1. In two healthy paragraphs, summarize the speech and show (with framed quotes and paraphrases from the text) what you believe to be the author’s three main points/arguments. Support with textual evidence and include your own initial response to the material.

The commencement speech, “This is Water”, by David Foster Wallace challenges the way we think on the surface level. Throughout his speech he challenges his listeners to use their liberal-arts college education to help them in life after school. Wallace says that a “liberal-arts education is not so much about filling you with knowledge as it is about teaching you how to think”. It can be easily misinterpreted at first, but if you dive deeper into his meaning, you come to find that he has a strong point that he is trying to get across. He wants us as listeners to challenge our “default thoughts”, and to take a step back and try to understand what is really in play. Wallace, when referencing annoying people at the store or long-lasting traffic after a long day of work, says, “If you’re automatically sure that you know what reality is, and you are operating on your default setting, then you, like me, probably won’t consider possibilities that aren’t annoying and miserable.” He is trying to say that the other people in this situation may be going through the same tribulations as himself, if not, worse.

I believe that he is also trying to say that we should have gratuity and that it is easy to get caught up overthinking instead of realizing what is right in front of us. I agree with Wallace when he says that we should have gratitude for what we have, and that if we chase certain things without stepping back we may always feel empty. At one point Wallace says, “If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough.” Despite wanting to achieve my goals in life and wanting to set myself up well, I can see what he means. Yes, it would be great to have boatloads of cash and multiple cars, but it’s important to be grateful for what you have and not get caught chasing more. Wallace also mentions it is easy to overanalyze and not step back and appreciate what is going on. This can apply to many facets of life. Personally, I moved on from a team in junior hockey that I really enjoyed. I liked my teammates, my billet family, and the location. I decided it was time for me to move up in competition, but with that I didn’t realize how much I would miss all the benefits of my old team. If I had taken a step back and thought harder through this decision I would have realized how much I had, and what I would be giving up. 

  1. Do you agree with DFW’s main arguments? Why or why not? Explain.

I strongly agree with DFW’s main arguments. I think it is important to control our thoughts, although it is sometimes difficult, I feel that if we can control our thoughts the majority of the time we would all benefit. It may prevent those thoughts that we find ourselves having by allowing us to take another look at what is actually going on. I found that Wallace was arguing against having a closed mindset and negative thoughts. Once again, sometimes uncontrollable, but he does a good job giving us tools to overcome these thoughts. The biggest tool I thought he gave his listeners was just to step back. It is easy to make impulse decisions or have impulse thoughts in the moment, but by taking a step back it can allow us to try to understand what is really happening.

  1. Do you believe DFW is referring to empathy, even though he never uses the word? Or is he hinting at something else?

While I don’t think Wallace is directly referring to empathy I think that what he said can be applied to using empathy. For instance, it could help us gauge whether someone is fishing for empathy or if they actually need it. Applying what he spoke about could also teach us when to use empathy, maybe someone doesn’t want or need it at the time. By taking a step back before making an impulse decision that may cause more harm, we can access what the person actually needs from us.

  1. Find one DFW quote that evoked a strong response. Paste the direct quote from his piece, then write a few sentences in which you challenge or support his statement.

“The most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about.”

This quote really resided with me because you never know the full story behind someone. You may be quick to judge them for their appearance, attitude, or even their lifestyle decisions, but you don’t know the reasoning behind those behaviors. By giving them grace or even empathy for their behavior might be the right thing to do in certain situations. Not to act impulsively towards them and make their situation and yours worse. Using an act of empathy can go a long way in this case, whether it’s saying something kind, doing a kind gesture, or even doing nothing.

  1.  How do DFW’s main points interact with those of Paul Bloom (from our last reading)?

David Foster Wallace’s main points about controlling our “default setting,” stepping back to gain perspective, and showing gratitude for what we have fit in an interesting way with Paul Bloom’s arguments about empathy. Wallace argues that we should learn to think consciously and not get trapped in our default, selfish thoughts. This connects with Bloom’s analysis of empathy because Bloom suggests that empathy is not always the best tool for making fair or wise decisions. Both authors are asking us to resist reacting in the moment, whether it’s falling into negative thoughts (Wallace) or being swayed by selective empathy (Bloom) and instead choose a more thoughtful, deliberate approach to life and others.