Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Hay's Speech Blog Post
After watching the Matt Nathanson, David Foster Wallace, and Steve Jobs commencement speeches, please pick out and respond to one quotation from one of the speeches in 6-10 sentences. When responding, you might choose to answer what makes this such a good line for a speech. (please try to not use quotations already in the comments section).
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In David Foster Wallace's speech on "What is Water," we follow through the life of the ordinary adult and experience what we have likely experienced in the past. We tend to look at life through fog - as if the world should revolve around us and be oblivious of others. That our needs overlook everyone else's and that we are the center of the world. "If you really learn how to think, how to pay attention, then you will know you have other options... The only thing thats capital T 'True' is that your going to decide how you're going to see it." Wallace describes education in a sense that it is not based of of knowledge, but off of true awareness. In the grocery store line after a day of work in the office, it may seem that the world is against you and everyone is out to ruin your day. That slow SUV is purposely trying to make you late. What we must learn from this is that there are many other explanations in life besides the one dimensional irritating stories we like to come up with. As David Wallace said, "it's not impossible that some of these people in SUVs have been in horrible auto accidents in the past... They get a huge, heavy SUV so that they can finally feel safe enough to drive." It is up to each and every one of us to be truly aware of the possibilities in every day situations. "This is water."
ReplyDeleteDavid Foster Wallace's speech "What is Water" was one of if not the most powerful speech I've ever heard in terms of getting its point across. Through personal experiences I've felt the way he's felt while in line at the local supermarket, (Why am I here? Why is this kid getting yelled at? I can't stand to hear another person's annoying voice or the loud man behind me eating his chips.) These are all circumstances that both him and I have both been through. The quote that I'd like to emphasize though is "The point is that petty, frustrating crap like this is where the work of choosing is gonna come in. Because the traffic jams and the long lines in the aisle give me time to think". I've never really though this through because I mentioned that many times, I don't have the patience or the will to wait that long in line, so I just leave. I've never thought that the time I have while in line could end up being productive. It may be planning out your night, tomorrow or even your week, regardless this time is useful and what it comes down to is the idea of will, and whether you're willing to sacrifice this time or whether you're willing to actually make those choices and make that time and productive and not pointless.
ReplyDeleteIn the speech "What is Water" by David Foster Wallace, he brings you to a whole new understanding of life and what could actually be going on around you. When he brought up the fact that (some of these people in SUV's have been in horrible auto accidents in the past and their therapist recommended they get a giant heavy car so that they feel safe driving) it makes you realize that you have no idea what some people have gone trough or are currently going through and you are not the most important person in the world. In Matt Nathanson's speech he talk a lot about success and what it truly takes to be successful. he said (don't skimp out on who you are, what turns you on, and just go full steam ahead) he means that in order to succeed you need to not turn away what you are good at and just go for it because you will succeed. in Steve Jobs' speech at Stanford he said (If I had not jumped in on that calligraphy class, the Mac would never have the unique font spacing it does now). With this being said, life is about taking risks and trying things you may that seem interesting and unique to you.
ReplyDeleteDavis fosters speech "What is Water" talked about the "default setting" most adults go through their lives on. It is an outlook that sees things and people as obstacles and makes us think that we are the center of the universe and that we are the most important. What we may not realize is that everyone goes though stuff, and that we are pretty lucky to make out the way we do. But he thinks that our "default" outlook on annoying, everyday things like shopping in a crowded store or sitting in traffic is not only pessimistic, but it is selfish. No matter who we are, or what our background is we have it good compared to most people. Wallace said, "If I don't make a conscious decision of how to think and what to pay attention to, I'm gunna be pissed and miserable every time I have to shop." The negative outlook on life is what people tend to gravitate towards because it is easy, however if we opened our eyes and payed attention to others around us it would be easier to be happy. He wants us to take the simple, everyday chores that we have to do and see them as a privilege. We truly are privileged to be able to walk into a store full of food. My friend Uzo is from Nigeria, and he had been starving for most of his life, and the first time he had ever walked into a supermarket he was speechless. all he could do was look at the amount of food there was. He had been starving for most of his life, and now there was all of this food people just take for granted. regardless of weather we want to do these idle things or not we are going to have to anyway, and if we look at it in a positive way we will be happier.
