“It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness” (Wallace XVII). David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water” is a commencement speech to the Kenyon graduating class of 2005. In a speech to recently graduated college seniors, one would assume it would be filled with tips for the future, learning about that first job, or what the next steps are. Wallace chooses to not embrace that “standard requirement of US commencement speeches,” but rather he chooses to deliver some information that he feels is more vital (Wallace X). David Foster Wallace decides to make this speech more than a light, airy message about how their education will open doors like never before; Wallace chooses to convey tough lessons about life through parables, harsh wording, and foreshadowing.

David Foster Wallace allows the reader to see that this speech will not be a typical one. He provides the reader with some foreshadowing and instances that indicate his intent for this speech. “The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about,” in this quote, Wallace specifically states that the things one needs to discuss are tricky to talk about (Wallace X). By Wallace referring to the parable that realities are difficult to talk about he is foreshadowing that he is going to overcome the difficulty and talk about these realities. He is revealing that as he continues this speech he will tell these students things they need to know, but may not want to hear and what has been in front of them and they have chosen to overlook. This is seen in the quote when he mentions that “important realities are the hardest to see…” Wallace is stating that crucial topics can be directly ahead and they are missed (Wallace X). He is allowing the reader to see that he intends to talk about an “important reality” (Wallace X). “Of course the main requirement of speeches like this is that I’m supposed to talk about your liberal arts education’s meaning,” in this quote, Wallace tells the reader what he is supposed to be doing (Wallace XI). Typically, when one acknowledges what they are supposed to be doing they intend to do just the opposite. Wallace states in the quote that he is aware of what he is “supposed” to do foreshadowing that he is not going to listen. Wallace does give some insight into the importance of a liberal arts education, but he also is not just going to be satisfied with only discussing that matter.

Since David Foster Wallace has foreshadowed his intent to make this an unusual speech, it is now about the message he delivers. At this part of the speech, Wallace has just told a parable about an argument over the existence of God. The parable ends with the nonreligious person being so sure about the lack of God that he cannot acknowledge the significance of being saved during a blizzard and the religious guy being positive about God’s existence he cannot see the likelihood of an Eskimo being in Alaska. Wallace is using this parable to aid his point that people live in an egocentric world, “The point here is…to be a little less arrogant. To have just a little critical awareness” (Wallace XII). No one wants to be told that they are arrogant and have no critical awareness. Wallace telling these students that they are arrogant and have no critical awareness could be perceived as rude or harsh, which is exactly why he says it. Wallace essentially telling the students they are “arrogant” and “have no critical awareness” is because he does not want to sugarcoat things for these students (Wallace XII). He wishes to deliver a truth, not to completely belittle them, but to make them aware of reality. He wants these students to know the way of the world and accept that what lies ahead of them may not be what they had initially thought. To further reiterate his point, Wallace recognizes that in all one does they are the center of: “Think about it: there is no experience you have had that you are not the absolute center of” (Wallace XII). He is trying to further show through this parable that there are truths in front of us that one is blind to. He is also choosing to say this in a blunt manner to avoid words getting twisted. Wallace states that this is people have this “default setting, hard-wired into our boards at birth” (Wallace XII). He once again tells the students that humans are selfish people at the core. Wallace knows that people do not want to be told that they are selfish people and they have been so since they were born. He is aware that it may be controversial to discuss the errors of human egotism, but he chooses to ignore all of this. Wallace wishes to convey his message and to do so he has to take an abnormal route.

David Foster Wallace also talks to the students about worship. Here Wallace says that even if religion is not a part of one’s lifestyle, everyone worships something and it can be detrimental: “Worship power, you will end up feeling weak…worship intellect, being seen smart, you will end up feeling stupid” (Wallace XVI). Once again, Wallace chooses to bluntly tell the students they “will end up feeling stupid” (Wallace XVI). He is frequently choosing to use stronger word choice with these graduates: “… Feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out” (Wallace XVI). He is telling them that if they worship the wrong things that are going to end up feeling stupid. He gives examples of money, power, intellect, and beauty. He gives these specific examples because these will be what the students will face. After graduating money, power, intellect, and beauty can be extremely important and he wants to damage the idea of worshiping them. He states that whatever one worships they will not be able to reach. In the quote it can be seen that in an attempt to be powerful one becomes is weak and in an attempt to be smart one becomes stupid. Earlier in his speech Wallace stated that sometimes the things that are right in front of oneself are sometimes the things one struggles to see the most. “… Without ever being full aware that that’s what you’re doing” (Wallace XVI), Here Wallace wants to let people know that worshiping something is like trying to achieve the unachievable. He also wants them to realize that they might not even realize they are engaging in this. He states in the quote that one isn’t aware that they are making this mistake in worshiping material things. Regardless of how hard one tries become the richest person, failure will happen and your life will have been a waste. Wallace is not trying to tell people to not be ambitious or to not have any goals, but rather to not center oneself around something that does not matter. Wallace is trying to convey the message to the students to not get caught up in material things, but rather to pay attention to the things that matter.

In David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water” he decides to make this speech more than a light, airy message about how their education will open doors like never before; Wallace chooses to convey tough lessons about life. Throughout his speech to the class of 2005 he delivers messages of being less arrogant, becoming more self-aware, learning to focus on others, and that material things are not what is important. 
