Speeches are a very different piece of literature to read.    David Foster Wallace gives a graduation commencement speech in 2005 and his speech is still read and studied in classrooms to this day.  The reason being for this speech being so academically studied is Wallace’s use of little stories/parables in order to get his theme portrayed.  He approaches it from many different angles and perspectives in order to give a more unbiased and open-minded analysis towards his theme and message he is trying to get across to these kids at the graduation ceremony.   David Foster Wallace, in the graduation commencement speech he called, “This is Water,” uses parables that comprise of diction, images, and meanings to stress the importance of straying from the screened in life everyone has been stuck in for most of their young years, and experience the vast world that is ready for the taking.

There are many different words used in this graduation speech, but one word that just sticks out from the others, even though not used but more than a few times, was, “didactic.”  That word is not a very commonly used word and it’s an adjective that means, “intended to teach.” The author could’ve chosen from a plethora of other adjectives that could’ve meant the same thing, but by using didactic he is creating this more concise image in the reader’s mind of what the next story is going to be about. It creates this effect on the reader because honestly the phonetics of the word didactic is fascinating in itself.  He also repeats the phrase “default setting,” about five times and he’s referring to the state of mind that humans revert back to when they are doing something mindlessly and not paying any attention to it.  It’s a very good alternative to just using “normal,” or “status quo.”  Neither of these words or phrases seem oddly used or out of place. Although, “Default Setting,” has a double meaning which adds to the theme of the speech.  The author uses a few interesting word choices as well for example, when he is talking about the average adult day he says, “And the store is hideously lit and infused with soul-killing muzak or corporate pop and it’s pretty much the last place you want to be but you can’t just get in and quickly out….” (Wallace XIII) In that sentence alone the adjectives he used are not you’re a-typical adjectives.  He uses terms like “hideously” to describe the lighting of the store.  This stands out because that is a common adjective for a person’s clothing or appearance.  He also uses the adjective “soul-killing,” which leaves such a negative connotation on the word it is describing.  The word that it is describing is “muzak,” and the definition for muzak is the background music that you hear in retail stores or in elevators.  It’s very basic and simple music that just occupies the silence. In context this contributes to the mood set by this parable of the depressing, dreary, same old same old, mindless daily grind 

All of these selective word choices that the author has chosen all have a specific role in playing towards the theme. The adjectives that describe the nouns, the adverbs that describe the verbs all convey the same thoughts and attitudes that everybody may be different and have different views, but sometimes everybody does the same thing day in and day out and doesn’t even realize it.  There is an immense world filled with different creatures, images, colors, etc. and people just need to realize that they get stuck in this drag of doing things the same damn way and once they realize this, they can adjust what they do so that they can experience all of life’s wonderful and amazing features. For example when he says, “… a slave to your head and to your natural default setting of being uniquely, completely, imperially alone, day in and day out,”  he is using such diverse and consequential word choice (Wallace XIII).  The passive way that the author addresses all these subjects is an excellent way to get his point across as well.  Typically, when someone writes or speaks from a more passive tone, the matter seems to make a deeper impact on the reader.  This is the way the author can also develop his attitude towards the topic, by doing this and by combining simple sentence structure and complex, Wallace gives the audience a better and more impactful idea of his main idea. The sentence structure is also a lot longer with a rhythmic flow to it.  This is a good quality in this, because it was a speech that was given and if a speech is given and it is short and choppy it will lose the attention of the listener, etc.  He has a pretty elaborate style when he uses the parables as examples.  Not only does he just say the parable and be done, but he interprets the little story that he gives and makes these real life connections to the theme he is talking about.

Honestly, this speech is written like a speech should be formulated.  It has very good form and authenticity like a speech.  For example, the punctuation in the speech is very grammatically correct in parts where there is straight forward monologue, but when he tells the stories and sets them up, he uses more improper punctuation to give the real effect of a real life conversation.  This leads to a few different types of writing in this passage.  Wallace uses monologue, dialogue, argument, and story-telling, and rhetorical questions.  An example of a rhetorical question is when he says, “And who are all these people in my way” (Wallace XIV)?  All of these different types are in an effort to show how many people are being boring and dull and going through the motions without even knowing that they are.  The audience that he is inviting by using all the different types of writing and the syntax is a younger audience, more specifically the young adult audience that is in college or just graduated and that is heading out into the real world.  Overall, the style and structure relate to the theme by being so good that, that unless you are writing a paper about it, you don’t even realize it.  You have to go out and find the patterns and style, kind of like how you have to go out and explore all that life has to offer.  

By using all of these parables and various selection of literary devices, David Foster Wallace stresses the importance of going out and finding yourself in this world.  You can’t get stuck in the mindless loop of doing the same thing every day otherwise you won’t be living life to the fullest every day.  His theme is often not even thought about on a regular basis.  It is often overlooked, but finding yourself should not be overlooked.  Individualism is one of the best qualities of character that a person can endow.
