Precis: This Is Water

David Foster Wallace, an American novelist, in the 2005 Kenyon commencement speech, "This Is Water", claims that the students have graduated with a degree that has taught them how to think, but it is now up to them to decide what to think, and based on that, what they think will determine how they see the world, which in the end, is "the freedom of a real education." Wallace supports his claim by telling an anecdote that follows with the illustration of a hypothetical situation or personal experience. The speaker's purpose is to remind the graduates to "stay conscious and alive in the adult world" by being aware of their surroundings and recognizing that this world doesn't revolve around them, that if they take a step outside of their "me" zone, they will experience a world less miserable, and that the power to think and make choices is a lifetime job, in order to help them learn to deal with "boredom, routine, and petty frustration" that comes along with being an adult. The author writes in casual, sometimes humorous, and sometimes blunt tone for the graduates, which appeals to their youthfulness, in addition to his tones applying in relation to his speech: sometimes life is casual, sometimes life is funny, and sometimes life is a blunt smack in the face.