ReplyDeleteSteve Jobs' speech focused around three topics: love, life and death. He described the way that these three subjects are intertwined with one another. Life is a game, love is the prize, and death is what comes afterwards. "Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick but don't lose faith." Life never goes exactly as planned. People need to use what they have been given as a way to prosper in life. But first, love needs to be found. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do." To prosper, to love life, you need to find the thing that you love the most. "Keep looking, don't settle." It's going to be hard. You're going to make mistakes, there's going to be heartache, but by learning from these mistakes you can find the thing that you really love. "And much of what I stumbled into, by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on." Don't let life get you down, fight for what you believe in, for what you truly love, and be happy. When it's time for death though, problems need to resolved, things need to be done, and death needs to be accepted.
ReplyDeleteIn Steve Job's commencement speech there are many great quotes. One quote that sticks out to me is when he says,"The heaviness of being successful had now been replaced by the lightness of being a beginner." This quote is great because it is relatable to many people. Everyone knows the feeling of starting something new, having fun, not being afraid to mess up, it is a good feeling. But when People are successful they want to keep being successful so they feel this pressure on them to want to keep having success. This is a great quote because it is relatable, but also because it is inspiring to want to be a beginner and want to learn new things, get better at them. This process can be very fun and everyone needs a break from this pressure.
ReplyDeleteIn the speech of Matt Nathanson who was a graduate of Proctor 20 years ago, he talked about his viewpoint of how life works. In his second part of speech, he talked about get comfortable and being uncomfortable. It's a really interesting topic. This part of his speech is really unforgettable for me. Firstly, he said a little joke about this part of speech, it makes the audience laugh and could also let them to pay more attention to this part. Secondly, he use some contrast here and it's useful to tell his main idea to the audience that is it's important to be uncomfortable. If a person want success, he must stay uncomfortably so that he could remind himself to work hard in the whole time. If a people fear of uncomfortable and he does not want to work hard or he always do the things he's been told. He will never succeed. Third, his sentences here is really meaningful and reasonable, such as “…Just do the work…It’s the thing that’s going to make everything OK….The excellence you’re trying to reach is your potential as a human being…a fulfillment of yourself…you find your passion and you do it excellently…” . All in all, this part of his speech is the most successful and I learned so many techniques to write a paper from it.
ReplyDeleteI watched the commencement speech "This is Water” and chose the quote, “Its the automatic way that I experience the boring, frustrating, crowded parts of adult life when I’m operating on the automatic, unconscious belief i am the center of the world, and that my immediate needs and feelings are what should determine the worlds priorities.” This Speech is really interesting and powerful to an audience member because it applies to what everyday life will be like and is related even to the american dream. He made it emotional at some point in it to show what others are going through and he spent the time explaining the scenario of what he was talking about and linked it back to everything. Along with the skills of this novelist he also is blatantly educated about the human brain and physiology of humans. The message is very strong because everyone believes that the world does revolve around them even though you everyone thinks that and you are in the same situation. Another thing he did well was start out with a metaphor before comparing it to the actual life of humans. I think that to write a good speech you have to be passionate about what you are doing and you have to do something that others can relate to not just something only you like.
ReplyDeleteIn Matt Nathanson’s Graduation Speech he says “I want a house, I want money. No, it’s all about finding your passion in life.” because that really is all you need, to be busy doing something you love. It can be as simple as that or you can cloud it with wanting things a nicer house or a nicer car and that distracts you, it puts your attention on something that in the long run will keep you from doing what ever it is that you are passionate about.
