In what ways could Wallace’s theory about education be applicable to the writing of Alice Munro? Justify your conclusion.
David Foster Wallace's Theory: In his essay This is Water David Foster Wallace suggest that true freedom acquired through education is the ability to be adjusted, conscious, and sympathetic.
- The speech "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace propounds how higher education should deviate from it's focus on the knowledge learned, but rather concentrate on the awareness of situations that are being presented to us. David Foster Wallace describes this as "The most dangerous thing about college education" and the way it "enables my tendency to over- intellectualize stuff". Similarly, Alice Munro's short stories epitomizes and exploits the importance of having that awareness and knowledge. While the speech discussed how vital it is for us to have that awareness, it also centered on the idea of emotional intelligence; which is the ability to perceive, assess, and manage one's own as well as the emotions of others. Most interestingly, the speech also scrutinizes the self-centered approach humans have; and describes the mindset not to be "evil or sinful" but rather it be a "default-setting" which illustrates why we find it difficult to have empathy. Also highlighting the process to be "unconscious". The example of the grocery is one that best exemplifies this, he states how common it is for us to forget the people around us and to only provide an explanation to why things happen by regarding it to our own personal issues; we find it easy to ignore the other circumstances that people face. Moreover, he calls for students of "higher education" to consciously make a choice on the approach they take when reading a situation and people. He stresses the importance of developing that mindset to avoid the miserable experiences to the grocery stores and queuing up in the line.
- This theory paves the way for humans to develop a more social and empathetic to develop emotional intelligence through the phenomenon of literature. An article published by the New York Times "For Better Social Skills, Scientists Recommend a Little Chekhov" suggests the effect literary fiction has on the empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence of a frequent reader of literary fiction; which is a symbolic or thematic fiction that critics consider to have "literary merit". This was concluded by various psychologist who diligently studied this as literary fiction "often leaves more to the imagination, encouraging readers ti make inferences about charterers and be sensitive to the emotional nuance and complexity".
- Alice Munro's short stories all consist off a common motif, setting, and relationship between protagonist and their environment. Through the process of reading all 6 of her short stories, the readers are exposed to so many aspects that would suggest the significance of education. Wallace's theory can be applied to Alice Munro short stories and literary fictions; Boys and Girls, Royal Beatings, Moons of Jupiter, Family Furnishing, Passion and Runaway. Literature is a powerful tool that Munro utilizes to share her experience and take her audience to settings that they would have never anticipated to be in. In addition, the readers would be able to create a sense of connection between the characters internal and external conflicts.
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