The Brain Penitentiary “All a commencement speaker can really do is suggest a couple of things that [he or] she thinks are really important.” Sue Monk Kidd said this while addressing the graduates of Scripps College. On May 21, 2005, the graduates of Kenyon College welcomed David Foster Wallace, an American novelist, for their commencement address. A great example of Kidd's statement, Wallace stated in his speech that "suicide [victims] are actually long dead before they pull the trigger" (Wallace 4). His speech titled This Is Water was delivered to the graduating class of 2005 before his death in 2008. Through the use of informal language, creating a connection beyond his target audience, and genuine demeanor, "The Is Water” by David Foster Wallace successfully delivers his message to his target audience. Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, with an enrollment listed on their website of just under 2,000 students. Taxes and fees amount to about right. Through informal language, presenting relatable experiences, and presenting himself in an honest form, his speech becomes more engaging and his audience more receptive to his message. Wallace urges graduating students to value the value of their education and make good use of it when thinking critically (Wallace 2). Although Wallace's warning was aimed at the graduating class, his speech can be considered equally effective to others in attendance, which would include parents/families of graduates, faculty, and university staff in attendance. Wallace believed that this warning was what really mattered and that it was necessary to insist on his audience because he was indeed a victim of this captivity from which he found his release on September 12, 2008, by hanging himself (Weber