Summary Of This Is Water By David Foster Wallace

One of the biggest challenges for many fresh out of college is defining what education means. David Foster Wallace American novelist, essayist, and university professor challenges the traditional definition of education, “earning how to be well-adjusted. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn’t.” (Wallace 4). Education is more than knowledge it is about being consciously aware of one’s own decisions and taking responsibility for the outcome. It goes beyond learning how to write an essay in school, it means being open to new experiences and learning continuously. Education can have many definitions, my definition of benign educated is the act of becoming curious, gaining knowledge, and acquiring experiences that lead

The commencement speech, “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace, tells the graduating class about a default setting that is engraved in everyone and the importance of obtaining a mindset of being considerate of others, “…literally self-center and to see and interpret everything through this lens of self. People who adjust their natural default setting this way are often described as being well adjusted,” (Wallace 2). Wallace is talking about the “default setting”, which is described as being self-centered, putting one's own needs before acknowledging others. This is significant because when an individual is able to grow outside their default setting and get out of their own mind they are able to choose how they look at the situation. Not only does this apply to day-to-day life but it also applies to academic settings. An example of when I had to be mindful is in an academic setting when there is a discussion about wearing uniforms. Some students may believe that uniforms are good while others may disagree. In this situation, I tried to understand the opposing side's views and ideas. I listen to their points and I could understand why they believed that uniforms were a bad influence. Taking myself out of the discussion and looking at it from a third-party view I was able to see both sides. Which relates to stepping outside the default setting and being mindful of others’

Adrienne Rich an American, feminist, and poet, wrote an essay, “Claiming an Education”, where she points out the importance of taking charge of one's education, “to claim” is: to take as the rightful owner; to assert in the face of possible contradiction,” (Rich 1). Rich emphasizes the idea of being mindful of taking charge of one’s education. Rich goes on to tell the audience about “claiming their education”. This means that individuals should not let others take control of their education. She is encouraging others to take charge of their education. This is important because when an individual takes responsibility for their own education they become more motivated to learn. Additionally, they put in more work and invest in the knowledge that they are gaining. For example, in college, I am able to choose what course to take, and what to study. As a college student, I had to learn how to identify what is important to me and take advantage of my education. When individual learners how to be aware of others in addition to identifying things that need attention they are gaining