How often do people take for granted the amazing powers of the mind? Thinking is such a natural part of life 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. Only sometimes do people consider changing their opinion, 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’s thoughts can dramatically change a person’s entire outlook on life, by providing them with an immense amount of freedom.

The use of metaphoric language in the third paragraph illustrates 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 foundations of human life that take an immense amount of effort and self-control to truly gain complete dominance over. Once achieved, though, self-control changes can produce, including health benefits, an increase in wealth, or an overall improvement in one’s quality of life. The ability to take control of the mind 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 royal power that comes with controlling thoughts. Once one has the power to control his mind, he then has the ability to set himself free from living with a one-track mind. 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, resulting in complete freedom of the mind. Computers are emotionless, lifeless and robotic pieces of technology. It is unappealing 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 the word “operating” (xv-xvi). For example, he says “If you’re automatically sure that you know what reality is, and you are operating on your default setting, then you, like me, probably won’t consider possibilities that aren’t annoying and miserable” (xv). Throughout his speech, he creates an extended metaphor, comparing the human mind to something as single minded as a computer. He warns the reader that by operating like so, he lacks the ability to find the good in life. 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-- emotionless, automatic, or robotic --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 to his freedom of the mind once worship is involved. Every human is involved in some sort of worship. Whether one worships a divine being, health, or power, worship is found in the minds of humans. 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 linger in their minds, and the risk that comes along with overthinking about the things that are out of human control. It is common for humans to want to be seen as intelligent or powerful, but it becomes dangerous when one becomes obsessive about these thoughts, causing his mind to lack freedom to incorporate other thoughts. The mind has the ability to worship, 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 control their thoughts? Controlling the mind opens 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 ridiculous and redundant, but the power and freedom that comes with this can change one’s life for the better.
