An Analysis of the Use of Persuasive Appeal in David Foster Wallace's Kenyon College Commencement Address - Essay Example

AN ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF PERSUASIVE APPEAL IN DAVID FOSTER WALLACE’S “KENYON COLLEGE 2005 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS.” MY RHETORICAL SITUATION. Position: Wallace applies all three components to persuade the audience; however, logos and ethos are more prominent while pathos makes minor occurrences. Audience: This discussion aims to address any scholar who has not yet experienced life out of school. The discussion is also essential for those who already hold jobs. Purpose: The views in this discussion aim to show how they concur or differ with those of Wallace despite him being one of the finest essayist and novelist of his times. Occasion: This work is suitable for class reading and presentation. The commencement speech delivered by David Foster Wallace to Kenyon College graduates for the year 2005 was educative and compelling in a strange manner. However, it also demonstrated the author’s gift in speech writing. Like any experienced writer, Wallace makes use of persuasive appeal by utilizing the components of ethos, logos, and pathos that readers become aware of as they devour this piece of writing. Mortensen (2004) affirms that, Aristotle defines ethos as the component that attains persuasion through the author’s character when an audience listens to a speech and deems the speaker as credible. Ethos represents the author’s integrity, respectability and influence and how the author uses these attributes to impress the audience. In addition, they relate to the way a writer uses tone and style to communicate opinion or present an argument. Logos convince through reasoning by making use of logical arguments and evidence to support a writer’s stand. They draw on facts and figures in supporting the speaker’s topic. Pathos achieves persuasion by stirring emotions among the audience (Mortensen, 2004). The author’s ability to use these components creates text that captures the readers’ attention and encourages them to keep on reading. So how does Wallace appeal to his audience? Wallace applies all three components to persuade the audience; however, logos and ethos are more prominent while pathos makes minor occurrences as the ensuing discussion highlights. Wallace starts by giving a short narration about two young fish who meet an older one moving in the opposite direction. The older fish enquires on how they find the waters. The fish story is a metaphor as it likens the fish to human beings. The author confirms this by saying “I am not the wise old fish” (The Wall Street Journal). Wallace was a respectable novelist and essayist from his previous works such as ‘Infinite Jest’ and ‘The Depressed Person’; nevertheless, he does not wish to bluff or present a near perfect image of himself. He avoids the know-it-all attitude that most mentors would convey. The story serves to leave the audience in suspense as it does not have a conclusion. Wallace confirms the suspense in the remark “If, at this moment, you are worried that I plan to present myself here, as the wise old fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please do not be” (The Wall Street Journal, 2008). The suspense blends well with the rest of speech as Wallace proceeds to shed more light on the essence of his speech. The suspense provides a foundation for the entire speech and grabs the audience’s attention as they try to connect the story to the rest of the speech. Providing a conclusion to the story would only reveal too much to the audience. As a result, the rest of the speech would not be intriguing. In addition, Wallace uses the fish story to draw attention to how humans overlook the most apparent things in life; in this case, these things are represented by water which is a common and basic commodity. The young fish have probably lived all their life in water, but to their astonishment, and that of the audience, they do not know what water is. According to Wallace, what we think and how we respond to situations is a matter of choice. He highlights that most if not all of us lack understanding of the cliché utilized in liberal arts about teaching students how to think. Liberal arts are about basic knowledge that all individuals should have in order to live with others in the society. According to Wallace, the fact that most people’s world revolves around themselves misses the whole point. They do not know how to choose their thoughts wisely and operate on a “default setting” that was input at birth. This is just a mere generalization. Contrary to Wallace’s argument, we cannot argue that there is a default setting for everyone. People do not need to be taught how to think. The sad tone he uses only represents his narrow and distorted view of other human beings, as selfish and self-centered. The assumption that humans only think of themselves is vague as education instills moral and value including loving and caring for one’s neighbors as oneself. If we did not have the least measure of compassion in us, then the world would be in absolute chaos and war. This argument fails to connect with the audience emotionally as most would not identify with the view that the only think of themselves. It is a tough task agreeing with Wallace’s comment of each man being a slave to his head. This is because society dictates how we relate and deal with other human beings. We do not need formal education to have knowledge on how to live or relate with others as he portrays in his use of liberal arts as the path to achieving this knowledge. Wallace’s description of a “natural, hard wired default-setting, which is literally self-centered” is paradoxical as it contradicts with this discussion’s view on human nature. It proves to be untrue and one that can only be resolved upon further inspection. However, in order to convince the audience of human self absorption Wallace uses logic quite well. He asks each of the audience to imagine themselves as the person who wakes up daily to go to work. Probably by the day’s end, one is tired and wants to leave work for home. However, one remembers there is no shopping at home and has to shop for supper amidst heavy and slow traffic, sluggish elder shoppers, noisy hyper kids, and long queues at the supermarket. He supports his claim by using an illustration of the basic life of a working citizen. His use of logical mode of appeal comes up strongly, and the working class among the audience can identify with this. The representation of this kind of life as dull, routine and frustrating is evident in the daily life of an adult who lives this kind of life. By utilizing logos, Wallace achieves persuasion to the audience through pathos. He connects well with the working audience. He uses this example to show how we as human beings see others as obstacles to what we want to achieve. Obstacles occur in the form of slow, old shoppers, overexcited kids, long queues, and heavy traffic. Nonetheless, it is ironic that he provides one of the solutions to this self-centeredness as thinking of the hummer in front as belonging to a father whose son is hurt, or the idea that the person driving an SUV may have had an accident and is driving it for safety. Thinking that others are immersed in the worst case scenarios is in itself the peak of being self-centered because it portrays others in a negative light. In conclusion, it is evident that Wallace advocated for discipline, effort and attentiveness in the outside world and the ability to care for others beside one self. This is what he describes as awareness and as what that is hidden from all around us. REFERENCES. Mortensen, W. Kurt. (2004). Maximum Influence: The 12 Universal Laws of Power Persuasion. AMACOM Books. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=SwhGiWNFV18C&pg=PA10&dq=logos,+pathos,+a nd+ethos,+Aristotle&hl=en&sa=X&ei=C3ikUIyuMo2ChQfDyoHADA&ved=0CDQQ6 AEwAw#v=onepage&q=logos%2C%20pathos%2C%20and%20ethos%2C%20Aristotle &f=false The Wall Street Journal. (19 September, 2008). David Foster Wallace on Life and Work. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178211966454607.html Read More