David Foster Wallace: Kenyon Commencement Speech

Has the liberal arts education route become the Penicillin of the higher education realm? Proceeding from redundancy, this presupposed broad-spectrum choice of study has been around for quite some time. Potentially, it can be inferred that the liberal arts have been around at least since the days of Plato, who so eloquently promoted his humble yet satirical opinion of government. Perhaps, this was the genesis of the liberalists. Despite its perceived ostensible success, the liberal arts have indubitably received some hate mail.

Summary In chapter three “In the defense of a Liberal Education” author Fareed Zakaria opens up what he believes to be “central virtue of liberal education”(72). He writes that it teaches one how to think critically and clearly. He explains that thinking is the stronger advantage one could have in writing well. Before writing it helps first people to think in a critical sense so work should be using simple language in a well comprehendible way.

The Kenyon Commencement Speech After we graduate from high school the most common thought that we have is going into the adult world. Some of us don’t even have a clue on what the real world is about. It’s not all about testes, quizzes or exam; it’s either we get or we don’t. This speech is basically about the decision we make in our lives and we act on these decisions.

Party polarization in American politics is a phenomenon that has been pervading into American government for the last few decades. Simply put, the term refers to the ideological distance between the two parties within government growing farther and farther apart in Congress, which have various consequences on the American way of life. The causes of party polarization include historical demographic changes since the 1950s, external forces acting upon the public, as well as demographic changes. Possibly the most popular explanation for polarization in American congress is Southern Realignment, a term coined to describe the increasingly Republican southern White, and the disappearance of southern Democrats, particularly those who are more conservative.

High school seniors are faced with a wide variety of decisions as they approach graduation. They must decide whether or not they are going to attend college, begin working, or do something else. If they do decide to attend college, they also must decide whether to pursue a liberal arts education or a vocational one. A liberal arts education primarily includes a collection of different classes and topics students can choose to take and study. A vocational route will mainly educate students on their specific intended career.

Essayist and Novelist David Foster Wallace, in his speech, “This is Water,” defends the true purpose of a liberal arts education, and emphasizes the necessity of thinking the right way in life. Wallace attempts to create a humble, personal tone through the use of informal diction, ethical appeals, and personal encounters in order to connect with his audience and shift them to see that they are not alone in this struggle, and they must prevail in order to truly be “living.” Wallace’s argument is successful due to the implementations of this tone, ethical appeals, and repetition of purposeful phrases. Wallace’s informal or low diction is shown through the use of words such as, “finger wagging,” “bullshit,” and, “god-damn people.” The effect of these words is the creation of a laid back, personable tone that ensures the audience does not feel like Wallace is “preaching” to them or giving them “moral advice.”

The purpose of a liberal arts college is to educate students to be well rounded. It teaches them how to think and how to learn. Some may think a liberal arts school is pointless, however, it allows a whole new perspective that can benefit students by helping later on in life. This is why Marywood focuses on five core values to keep students on track and experienced. Marywood’s core values include service, excellence, empowerment, respect, and catholic identity.

As a college educated individual it’s rather difficult to identify with a pair of guppies that aren’t aware of the liquid that surrounds them. Yet David Foster Wallace chooses to make the comparison in the beginning of his 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address. Wallace chooses to retell parabolist stories and uses his extensive knowledge of the average day to day routine to support the idea that we are self-centered by nature. However, he also uses well supported logical appeals to identify the solution to our nature. In his speech, Wallace speaks out about the choices that most people make on a day to day bases regarding the way we view the world.

What is education? What does it mean to be an educated individual? People go to a liberal education institution all the time, but what is liberal education? How does a liberal education affect us in the long run? Liberal education is such an important aspect that all people should have.

The literate arts have been an integral aspect of human civilization throughout history. In Richard Miller’s essay “The Dark Night of the Soul”, he poses the question, “What are the literate arts really good for?” He admits that gathering information is a clear value of the literate arts, but throughout the essay he portrays a doubtful view of their value in today’s society. Although, he brought up some interesting points, his doubts stands in contrast to the literate arts’ true role in society today. As a student, I too feel it is important to fully understand the important connections that are told within a piece of literature.