Jessica Klamer

Response to Commencement Speech

2
nd
Hour World Views
April 16, 2014
I am writing in response to the commencement speech that was written and spoken by David
Foster Wallace to Kenyon College. While reading and analyzing this speech, there were certain things
that stood out to me. There were many points that Wallace made that pointed towards the cosmic
humanist direction and they made you really think for a moment. Everything he said had a hint of truth,
along with a hint of deceit.
My initial reaction to the speech was that of confusion. Towards the beginning I did not quite
understand what he was trying to say for I felt his analogies and examples were slightly misleading.
Along with this confusion, I felt that he was being a little sarcastic as well. He made small remarks about
clich commencement speeches, as well as mocking those who hold to any form of religious beliefs.
Throughout the speech, he does not outright say it, but he gives off the impression of his distaste for
religion and belief systems in general.
My next reaction as a read on was that of acceptance and consideration. I began to toil with
some of the points that he proposed and began to consider them as legit arguments. He related with me
when he described the situation at the supermarket and all the ill feelings that went along with that
experience. His proposal to stop thinking of only ourselves and to turn of the default setting and
instead think of others sounded good and promising and I began to agree with him.
My final reaction occurred after I had thought back on the article and really considered what he
was trying to say. I began to feel wary as I contemplated everything he said. He claims that we must be
tolerant towards others and their ideas and beliefs for no one is right or wrong. They are just in fact
different paths that will lead to the same destination. The whole idea of controlling your way of thinking
in order to benefit yourself is unbiblical and it showed me how careful I need to be while reading certain
pieces of literature.