Compare and Contrast: Wallace/ Morrison

   

   Between the two essays of “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace and “Nobel Lecture” by Toni Morrison gives certain similarities of a common topic of what we as human beings view between “life and death”, however there are also some different viewpoints between the two. In “This is Water”, the author demonstrates of his personal views of what he considers as an unbalance choice whether your life have some meaning or doesn’t which gives a negative idea. What Wallace gives a “reality check” of the cold hard truth in his personal view between life and death as, “None of this is about morality, or religion, or dogma, or big fancy questions of life after death. The capital-T Truth is about life before death.” So basically from his stand point is that no matter what you decide to do with your life there is always some negativity that unfortunately lead to death. 

   In “Nobel Lecture”, the author describes about a wise, old, and blind woman who is visited by a group of young people who asked, “Is the bird I am holding living or dead?” She keeps replying to them saying that she didn’t know if the bird was dead or alive. The bird is used to signified a common choice as well, however basically gives the young people a sense of responsibility, if it were dead or not. She explains it by answering to them, “Whether it is to stay alive, it is your decision. Whatever the case, it is your responsibility.” It gives the young people to visualize that a bird’s life is just the same as a human’s life. Whether you are willing to save one’s life or neglected it and “turn the other cheek”, either way you have to have a sense of responsibility that if you are capable of handling it. 

   Whatever the case maybe we are human that have a purpose of living, it may not be an easy road to go through life, but we have a choice. Unfortunately for David Wallace the choice he decided was to commit suicide, which is not always the answer. But again we have a choice to whether to life or die, however with the certain support by the people you are close too can go a long way of having a sense of responsibilities of your own being.