Book Analysis Essay on What is Water

Introduction

This is Water, refers to David Wallace's commencement speech during a graduation ceremony. While most readers may look at this speech as a simple story, there is no doubt that his choice of words represents a deeper and philosophical understanding. David Fosters challenges his listeners to focus on the significance of critical thinking. According to him, people who think critically are termed as conscious while those who do not think critically are termed as unconscious individuals. How does Wallace's understanding of consciousness and unconsciousness differ from other ethical arguments? It is evident that this speech relies primarily on emotional and logical entreaties while ignoring ethical backgrounds, e.g., activism that promotes the creation of a conscious society. This paper offers a rhetorical analysis of David Foster's speech 'This is Water' to portray lessons and logical appeals (Wallace 22).

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David Wallace uses the phrase default setting to portray how humans conduct daily activities without looking into them meticulously. According to Foster, today's society acts unconsciously and forgets quickly about important matters. Through unconscious actions, people pay less attention to their experiences and are hardly aware of their environment. A perfect example is when humans think about well-paying jobs and riches but forget to appreciate the beautiful nature that surrounds them or how their bodies function to keep them alive. In David's speech, the old fish appreciates the beauty of the water while the young fish are taking water for granted (Wallace 23).

David Foster believes one has freedom of choosing how to view the world away from the normal default setting. He emphasizes awareness and reminds humans that they are not programmed to think in one direction. Wallace challenges humans to think critically and determine whether something is significant/meaningful. According to him, those who look at things negatively will always achieve negative results while those who look at things positively achieve positive outcomes. Wallace emphasizes that an individual has the power and ability to change even a negative situation into a happier and hopeful one (Wallace 25).

David Wallace leaves individuals asking themselves a series of rhetorical questions. For instance, what is my natural default setting? How do I react to negative situations? Do I look at the world positively or negatively? In his speech, Wallace states that the most common realities of life are those that we ignore or hardly see. He urges listeners to conduct a conscious analysis and determine which side they fall. Since he was addressing college students, it is safe to conclude that 'This is Water' refers to the US education system. Students should make a conscious analysis beyond just pen and paper. Besides, he urges students to practice controlling how or rather what they think. When one is able to control what and how they think, they develop a conscious attitude that helps to convert experiences into meaningful life lessons. Adults who are unable to develop this conscious attitude will remain frustrated about their experiences. According to him, your image is a reflection of your character and thinking. For examples, people with say you are kind based on how you think and treat them. He urges students to acknowledge that life is full of superficial things to be able to discover the most common things yet hard to see or talk about (Wallace 28).

David Wallace believes that graduates are ignorant of how a typical day looks like in the real world as no one has been courageous enough to talk about it in a commencement speech. According to his speech, every youth operates on a default setting and hardly considers possibilities that might be frustrating or annoying. However, through conscious and critical thinking, one will realize that these experiences will help to shape one into an empathetic and compassionate person (Wallace 33).

David Foster also emphasizes the need for being empathetic and compassionate towards others regardless of the situation you might be going through. When people look at life from many angles, they are able to contain their situation and eliminate stress or anxiety. Empathy and compassion are key drivers in ensuring one enjoys a positive life. This way, one will realize that the world doesn't revolve around specific individuals only. He uses an example of an individual who is complaining about being stuck in a traffic jam and compares him to a father who is driving his sick child to a hospital. These sentiments help people to understand that there is a bigger reason why some things happen around us. Instead of repeatedly complaining about the events around you, it is better to imagine that another person may also be going through worse events (Wallace 37).

David Foster's speech submits his listeners to the reality of life but encourages them to learn to adjust to every situation. This way, one can make a conscious decision of meaningful things instead of those he values. He argues that our default settings encourage us to worship things such as beauty, power, and money, all of which shall never be sufficient enough. Instead, one should focus on paying attention to details, discipline and caring for others. Foster believes that real freedom is being able to choose caring for people over riches, beauty, and power (Wallace 40).

Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe that David Wallace reminds us that real education or freedom is escaping societal default settings and exercising control over our thinking. Apart from just a pen and paper, real education is about our ordinary experiences (Wallace 40).

Works Cited

Wallace, David Foster. This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life. New York: Little, Brown, 2009.