Genres serve the audience and the writer by offering a certain set of expectations. This creates a feeling of familiarity among readers and ensures that interpretation of the piece is in accordance with what the author wishes to convey through his or her writing.

Kerry Dirk, the author of “Navigating Genres”, shares her knowledge encompassing different forms of writing by insisting that a genre can act as a constricting mold but is more often a guiding template. According to Dirk, one of the most important factors of effective writing is knowing how the location affects the genre. In other words, we must know who we are speaking to in order to best deliver our message.

David Foster Wallace, the author of the commencement speech titled This is Water, certainly takes note of the people he is speaking to. As he congratulates the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College, he invites them to utilize the knowledge that they have gained to find bliss in the real world by living consciously. Wallace establishes that a liberal arts education, which his audience now holds, builds skillful and capable thinkers. He amplifies motifs of awareness and acceptance throughout the speech, emphasizing that the way in which we perceive the world translates to the way in which we experience the world.

Although he occasionally breaks the barriers of a typical commencement speech by noting that a positive outlook is not always possible, Wallace perfectly captures the general concept of the genre. He projects anecdotal wisdom, insightful inspiration, and encouragement to step into the world with drive, dignity, and a sense of direction, therefore fitting the outline of what a commencement speech should be.

Ultimately, Wallace uses the idea of a genre to his advantage. He gets his point across clearly and effectively because he meets his audience’s expectations of receiving support and advice for the future, and because he understands who he is speaking to as illustrated by his realistic yet celebratory nature.