In today’s society filled with busy people, it is not uncommon that we use most of our brain power to worry, complain, and stress. Thinking about not only the task at hand but also what we’re going to do next, what will we have to do when we get out of work or school, how much time we have in the day to get everything done, and what we have to prioritize. We’re always told to “stop and smell the roses” and appreciate the life that we’re living, as chaotic as it may be. However, it’s not very often that we’re told to take a second to stop and think about what it is that we’re really worrying about. Do you ever stop and think about what is is that you’re thinking? How much do you really know what you’re thinking about at all?
David Foster Wallace, an American writer and university professor, believes that each of us can live a happier and more empathetic life if we choose to pay a little more attention to a part of our day that seems so ordinary to us; how do we think? In his commencement speech “This is Water,” Wallace shares his advice on this topic with the Kenyon College graduating class of 2005. Some people may believe that his advice isn’t realistic or sustainable in their everyday lives. However, I think that Wallace’s theories are something worth adopting in my life, especially in college, because they can help me to feel more empathetic toward others as well as improve my overall happiness during a very new and challenging part of life.
One thing that I don’t usually do when writing introductions is separate it into two paragraphs, but I think that for this particular essay it was a good choice. I was able to include an entire paragraph on the broader bigger picture, therefore making my summary of DFW’s speech more proportional to the rest of the intro. I think that one of my biggest strengths with this introduction is that I was able to start broad and then narrow down, rather than starting right off the bat by talking about the sources I’ll be using- something that I’ve had a tendency to do in the past. I also think that the questions that I included at the end of my first intro paragraph should be considered a strength because it helps to grab the reader’s attention and make them take a second to think about the questions that I’m asking. One of my weaknesses in this intro could be that I didn’t mention Eating Jack Hooker’s Cow and instead focused only on Wallace’s speech. However, I think that I also did well in my summary of the speech making it long enough to cover the basis of what he’s saying without spending too much of the intro on summary. I also could’ve sprinkled in more of my own voice throughout the first paragraph. However, I think that my thesis is clear and strong and I do a good job explaining DFW’s argument as well as my stance on it.
