Rhetorical Analysis Of Kenyon's Speech By David Foster Wallace
analytical Essay
900 words
In 2005 David Foster Wallace was given the honor to deliver the commencement speech for Kenyon’s graduating class. Veering away from the typical commencement speech, Wallace does not try to inspire the students about the meaning of their degrees and how they will do great things, but rather informs them on the ways of thinking in a society. He gives the audience an insight into the cruel world they are about to enter and does not hold anything back. By the end of his speech we learn that Wallace is a struggling human being just like the rest us. David Foster Wallace grew up in New York with a father who was a philosophy professor and a mother who was an english teacher. Little did he know that their professions would end up influencing his …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how david foster wallace delivered the commencement speech for kenyon's graduating class in 2005. he did not try to inspire students about the meaning of their degrees and how they will do great things, but rather informs them on the ways of thinking in a society.
- Narrates how david foster wallace grew up in new york with a philosophy professor and an english teacher. he wrote the broom of the system and infinite jest.
- Analyzes how wallace's speech, this is water, inspires us to live an optimistic life, but we must question all aspects of the speech to understand.
- Analyzes how wallace committed suicide three years after his this is water speech due to depression. wallace used this speech as a fair warning of what could come if you continue down the path of self.
- Opines that david foster wallace gave us a truth we all needed to realize.
No, we must look a little deeper into Wallace’s life. We have already discussed that Wallace suffered from depression. What some may not know is that he committed suicide three years after his This is Water speech due to it. How does that apply to the speech itself? Throughout the entire speech Wallace continues to state that the mind is a horrible master. If we let our minds take over instead of serve we enter a life of death. We have to continue to fight it and keep it in control. But, if the one who is giving us this wonderful piece advice can not follow it himself can we really trust him? After Wallace’s decision to do what he did he instantly made This is Water an irony. Every person who chose to follow its advice instantly began to question everything they were told. If this man was inevitably going to lose the battle he was telling us to keep fighting then why should we keep trying? I believe Wallace used this speech as a fair warning of what could come if you continue down the path of self. Yes, it is ironic but he lived this life and was knowledgable on how not to live and take the same path he did. While his suicide may have taken away the credibility of This is Water for some, I believe it added even more to it. It gives us an inside look into how the process takes place and I think that is what Wallace wanted us to
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