In a commencement speech to Kenyon College, David Foster
Wallace said, “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; awareness of what is so real and
essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that
we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over: ‘This is
water. This is water.’” In his speech, Wallace talks about being
more mindful. He then goes on to say that “your education really is
the job of a lifetime.” What does his text tell us about our
existence?
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhhC_N6Bm_s
The grade for your text depends on how successfully it:
• answers this question: Is David Foster Wallace persuasive?
• starts off with an interesting fact, statistic, story, experience, etc. (be super creative initially, then
get serious)
• answers the question early in your text with a one sentence focus statement (your purpose +
devices + author’s purpose)
• operates in a structured, logical pattern that is easy to follow (follows the structure stated in the
focus statement)
• analyzes the persuasiveness of the original text (with limited summarizing)
• invents original communicative devices, defines them, and discusses how they help (or don’t help)
to persuade (this is the analysis)
• uses specific examples (2+) of the use of the communicative devices to prove your text’s claims
• concludes with what this says about our existence (in a tangible and specific way) and a call to
action for the future
• makes sure each paragraph is related to the focus statement with topic/transition sentences
• uses correct grammar, syntax, and punctuation
• is between 400 – 600 words (no more and no less)
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