Compare and Contrast

Mutually these compelling speeches persuade you to think twice about every word you dare let come from your mouth. Although they both have the potency to make you so conscientious, each overwhelming experience of enlightenment is quite different. In Toni Morrison’s Noble Lecture she relates the skill of holding your tongue to the life of the language and how, to use it properly, you must be willing to be patient and work together to keep it alive. On the other hand, in David Foster Wallace’s  “This is Water” commencement speech, he sees people as though they are all living in their own versions of I’m-the-center-of-the-universe stories in their minds and we should take the time to think of other’s situations’ before jumping to our own conclusions.

            Morrison tends to stress multiple times in her speech the responsibility of the life or death of language and at the end concludes that it is all’s responsibility. This leads you to believe that she perceives it as something most valuable to her and not thinking before using the delicacy that is language disgraces it, putting it to shame thus letting it die. Her strong belief that language should be persevered and thought highly of shows though greatly in her speech and easily persuades you to also do so and think before you speak.

            However compelling Morrison is, Wallace is equally as compelling. Wallace uses a brief humors story about three fish to exemplify how ignorant and self-centered we human beings can be. The two young fish are so closed minded and unwilling to think about what possibly the elder fish could have meant that they say the first thing that comes to mind. This gives you a fun analogy to relate to and see just how right Wallace is by the end of his speech. Wallace is convinced that this closed-mindedness is what disallows us to live a happier life. He believes by taking a moment to realize that others too have complications helps us live more at peace with others.

            The theme of thinking before you speak or act is clear in both speeches and truly encourages you to take their advice to heart. Although they demonstrate the idea differently with different analogies, they both do it well.