We are taught from a young age to set goals and achieve them; day in and day out we either take small steps to short term goals or larger steps to long term goals. We live our lives very focused on ourselves and look to improve or sometimes destroy ourselves. Wallace would call this the default setting. In his 2005 Commencement Address Wallace states in very realistic terms that we think of ourselves as “the realist, most vivid, and important person in existence.” We have never had an experience outside our being and therefore there has never been one moment in our life that we were not the center of. Given this, Wallace utilizes a combination of perspective and pathos to analyze various anecdotes that bear different point-of-views. Using
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By taking the taboos of what and how we communicate and remaking or modernizing it, he forms a very discussable topic that the audience can get very involved in without hesitation. A great example of this is when he describes adult life and the dreary day to day reality of repeating the same practice over and over. By telling a story about a typical work day from the audience’s point-of-view, Wallace pinpoints the thoughts and emotions that accentuates the arrogance of our mind process. He talks in depth about some of the things you think or feel at each part of the day; for example, Wallace describes the grocery store as “hideously lit and infused with soul-killing muzak or corporate pop.” Objectively, a store is just a store and it functions as a resource to buy the things you need or want. However, after a long, difficult day at work, it transforms into lifeless, hindering block of concrete with a bunch of stuff that a person and countless others just like them need to get. Without considering the situation those other people might be in, they become just as lifeless as the store. As a result of Wallace’s story, I was able to recognize the importance of having a simple awareness of others around me and adapting to different …show more content…
They are suppose to review main points, perfectly tie everything together into a nice neat package, and all the while, leave the audience with a compelling thought or expression. Wallace accomplishes this effectively by referring to the important topics and ideas throughout his speech. By doing this, the audience can retain the essential information, since it’s impossible to recall an entire speech word for word. Furthermore, he effectively ties those points together and creates a deeper, more refined meaning, which leaves a bigger impact on the audience. Throughout his delivery, he repeats words or phrases, for example, “simple awareness,” “freedom,” “default setting,” and “choice.” All of these, in one way or another build up to a summary statement he makes at the end: “It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness…” The choices people make about what and how they think- having awareness- gives them the freedom to learn about the world with an open mind, adapted from the default setting. They can open the door, instead of looking through a keyhole. It’s the hardest mindset to achieve, but it’s not forced. Wallace also made a point to emphasize this because everyone is free to think about whatever they want to. By providing different perspectives to parables about everyday life, he gives
By taking the taboos of what and how we communicate and remaking or modernizing it, he forms a very discussable topic that the audience can get very involved in without hesitation. A great example of this is when he describes adult life and the dreary day to day reality of repeating the same practice over and over. By telling a story about a typical work day from the audience’s point-of-view, Wallace pinpoints the thoughts and emotions that accentuates the arrogance of our mind process. He talks in depth about some of the things you think or feel at each part of the day; for example, Wallace describes the grocery store as “hideously lit and infused with soul-killing muzak or corporate pop.” Objectively, a store is just a store and it functions as a resource to buy the things you need or want. However, after a long, difficult day at work, it transforms into lifeless, hindering block of concrete with a bunch of stuff that a person and countless others just like them need to get. Without considering the situation those other people might be in, they become just as lifeless as the store. As a result of Wallace’s story, I was able to recognize the importance of having a simple awareness of others around me and adapting to different …show more content…
They are suppose to review main points, perfectly tie everything together into a nice neat package, and all the while, leave the audience with a compelling thought or expression. Wallace accomplishes this effectively by referring to the important topics and ideas throughout his speech. By doing this, the audience can retain the essential information, since it’s impossible to recall an entire speech word for word. Furthermore, he effectively ties those points together and creates a deeper, more refined meaning, which leaves a bigger impact on the audience. Throughout his delivery, he repeats words or phrases, for example, “simple awareness,” “freedom,” “default setting,” and “choice.” All of these, in one way or another build up to a summary statement he makes at the end: “It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness…” The choices people make about what and how they think- having awareness- gives them the freedom to learn about the world with an open mind, adapted from the default setting. They can open the door, instead of looking through a keyhole. It’s the hardest mindset to achieve, but it’s not forced. Wallace also made a point to emphasize this because everyone is free to think about whatever they want to. By providing different perspectives to parables about everyday life, he gives