As part of Harvard’s notable Alumni, David Foster Wallace published many notable works which were met by mixed, but impressed critical reviews. In his article “This Is Water,” David Foster Wallace effectively encourages his audience to practice thinking in a way different from their “default setting,” in order to have a more peaceful, and open-minded lifestyle. Ironically, Wallace himself couldn't escape the depression that had plagued him for 20 years, and he committed suicide by hanging himself (Max 1). Wallace achieves this by employing paralipsis, influential diction, and a common ground that he creates using a certain pronoun “you.” Paralipsis is when a topic is deliberately omitted, in order to indirectly emphasize that same topic. At
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For example, if someone were to say “he was stuck in traffic,” it doesn’t make much of a difference, as compared to if one were to say “you were stuck in traffic,” which makes the listener relate and take it more seriously. Similarly, Wallace uses this technique to put the audience in the shoes of someone who’s having a horrible day, an experience that probably everyone in that room was able to relate to, therefore making them realize that they, indeed, did possess the “default setting.” By doing so, he definitely gained the interest of the audience, and therefore proceeded in explaining why it would be good for people to think differently. Later Wallace, again does this when explaining why people have this view and how people can choose to look at things differently. He repeats the phrase “you get to decide,” multiple times in one paragraph, with his main goal being to put the power in the hands of the audience. He expresses at length that, while it is beneficial to see things differently, ultimately it’s up to each individual as to decide what they want to consider, how they’re going to try to see it, and what has meaning and what doesn’t. This indirectly persuades the audience to try and view the world differently, as Wallace doesn’t come across as forceful, but rather
For example, if someone were to say “he was stuck in traffic,” it doesn’t make much of a difference, as compared to if one were to say “you were stuck in traffic,” which makes the listener relate and take it more seriously. Similarly, Wallace uses this technique to put the audience in the shoes of someone who’s having a horrible day, an experience that probably everyone in that room was able to relate to, therefore making them realize that they, indeed, did possess the “default setting.” By doing so, he definitely gained the interest of the audience, and therefore proceeded in explaining why it would be good for people to think differently. Later Wallace, again does this when explaining why people have this view and how people can choose to look at things differently. He repeats the phrase “you get to decide,” multiple times in one paragraph, with his main goal being to put the power in the hands of the audience. He expresses at length that, while it is beneficial to see things differently, ultimately it’s up to each individual as to decide what they want to consider, how they’re going to try to see it, and what has meaning and what doesn’t. This indirectly persuades the audience to try and view the world differently, as Wallace doesn’t come across as forceful, but rather