Southall 1

Ella Beth Southall

Professor Padgett
English 101
18 September 2015
External Concerns
Throughout his essay, This is Water, David Foster Wallace fights a constant
battle with humankinds default-setting (XIII). The default setting evokes humankinds
self-absorption, while reality continues around them unnoticed. People lose focus on the
water (XII) or reality around them because of their inner emphasis. Through his speech,
Wallace encourages humankind to stray from their self-interest and create a new focus on
the world. Wallace urges all humans to adjust their default setting, in order to create a
more deliberate reality. During his commencement speech, This is Water, Wallace
requests that his audience abandon their default setting, through renouncing everyday
worries, mortal worships, and conscious efforts.
David Foster Wallace implores his audience to drop the internal devotion to create
a more conscious reality. In his essay, Wallace discusses the idea that humans believe that
the world works against them, when in reality the world exists solely for the purpose of
existing. Humans believe that everybody is just in my way (XIV), when in actuality
they are coexisting, instead of disturbing one another. Reality connects the whole human
race to create mixed lives and stories. When all of these other, tired, hurried people
(XIV) coexist, conflict occurs in common places. In everyday occurrences, humans are
slowed by one another, which can either be a fiasco or an adventure,

Southall 2
depending on how individuals envision reality. Wallace states, you get to decide how
youre going to try to see it (XVI). Individuals are given the choice on how they see the
world. In This is Water, Wallace requests that his audience decides to adjust their
default setting to make the human race live a more deliberate reality.
In order to consciously adjust the default setting, individuals must actively choose
what they worship. Wallace urges his audience to choose a divine figure, instead of
mortal ideals, because anything else will eat you alive (XVI). Wallace believes that any
human based faith will result in a sense of failure, while divinity gives individuals hope.
In his example he states, if you worship money and things -- if they are where you tap
real meaning in life -- then you will never have enough (XVI). He suggests that any
earthly desire will never result in satisfaction, but in more greed and self-emphasis. Only
divine figures will give individuals freedom and hope to continue. This sense of failure
will only cause self-destruction, so that you will die a million deaths before they finally
plant you (XVI). Wallace suggests dropping these mortal confinements in order to see
the true reality. Wallace enlightens his audience to their choices and worships in life, so
that they will live willingly and consciously in their realities.
Throughout This is Water, Wallace creates the visual of unconscious default
settings,and implores his audience to create deliberate efforts in reality and interactions.
He shows that culture will allow for the unconscious effort, while Wallace hopes for the
freedom to be lords of our own tiny skull-sized kingdoms (XVII). Individuals need to
decide their own deliberate stream of consciousness instead of following cultures
heedless direction. Humans need to attempt to stay aware, in order to avoid the default

Southall 3
setting. Wallace directs his audience to keep the truth up-front in daily consciousness,
(XVI) in order to create a more aware reality. The effort to keep conscious creates the
freedom of thinking and an aware reality. As Wallace concludes, he clarifies that the
capital-T Truth is about life before death. It is about making it to 30, or maybe 50 without
wanting to shoot yourself in the head. It is about awareness (XVII). Wallace urges his
audience to live mindfully and to avoid the monotony of society, so that they can see the
true reality. Wallace hopes that humans intentionally adjust their default setting in order
to avoid an unconscious reality.
In his essay, This is Water, David Foster Wallace creates the image of the
default setting to produce a more conscious reality. Through his explanation of alert
thinking, Wallace uses mortal concerns, worships, and intentions to convey the
importance of reality. Often, individuals focus on themselves and forget to look at reality.
Wallace calls on his audience to be wary of the mortal worships, because they will
ultimately end in disappointment. Humankind needs to live intentionally, so that they go
through life consciously. This is Water is a commencement speech that gives hope to
the younger adults, as they start living mindfully. He reminds his audience to constantly
think, this is water, this is water (XVII), so they can continually better reality.
EllaBeth,
Ireallylikewhatyouredoinghere.Tome,thethrustofthisessayseemstobemore
aboutyourperspectiveonWallacehimselfandwhohisis.Ilikeyouranalysisonthe
writerasanantimaterialist,andthatthereisperhaps,andantimaterialistmessagehere.
Idliketohearmoreonthat.Maybethatcouldbeathesisthatmightreallydrivethe
essay.Asitis,Imnotsureexactlywhatyouarearguingforhere.Butthematerialism
stuffisgreat!Inrevision,Idliketoseethatdevelopedmore.