“This is Water” is a commencement address given by David Foster Wallace to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College. Wallace uses several anecdotal stories to convene a specific message to anyone who might come across the speech. His message is that people should consider others and try to live their lives to the fullest, while enriching the lives of others.

David Foster Wallace was born in 1962 in Ithaca, New York. He was a written known for dozens non-fiction magazine pieces and most famous novel Infinite Jest (1996). Wallace struggled with depression for most of his adult life and he tragically ended his life on September 18, 2008. 

The first example showing the theme is in the first paragraph in the parable about the fish. In the story the elder fish asks the two younger fish, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” (Wallace X). One of the younger fish then asks his companion, “What the hell is water?”, (Wallace X). This amusing story is used to show how someone may not be able to see what is obviously happening simply due to their own ignorance. If the younger fish were to wonder what this strange medium they spend their days in is, they could learn a profound truth about their own reality. Wallace used this parable to encourage people to question the things around them, and to try to be as aware as possible while they live their lives.

Another example is Wallace’s story in the supermarket. The story shows how the monotony of everyday can skew one’s perception of what is happening. Wallace suggests us to “choose to look differently at this fat, dead-eyed, over-made-up lady who just screamed at her kid in the checkout line. Maybe she’s not usually like this” (Wallace XV). Perhaps some horrible circumstances have been making this women’s life hell and she really deserves sympathy, or perhaps this woman is a terrible human being. The point is that the truth is not known so should judgment should be reserved. Wallace wanted people to show empathy, even if the empathy isn’t necessary deserved, to enrich the lives of others. 

The final example is perhaps the clearest example of Wallace wanting people to live their lives to the fullest. He says that the, “capital T Truth is about life BEFORE death. It is about the real value of a real education, which had almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness” (Wallace XVII). Wallace wanted people to be aware of everyone around them. He wanted us to be aware that people are mortal beings and people are not perfect, but most people try to be as good as they can. However sometimes that is hard, it is incredibly difficult to be kind and compassionate when not everyone shows them the same kindness. Wallace’s message in “This is Water” is to tell these graduating people, who are starting their lives, that life is very hard and that they will go through tough times, but they are going to need to fight to make the most of their lives. 

In conclusion, although he suffered from depression and tragically ended his own life, Wallace wanted everyone to consider others while we are living our lives and to live our lives to the absolute fullest. We don’t have a lot of time to do everything we want to do in life, only an average of around 80 years, and most people spend the last fourth of their lives wishing they did more when they could do more. 
