The
speeches, "This is Water" by David
Foster Wallace and "Nobel Lecture" by
Toni Morrison are similar through the thought of the ways one perceives
actions. For instance, Wallace narrates how we all act a certain way when we
are encountering a tough day. He acknowledges how we are more likely prone to
just act rather than think—being in a grocery store that is packed or being
stuck in traffic after a long day at work have caused us to be closeminded,
selfish. In comparison to Morrison, as a blind woman, my first instinct when
she was being questioned about the bird was to think that the young visitors
were taking advantage of her disability. Later, at the end of the story, we see
how she was in the state of mind where she did not fully respond their
questions because she wanted to help them not only learn a lesson about the way
we speak but to earn her trust as well. The young visitors reacted in a way
where they had expectations for the lady; they seemed to be distraught at the
fact that she had no reaction to the question other than to respond with an “I don’t
know.” The lesson these speeches share is on how we just act on things rather
than think.
However, they are contrasted in a
way where Morrison’s “bird” question symbolized language and Wallace’s “water” symbolized
purity. Morrison allows us to take into consideration of the way we speak, so
when the young visitors asked her if the bird was alive or dead, the response
was not based on Morrison, it was based on the boys. It was up to them to
choose whether language lives or dies since they were asking a question of a
visual scene to a blind woman. Her limited response allowed them to have an unlimited
response as to what they thought of it. In contrast, Wallace’s “water”
symbolizes purity because we are the ones who act first instead of thinking of
the what if’s. We are pure to our actions because it is a natural instinct to
do, so our first thought after a tough day while stuck in traffic is wanting to
just get out of it so we act in a certain way that won’t benefit us nor our
surroundings. Morrison focused more on language through her being questioned; Wallace focused more on the purity of how our selfish actions kill us
before we know it.
I agree with your ideas in the way that both are similar. I would also like to add that both speeches start with a short story that introduces and closes each author's respective messages. Another point I'd like to add is that both speeches used the young to present their message.
ReplyDeleteRegarding their differences, Wallace used very basic language, and everyday examples. On the other hand, Morrison used longer, more complex sentences to explain her ideas. Also, I disagree when you say Wallace used water to symbolize purity. I believe the water was to represent our surroundings and to be aware of it.