How often do humans take for granted the amazing powers of the mind? Thinking is such a habit that most people do not realize what they are thinking about, or how they are thinking about it. Humans fall into a pattern of thinking one way, and one way only, leaving themselves close minded, and possibly missing out on valuable life experiences. No one considers changing the way one thinks, but imagine how different life would be with a new way of mind. David Foster Wallace explores the importance of thought in his commencement speech “This is Water.” By looking at the second and third paragraph on page xvi in David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water,” we can see that Wallace’s use of metaphoric and ironic language supports his argument that the power to control how, and what humans think about, is the greatest tool that one can acquire, which is not obvious to most people. This is important because being able to harness how one thinks can dramatically change his or her entire outlook on life.

The use of metaphoric language in the third paragraph the significance of being able to control one’s own mind, and the freedom that comes along with that. The brain and the mind are incredibly powerful elements of human life that take an immense amount of effort and self-control to truly gain complete dominance over. Once achieved, though, drastic changes can take place in the person’s real life, including health benefits, wealth increase, or overall quality of life. The ability to take control of the brain can create a whole new outlook on life, and humans have gained the knowledge on how to do so.  Wallace explains, “Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom all to be lords of our tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the center of all creation” (xvi). The use of a metaphor, in describing humans as lords and their minds as kingdoms, illustrates the immense power that comes with controlling thoughts. Once one has the power to control his mind, he then has the ability to set himself free. The metaphoric language used in this speech gives the audience the inspiration to become free and be in control of their minds.

The extended metaphor carried throughout the speech encourages the audience to deviate from the single-minded way they normally think during certain situations. Computers are emotionless, lifeless and robotic pieces of technology. It is bizarre for one to imagine himself as operating like a computer. This is oftentimes the case, however; humans have the tendency to fall into a pattern of only thinking one way, and disregarding other possible outcomes within a situation. This speaker heavily capitalizes on this matter, and uses it as an attack against his audience.  Throughout these two paragraphs, Wallace mentions the words “default setting” and “operating” (xvi).  Throughout his whole speech, he creates an extended metaphor, comparing the human mind to something as single minded as a computer. By doing so, Wallace urges the audience to stray away from these “default settings,” and change the way his or her mind works. To be able to break free from these computer-like qualities, and control the way one thinks, is the most incredible capability that a human can harness. No one wants to think of themselves as reacting like a computer, so Wallace’s method of using this extended metaphor especially urges his audience to connect with their minds and change the way they think. Controlling the mind is incredibly powerful, and those who learn do so live a more optimistic and fulfilled life. Wallace’s use of an extended metaphor reaches out to his audience in an attempt to break them free from thinking like computers, and learn to have power over their thoughts.

The use of irony in the second paragraph illustrates how detrimental one’s thoughts can be, once worship is involved. Every human is involved in some sort of worship. Whether it be religious, health, or power, worship runs though the minds of humans every day. Although believing in something, and having something to worship is important, there comes a point where this worship could turn into something destructive to one’s health. Wallace makes the attempt in showing the fault in thinking too much or too hard over some situation. He says, “Worship power and you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, and you will end up feeling stupid,” (xvi).  This use of ironic language encourages the audience think about how important it is to control the thoughts that run through their minds, and the risk that comes along with overthinking. The mind has the ability to worship, and become obsessed, but Wallace uses irony to veer his audience away from falling into a pattern of worship, and pushes them towards controlling their minds. The ironic language used in the speech causes the audience to think about what they worship, and whether it is detrimental to their state of mind.

Humans are often found taking for granted the amazing capabilities that their minds provide. Everybody thinks, but it is how one choses to think that sets him apart from the rest. David Foster Wallace examines and argues the true value in learning how to control one’s mind. Through his use of metaphoric and ironic language, Wallace creates his argument that learning how to control thought is the greatest skill that humans today have the ability to learn, and should learn to do. How different and boring would the world be if no one had the ability to actually control their thoughts? Controlling the mind opens up endless possibilities on one’s outlook on life, and brings creativity and imagination to everyday occurrences. The thought of having to actually think about thinking seems a bit ridiculous, but the power and freedom that comes with this can change one’s life for the better.
