 Most graduation speeches are widely different than David Foster Wallace’s This is Water speech. Why would he make life after college seem so dreary and monotonous the viewer may ask? Well that was exactly his goal in order for the audience to truly understand the point he was trying to get across, but it is not as easily seen as he may want. That is where the visualization paired with the audio of the speech comes in. For most, it is much easier to understand something if they can see it and that was exactly the point of the video. The video adds the key element that the plain old text cannot give the audience, visualization. Without the video the audience is forced to come up with some image in their own head and that image may be different than what Wallace had intended. The visuals give the viewer only one way of thinking about it rather than multiple. And for people that have never experienced what he is trying to explain the visuals can be considered essential in fully and easily understanding his speech. Moreover, it is much harder to interpret the deeper meanings of his text without the visual aid. Similar to one of Wallace’s points in his speech, it is not always easy thinking about things the way other people do and the visuals help you do that. 

What is a college degree worth? David Foster Wallace may say that it is priceless because it is essential in one’s ability to think differently. The first man shown in the video is a representation of anyone that has been given the privilege of attending college and graduating from college. It is no surprise that a stereo-typical college graduate would have a job where he has to wear a suit and tie and sit at a desk all day, a typical white-collar job. It is a surprise however to think of this man as always unhappy and stressed. You would think someone who gets to wear a suit and tie to work every day and do no physical labor whatsoever would be quite satisfied with life. Quite the contrary is shown here which brings the audience to ask why? This man obviously is educated and has a job that gives him enough means to put food on the table and keep a roof over his head. How could he not be happy with life? This is exactly what the object of the video is trying to capture. This begins the process of thinking of other people and not just yourself. To add onto this, the video aids us in thinking of other people by showing us the other people in the grocery line. At first we see the repulsiveness of the other people and their disregard for everyone around them. As the video continues though and slows down so you can see close up the expressions of the other people in line you realize that they are not much different than the man in the shirt and tie. Just like him they do not want to be there and they do not want to wait in line. 

At the begging of the video, the audience can hardly tell what is going on in the video due to how fast it is moving from one scene to the next. This gives the viewer an idea of how fast the days go by, one after the other with never ending monotony, which is exactly what Wallace is trying to portray. The viewer almost becomes short of breath just from watching the video because they are forced to be transported into the scenes with the use of pov camera shots. The fast paced traffic and people coming in and out of the building just adds more stress to the audience and more uncertainty on what the future holds. The viewer become one with the man in the shirt and tie and start to feel exactly how he feels. The viewer just wants everyone to get out of his or her way so that they can go home and relax. But as the video continues it begins to slow down. It focuses in more on the other people in the video and not so much on the main character whom represents the audience. The faces of the other people in the checkout line do not look that much different than that of the man in the shirt and tie. Giving the viewer the thought that maybe they are feeling the same way as I am. The view of the traffic switches from a pov shot in a car to a birds eye view that gives the viewer and opportunity to realize that they are not the only person on the road and that everyone has a place to be. Towards the end of the video the whole focus is on the other people surrounding the man in the shirt and tie and then suddenly a switch back to him helps the audience put the two things together. There is not always going to be a video to help the viewer think of other people. The point is that it is up to the viewers to look around and think for themselves. 

That is the bigger point of Wallace’s speech. The point is not just for the audience to look around and see the other people, but for them to be able to look within themselves and realize that it’s not all about them. People have always struggled to think of others in certain situations. As Wallace says it’s our default setting to think of ourselves and not others. But it is hard to grasp the thought of humans having settings. The visual aid of the video really comes in handy here. The audience is able to visualize this with the man in the shirt and tie staring off into the distance as his thoughts circle his head as if everything revolves around him. Then a little gauge pops up into view and cranks all the way down to default. A very simple visual to help explain a more complicated idea shows the abilities of adding visuals to a text. When the audience sees the bright lights and quickly paced scenes in the video it is easy to become distracted and to not be able to relax and observe your surroundings. When the video slows down and the audience is able to take a closer look at everything around them is when they are able to decide for themselves the value of their education. They can take the common road of thinking of themselves or they can take the road less traveled. They can decide to not be in such a rush and to enjoy the moment because it will not be there for long. Every moment is there only for a second and the viewer could easily miss a once in a lifetime event just because they were too obsessed with themselves. The true value of an education is being able to enjoy every moment in life, even if that moment is sitting in the checkout line at the grocery store. 
