Within the last couple of decades, a common trend in graduation commencement speeches is that they tend to be motivational. While almost all commencement speeches follow this pattern there still remains a handful that do not. Although these particular speeches that aren’t necessarily inspirational stand out from the norm, they still contain the ability to be informative and educational. Many college graduates want to hear something funny or inspirational as they only get to experience college graduation once and it will be something they won’t forget. However, what they need to hear is of greater importance and will help guide them going forward in life. In the commencement speech “This is Water,” performed by David Foster Wallace, the overall message of the speech can be perceived and taken in a variety of ways. With that being said, by facing reality, providing the audience with fear, and approaching the audience with what they don’t want to hear Wallace will deliver his intended message. Amidst the early confusion, it will be evident that Wallace’s speech is intended to be a warning rather than provide a inspirational or motivational connotation because of his tone and choice of words. 

Many people believe that Wallace provides a motivational approach towards his speech that creates a newly coveted essence of what life after college should look like. However, David Foster Wallace actually prompted the crowd to simultaneously let out an inaudible gasp of despair, leaving these students fidgeting in an uptight manner anxious to hear each and every word. As he dives deeper into his speech, Wallace makes a significantly important statement; “Please don’t worry that I’m getting ready to lecture you about compassion or other directedness or all the so-called virtues. This is not a matter of virtue” (The Carolina Reader xii). The audience may feel that this direct statement refers to the idea that Wallace is here to inspire and educate, despite the tone as he uses sarcasm. While he states that he isn’t going to ramble on about virtues, he actually incorporates the idea of virtues into the entire speech once it is read between the lines. He makes statements throughout the commencement speech about the everyday citizens strolling through the grocery store after an uneventful day in the office and just how their attitudes and decisions impact their outlook on life. While David Foster Wallace undoubtedly deceived the audience into thinking his speech would be a happy, lighthearted announcement.

David Foster Wallace emphasizes the fact that whatever you worship in life will impact you everyday. He makes the argument that everybody worships something and it’s likely that they are just wasting their time. Whether it is money, social media, or physical objects, Wallace believes there is no positive that comes from relying on and putting so much passion into whatever it is being worshipped. This is because in most cases they don’t get anything positive out of it. Many people worship money or materialistic items when those ultimately provide no positive impact on their attitude, beliefs, and actions as they go about their day through their repetitive job. As he goes on to talk about falling into the trap of worshipping things that aren’t worth doing he says, “But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they’re evil or sinful, it’s that they’re unconscious. They are default settings” (The Carolina Reader xvi). Everybody worships something and it doesn’t always have to be a religious related person. What Wallace creates is a realization for the audience that one has no control over most of these forms of worship as they are in fact default and unconscious. He continues to warn while dismissing any assumptions of inspirational phrases with his input on worshipping.

As Wallace’s lecture to the audience continues, he makes yet another warning. In this situation he states, “There happen to be whole, large parts of adult American life that nobody talks about in commencement speeches. One such part involves boredom, routine, and petty frustration” (Carolina Reader xiii). What Wallace is generally referring to by making this statement is the idea that adult life isn’t all as spectacular and full of freedom as it appears. By mentioning the fact that it isn’t just short periods but actually large parts of life he recognizes the importance of facing reality in his speech. It can be inferred that David Foster Wallace believes that the typical bland graduation speech lets the audience know what they need to hear in order to succeed in the next few years but not in the long run. He cherishes the idea of digging deeper into the context and pondering what life’s obstacles will consist of in reality as a replacement for viewing life through a window that shows the average American life. David Foster Wallace’s graduation commencement speech compared to the average commencement speech at a college in the United States is like comparing a window to a mirror. David’s commencement speech resembles a mirror in that it provides an opportunity to reflect on the reality of life after college and the struggles and hardship that are guaranteed to come along with it. By reflecting on the realistic future for each of the students graduating, he is indeed warning them about the troubles and road blocks to come. David Foster Wallace warns the student crowd about their future problems and he isn’t afraid to do so as he willingly and consciously admits that his speech may not be as entertaining or ecstatic as most other speeches tend to be.

David Foster Wallace undoubtedly issues a sense of warning to the students graduating from Kenyon College through his graduation commencement speech. In doing so these students receive one of the greatest commencement speeches of all time as it has been rated amongst the best. Just as all their college classes most likely did, this speech forces them to think deeper and question their belief of what their college education is really worth. Is it of monetary value or is it a prized possession used to gain greater access in the real world to opportunities they might not have had otherwise. There is no right or wrong answer which is why Wallace left it for the class of 2005 graduates to decide. 