David Foster Wallace, a well-known author from the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century, gave a commencement speech to Kenyon College’s graduating class of 2005. Wallace claimed that his goal was to explain to the graduates the meaning behind the liberal arts education they had just received rather than the “material payoff”. In his speech he continually repeats the word “death”. He uses the word “death” in several different ways, such as an adjective to describe the importance of something and voice of someone, in a hyperbole when describing dying, as well as the literal meaning of the word. 

In the second paragraph of David Foster Wallace’s, “This is Water,” he uses the word “death” to describe the importance of “banal platitudes.” He is suggesting that banal platitudes have a life or death importance to adults. Ultimately he is suggesting that adults would not be able to make it through their daily lives without cliché encouragements to cling onto. Death is used to dramatically express how significant the sayings are to the majority of people who place hope in them. By using “death” as an adjective, in this instance, it reveals to the readers the deeper meaning of the banal platitudes people hear throughout the day (Wallace XI). He is able to use “death” in such a way that causes listeners to think seriously as to what he is trying to convey, yet he is also able to use “death” to describe a characteristic of a person. 

In paragraph fourteen, Wallace uses the word “death” to describe the checkout lady’s voice. “But anyway, you finally get to the checkout line’s front, and you pay for your food, and you get told to “Have a nice day” in a voice that is the absolute voice of death (Wallace XIV).” He has given the women’s voice a negative connotation, while creating a picture in the minds of the people listening. When he describes her voice as sounding like death, one pictures her voice sounding tired, deep, and slow. This furthers his argument by giving the listeners an example of an adult living her life unaware. Wallace is suggesting that the checkout lady is stuck in the rut of life’s daily tasks and not in the now. Someone who has a voice that sounds like death is surely expected to be living their life by simply going through the motions. Wallace uses this example early on in his speech because he knows this is a relatable example that everyone can easily picture in their minds. Death is able to depict such a strong sense of imagery in the minds of those listening, so they are able to picture exactly what he is explaining. 

 In paragraph twenty-six, Wallace is using the word “death” figuratively. Wallace says "Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you (Wallace XVI).” He is trying to explain how if you value a person’s physical aspects, such as being thin or muscular, which could change, it will eventually kill you inside. Although you are technically still alive, you will not be consciously, since you are constantly focusing on something that will never be able to completely satisfy you. Wallace is using the word death to describe the feeling of the person. For example, the individual may feel dead on the inside each time they look in the mirror and do not see the image the person was once praised for. Each time the individual sees an imperfection a piece of them may shatter inside, causing another “death” before they ever really die. 

In paragraph thirty-one he uses the literal meaning of the word death (Wallace XVII). He is explaining how the truth is found in the events that happen before death, in real education which is awareness. David Foster Wallace wants to enhance his audiences’ awareness on the simplicity of life. He does this by focusing on the simple awareness towards the outlook on life, rather than essential knowledge in life as a whole. Death is the point when you no longer need to work to stay aware of your thoughts, therefore it is imperative to pull your attention away from yourself, while you are still alive. The word death is used in this context as the point of relief where a person stops his or her struggle to stay constantly aware.

David Foster Wallace also mentions death in a powerful way throughout paragraph eleven saying:

This, like many clichés, so lame and unexciting on the surface, actually expresses a great and terrible truth. It is not the least bit coincidental that adults who commit suicide with firearms almost always shoot themselves in: the head. They shoot the terrible master. And the truth is that most of these suicides are actually dead long before they pull the trigger (Wallace XIII).

He is using death literally and figuratively in this paragraph. After the person commits suicide they are obviously, literally, dead, however he also points out the fact that those adults who committed suicide were long dead, figuratively, in the inside. Wallace refers back to the idea that someone can be “dead” long before the person actually stops breathing. By this he means that the person has already been consumed by life’s mundane activities that the individual is no longer “conscious and aware (Wallace XIII).” The individual has already reached a point that they are no longer willing to move forward, therefore “dead”, if they are able to kill themselves. 

Wallace shows several different ways a person is able to use the word death because of how powerful the word is. Death is able to be used in many forms to spark strong emotions like resignation through suicide. Death is also used for vivid imagery, as an adjective, when he referred to the checkout lady’s voice. David Foster Wallace felt the need to repeatedly use the word, since it can have a significant hold on the audience. When someone hears the word death they would most likely initially think of the bad connotation of the word. However, Wallace challenges that generalization in his speech when he also refers to it as a point of relief. He says how once we die, we no longer need to continue tirelessly trying to stay aware. “Death” is a truly versatile word that can bring about many different emotions.    
