From David Foster’s speech, several key points are evident regarding the educational experience and the place of humanities in it. Generally, from the commencement speech, Foster aims at shifting the perspectives of those graduating on what awaits them after receiving their certificates. According to Foster, the advice issued during graduations, although most are clichés, they are crucially important in life after graduation. In the speech, Foster does not attempt to run away from the banalities but uses them to address what the to-be-graduates expect after that day (Wallace, 2005). From the speech, one gathers that the education experience, especially in the humanities realm, is supposed to equip one with the capacity to think extensively.
The role of educational experience and, in this case, studying humanities is to expand one's thinking faculties. Foster notes that this is a statement that many graduates want to hear on their graduation day because it seems too basic (Wallace, 2005). Indeed, enrolling for tertiary education should supersede the pay motivations. Gaining the ability to engage in extensive debates on different issues, especially those that pertain to one's career, is a critical aspect that one should aspire to acquire. Foster further posits that the need to increase one capacity to think is not the central idea, but it is the ability of one to have control over their thoughts that matters (Wallace, 2005). The fact that one is admitted to a top-class institution is proof enough that they can think independently. The key lies in how one manages their thinking processes. Extensive reading, coupled with diversity that comes with institutions of higher learning, forms the foundation for controlled thinking.
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Educational experience should not give people uniformity of thought processes but should allow people to accommodate the diversity of opinions. Education should enable one to articulate their views and ideas while also allowing them to be tolerant of the beliefs and values of others (Wallace, 2005). From the Alaskan story, Foster wants the audience to understand that people have varying perspectives shaped by their experiences and belief templates. The atheist and the Eskimo have a different belief system, but that does not form a basis for conflicts. This is not to say that one should be adamant about their principles. Diversity and thus, education calls for one to continuously learn new things, think through them, and internalize what is important to them.
The educational experience is an avenue for one to shed their hard-wired notion and thus to become well-adjusted. Getting educated should not be about over-intellectualizing things but allow one to decode scenarios easily. Life after college is often not rosy, and one should be able to maintain sanity amid the turbulences. In this course and in general, my time at Siena Heights, I endeavor to leverage the education that I get to be objective in every aspect of my life. Just like what Foster notes, humanities should equip one with the capacity to think through life. Educational experience should be about humbling one to life eventualities, which will enable one to be open to the opinions of others ( Khandaghi, Pakmehr & Amiri, 2011 ). One should not always take their perspectives as gospel truth but should have room for differing viewpoints. From this course, therefore, I endeavor to become broadminded, which also should be the motivating factor for enrolling in this course. This will be achieved by widely and deeply engaging with different scholarly materials while also socializing with different people to understand their experiences.
In the commencement speech, Foster attempts to enlightening those graduating on what should be the most significant takeaway from their educational experience. Foster argues that developing the ability to think and accommodate others' opinions is crucial for anybody graduating. Fundamentally, knowledge from humanities enables one to critically analyze different scenarios while also giving one power to accommodate different perspectives.
References
Khandaghi, M. A., Pakmehr, H., & Amiri, E. (2011). The status of college students’ critical thinking disposition in humanities. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences , 15 , 1866-1869.
Wallace, D. F. (2005). Transcription of the 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address. Available at: At Http://Moreintelligentlife. Com/Story/David-Foster-Wallace-in-His-Own-Words (Accessed November , 17 , 2010.
