Compare and Contrast

The “This is Water” speech by David Wallace and the “Nobel Lecture” by Toni Morrison both aim to get their audience members thinking. Their message is originality is power, that thinking differently is a true sign of intelligence. When the “Nobel Lecture” and “This is Water” speech are compared side by side they are some noticeable differences. For instance, the “Nobel Lecture” was given by a female, black woman in recognition for winning the nobel prize in literature. Morrison’s gender and race greatly influenced her speech, as one can clearly see in third paragraph-the main character is an old, blind, female, black slave. It can be noted that Morrison is older than Wallace and just as Morrison stated in her speech that older is wiser. Morrison has lived longer in the real world compared to Wallace, who is just graduating from a university. In Wallace’s speech he shares how in the “real world” many people fall into the same daily routine of thinking and that taking a step back and viewing things from a different angle is important. Wallace’s speech is clear cut and easy to understand, whereas Morrison’s speech is much more difficult to follow, but allows more room for interpretation. My interpretation of Morrison’s speech is that everyone in the world has the power to be someone, do something, and say something. Language is knowledge and knowledge is power. Ultimately, both the “This is Water” speech and the “Nobel Lecture” teaches the audience to think for themselves and to be original.