if they worship how they look, they will always feel ugly. This leads Wallace to frighten the reader, a tactic that Wallace uses brilliantly. Wallace scares the audience with his own point in order to show the actual positive of worship, freedom. “That is real freedom. This is being educated and understanding how to think” (Wallace 16). This creates a sense of eeriness in which an audience may doubt themselves. Yet, with the initial negative turned positive by freedom, the audience can rely on themselves to make the best choice. What Wallace does reinforces thought into the audience on their day to day lives. What people worship is solely a personal decision, but they still have a decision to worship what they believe. 

In more instances, Wallace explains how worship can turn unconscious, finding the default setting in one’s brain. Our brains act in very fascinating ways, meaning people need to be careful not to let their brain slide into these types of worship. Usually the decisions they make on a day to day basis are unconscious decisions. People do not even know what they’re doing because they are acting out of habit or natural instinct. At times, there is nothing wrong with these actions, but sometimes they can be dangerous. The brain will develop bad habits and force people to make wrong decisions. The danger with this is that the brain makes the wrong decisions so many times that eventually the decisions it’s making will start to seem like it’s the right decision. These are the types of worship that people need to watch out for. Worshipping things that should not be worshipped will soon become an unconscious decision. Not only does every human worship something and get to pick what they worship, they also have to be very careful when they make those decisions. 

The repetition of the word worship in David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water’ shows the importance of one single word. Wallace is trying to convey a message by using this type of repetition, as many authors do as well. Not only does repetition convey a message, but it mostly shows importance, as well as a deep meaning form the text. Wallace gives the text meaning, but it is totally up to the reader as to how the message is interpreted. Worship stands for more than just the dictionary definition, even though most people only look at it as that. As previously stated, each time the word ‘worship’ is used in the text, it can have the same meaning as previously used or something completely different. That is up to the interpretation of the reader, but Wallace has a certain direction in mind in which he wants readers to think. Wallace wants to explain that worship is a very important human quality and does this by coming about it from multiple different angles. Wallace shows that not only does every person have to worship something, but explains how and what options people have to worship. Each person has their own choice as to what it is that is important to them and should be incorporated in their lives. As one of the main themes in David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water”, the word ‘worship’ connects reader’s individual belief and the speech in unity. Now, it’s only up to the reader as to how they will interpret Wallace’s work. 