ReplyDeleteIn the speech delivered by David Wallace Foster, "What is Water", David gave us a view on what the reality of life really is. I agree with Nate that when he brought up the fact that, some of these people in SUV's have been in horrible auto accidents in the past and their therapist recommended they get a giant heavy car so that they feel safe driving, that it makes you realize that you have no idea what some people have gone trough or are currently going through and you are not the most important person in the world. It is truly moving and puts a benchmark for us to reach and recognize in our everyday life.
ReplyDeleten Steve Jobs’ commencement speech he spoke about three things that everyone does in their life. Death, love and living life. Al of theses topics happen in life whether you want them to or not. Live your life to the fullest, no regrets and be happy. "To prosper, to love life, you need to find the thing that you love the most.” Love what you do and never ever settle for anything or anyone. Love everyone and be happy with your life. Because when the end comes it comes fast and you have no way of stopping it. So live and love your life to the fullest because you never know when it’s gonna end.
ReplyDeleteI think that Steve jobs had a very powerful speech. And behind that speech is a message that I think everybody should hear and take to heart. One quote states "sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick but don't loose faith" and though it is a funny way to say it also has an important idea behind it. It is the classic idea of pushing through the many challenges and trials that life will put you through. Another very powerful part of his speech is when he says that death is the best invention yet. It is a very blunt but important way of thinking. This is because we need to accept that we will die and do what's important with the time we have and that it is important for people to die so we can keep advancing forward as a society. Those are a few of the reasons that I think Steve Jobs had such a powerful speech.
ReplyDeleteIn Matt Nathanson's commencement speech he talks a lot about following your passion, and about stepping outside of your comfort zone so that you can achieve greatness. He says, "I can't tell you how important it is to feel uncomfortable and to feel unsafe and to move outside your comfort zone. That's the only way to get to the excellence that we're talking about." This quotation is something that I feel I can relate to at the moment, since I am a new transfer student. The decision to come to a new school mid year was not easy, but part of the process that I took to make my decision was realizing and accepting just what Matt Nathanson talks about in his speech. I realized that stepping outside of my comfort zone and being okay with being uncomfortable at least for a little while was necessary, and would be worth it in the end if it meant I could go to a school that fit me better. This is a good line for a speech because everyone who listens to it can relate to the quotation. Everyone feels uncomfortable. And to hear someone say that it's good to be uncomfortable is a needed change in perspective.
ReplyDelete"Stay Hungry.... Stay foolish" This is how Steve Jobs ended his commencement speech at Stanford in 2005. This quote is so perfect in so many ways. It both shows seriousness and Fun. In life most people have goals and those goals keep them from seeing outside of the box. This box crowds there had and they just want to become the alpha. But what people need to realize is that if you are hungry that gives you drive and drive gives you the power to succeed. If you are foolish then being able to succeed will be fun and not grueling.
ReplyDeleteIn the Matt Nathanson commencement speech he reflects on being your self and the opportunities that Proctor Academy offers. He says, "You have to be aware of your self before you can be aware of the people and things around you." What he said is great. It relates to the opportunities there are at Proctor. But in order to achieve these experiences, as a student you must be aware of yourself and learn about yourself before you can be aware of others and your surroundings. Matt describes this in three ways. one by excelling at anything and everything you do. Next is find your passion along with learning your passion and not having a plan B and don't wimp out. Finally he says "Make Humungus colosal ginormous mistakes." To sum it up be true to who you are and find yourself before you find anything else.
ReplyDeleteDavid Foster Wallace's speech "What is Water" was very eye opening. The quote "That I am the center of the world and that my immediate needs and self interests should determine what the worlds priorities should be" made me stop and think, wow I think like this sometimes but not to that extent. Sometimes I don't consider the options. I don't ask myself, what if. I just jump to conclusions like this person is mean and grouchy yelling at her kids like that. I don't consider that maybe she has had a long day at work or something else. The point is that your not the only person with a life like so frustrating and tiring.
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