David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water” was a commencement speech to the graduating class of 2005. Wallace’s speech was like no other. His intention was not to give a motivational speech, but was to prepare them for the real world. Though, Wallace did not have the normal approach to a graduation speech, he illustrated his theme perfectly for the audience and readers. Wallace uses repetition of a distinct word, death, to teach the graduates that life is going to be hard, but you have to push through day to day in life.

Through out Wallace’s speech, he uses many repetitions like death, and things pertaining to hardship. This repetition shows us what Wallace really wants the graduating class to take from the speech. Death, is all around us, even in many different forms. Whether it be mental, physical, or emotional death, it is hard. At the beginning of his speech, he jumped right in by saying, using a fish story about the fish questioning life. He states, “... In the day-to-day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have life-or-death importance.” (Wallace XII) “Life-or-death importance” represents the struggle that people in  life, and maybe even yourself will struggle with the knowing of our self worth, but at the same time being so self consumed. “Banal platitudes” is a synonym cliche. Wallace uses this adjective to describe life, almost as boring. Wallace uses this repletion and example specifically to illustrate the struggle of life or death; Wallace encourages them to choose life.

One might wonder why he uses such a hard repetition for a graduation speech? The answer is, after graduating is your first time entering the real world. Bills, kids, stress, and death will almost be a part of their everyday life. Everyday life then becomes boring, and blah. He warns that somedays they will drag, and you will not see the point of life. In continuation, Wallace gives an allusion to everyday tasks that he makes them seem unbearable. He explains his trip to the grocery store after the terrible traffic after work. Wallace explains his trip to be “stupid and infuriating”. (Wallace XIV) At the end of his run, he checks out. The cashier says to him, “Have a nice day”. He says its “a voice that is the absolute voice of death.” (Wallace XIV)  Wallace does not actually mean her actual tone of voice sounds like death, but the repetition of a cliche phrase in life is. The over use of the phrase in the world today, makes it almost in-genuine. He explains that life is choices, and one of the hardest ones is to decide to pick up and continue life, as what he describes as miserable. Wallace’s repetition and comparison of death to life, is explained by the repetition of annoying tasks and ticks. His repetition of death, illustrates the repetition of life. Wallace makes it to be as if life and death are synonymous. His repetition of death is used for emphasis on how difficult life is sometimes.

 Wallace then repeats death again when he is telling the audience that Someone is often alone in your head, and suicide will once become the norm in life. He states “And the truth is that most of these suicides are actually dead long before the pull the trigger.” (Wallace XII) He tells the class to keep pushing through and not become “a slave to your head.” (Wallace XII) This is an extremely harsh topic to talk about at a normally positive event. Wallace does this to prepare, and even warn the grads about life. This quote is Wallace’s explanation for why he uses the repletion of life. One deals with life alone in their head almost everyday. Death is often a repetitive thing in adulthood, so that is why the author repeats death so much. His style repeats his meaning. 

Wallace concludes his speech with “The capital T -Truth is about life before death. It is about making it to 30, or maybe 50 without wanting to shoot yourself in the head.” (XVII) Wallace’s speech is a motivational and real speech, relayed and a blunt and brutal way. It’s a reality check, what is life for? To do the somethings everyday, and deal with terrible things for what outcome? But, he then reminds you that there is a lot to life and its worth a watch so just push through. The repletion of death is essential for Wallace’s message. He had to use such a brutal comparison to get his point across. Wallace reminds us that the good parts of life are about “freedom,” freedom to do the good things in life, for other people and yourself. The quality death cannot offer. The repetition of death, or the death to life comparison, was essential to Wallace’s speech, giving us a real, hard, situation the everyone deals to show us that somehow in the end of life, it’s worth it. The author concludes his speech with this point, because he illustrates some pretty brutal examples, like the repetition of death, throughout the body of his speech. He concludes with this to reassure the class that it is indeed worth it.

Wallace illustrated his theme through the repetition of death perfectly. The point he wanted to get across, was explained by the way his speech was structured and the examples he used. His harsh illustrations of past experiences with death acted as a catalyst for support of his theme. The repetition of death was crucial to Wallace’s speech. Without the repetition, he could not have convinced the audience that his approach was needed. They would have though it to be too harsh, but the way he structured it set up the audience to wait for his explanation, and it his explanation was valid. 