“Once More to the Lake” by E. B. White describes the author's memories and experiences of visiting a lake in Maine. In the beginning, the author describes his memories of a lake that he had visited as a child. He was extremely descriptive, including several details about his time at the lake. He wrote about venturing back to the lake with his son after countless years of living by the sea.
The author reminisces about his time at the lake with his family as a child and pictures the things that may have changed over the years. White describes his emotions through several different senses, proving just how much he had enjoyed his previous trips. He then reaches the point of arrival and compares all of the changes previously mentioned. He determines
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He describes certain memories of fishing on a boat where nothing has changed from when he was young. Claiming that he was in the same boat with the same fishing rods and dragonflies, White has convinced himself that no time has passed since he was a kid.
After bringing himself back into the present, White shares how he and his son caught two fish and brought them back. Once they finished their lunch, they went swimming in the lake, and White noted the differences between the lake and the sea which he lives by. He did this by mentioning how the shore was where he left it; not receding compared to the ocean. Once again, White thinks back to his previous visits, stating that nothing has changed. From the swimmers to the minnows, everything was the same.
The one difference that disturbed the author was the motor boats. When he was young, there were quiet motor boats that hummed and purred along the lake. On his more recent visit, there were modern boats, which were far noisier than what he remembered. During his trip, there was a thunderstorm. White wrote about the feelings that the campers would experience before and during the storm, and how they would all celebrate by swimming in the rain once it was over. To wrap everything up, White wrote about his son putting on cold swimming trunks, and how he could almost share the
In the Lake of the Woods Analysis In chapter one of the poem, Tim O’Brien begins by introducing two unnamed characters who, indeed after the aftermath of a primary election, the audience learn that they decide to rent a cottage in what the author refers to as Lake of the Woods. The area surrounding the cottage has no people or towns. However, the same cottage has a beautiful view in terms of a lake facing to the north of Canada. The two unnamed characters came to the place in sought of solitude and togetherness. From this perspective, O’Brien develops his fiction story from a point of uncertainty.
In order to begin building the story, one must first erect a setting for everything to take place. Jeannette opens up every new memory with in this way with the use of imagery. For instance, “nothing about the town was grand except the big empty sky and, off in the distance, the stony purple Tuscarora Mountain running down the table-flat desert. The main street was wide—with sun bleached cars and pickups parked at an angle to the curb—but only a few blocks long”(51). The elaborate description of the setting allows one to understand how the place may affect the course of the narrative, as well as how each person with in the memoir may respond in relation with the environment.
Nick was amazed by the water that flowed underneath the bridge. It had been a long time since he had seen the rapid moving water and the fish. The fish he seen are known as trout. Although the day was hot and his emotions were running rampant, these things made Nick very happy and brought a sense of peace to him. He didn’t stop there though.
Cool, calm crashing waves along the coast of the Great Lakes is an timeless picture many generations have enjoyed. The Great Lakes have the same beautiful views as it does in years past. However, the inside of the lakes have completely changed. It’s no longer the same lake your grandfather knows nor will it be the same lake for your grandchildren.
White’s effectively uses language in his writing to help illustrate a blending of time. In the beginning of the paragraph, White states that he “ saw the dragonfly alight on the tip of [his] rod.” The dragonfly is very important to White because it “convinced [him] beyond any doubt that everything was as it always had been.” White believes that nothing about the lake’s setting has
“Oh, Jake, this apartment is perfect for us, just perfect,” Grace Wexler argued in a whining coo. The third bedroom was a trifle small, but it would do just fine for Turtle. “And think what it means having your office in the lobby, Jake; no more driving to and from work, no more mowing the lawn or shoveling snow.”... Grace stood before the front window where, beyond the road, beyond the trees, Lake Michigan lay calm and glistening. A lake view! ...
In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien explores the human mind and the psychological mechanisms that people use to protect themselves from the truth. The novel follows John Wade, a politician who just lost a race for senator because the truth came out that he was involved in the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam war. Wade and his wife then go on vacation on the great lakes in Minnesota. The story examines Wade’s childhood and his relationship with his wife Kathy. One night Kathy goes missing and a boat is missing.
The view from the road of the lake during the afternoon in a quiet town gives the reader a sense of solitariness. The narrator describes that “Norman Bowker followed the tar road on its seven-mile loop around the lake, then he started all over again, driving slowly, feeling safe inside his father's big Chevy, now and then looking out on the lake to watch the boats and water-skiers and scenery” (O’Brien, 137). He feels safe in his car, silently protected from the terrors of the world. At the same time, though, it is beautiful and peaceful as he watches the scenery. Bowker drives for quite a long time.
Comparing Reef Kennedy now and Reef Kennedy back then. There has been a change. A change where Reef himself can see. As Reef is questioning himself about what happened during the overpass, he is beginning to feel remorseful for his
However within the story the individuals as well as the narrator see the lake as being the best place to spend their time. The story describes the lake as being, “fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the charred remains of bonfires.”
Barry communicates his fascination of the Mississippi through his intensely detailed sequences of the river, stand out word choice and use of juxtaposition with other rivers. If we were to imagine Barry’s passage without the use of these rhetorical devices, this enthusiasm would be largely dimmed and unable to convey to the readers. It is only through Barry’s use of words such as “radically alters”, “like an uncoiling rope” and as if it was trying to “devour itself” would the intense fascination that we get as readers of his writing be conveyed. The descriptions of the river flow, which could have just been described using words such as “fast” or “slow” has been granted with detailed complexity from Barry’s word choice. His decision to provide readers with almost a visual of the river through metaphors like “uncoiling a rope” and “snapping like a whip” allow us to envision the scene.
This trip changed White’s outlook on life, for he finally realized that mortality was closer than he imagined. He was no longer young, and watching his son mature only made this notion more real. One day, he will be only a memory to his son, just like his father is to him. White uses a variety of rhetorical devices to convey the message to his audience that life moves quickly, not stopping for anything, including emotionally-charged diction, imagery, and personification. White uses emotionally-charged diction as a form of pathos to convey his feelings about his past and explain trouble he is having with accepting his old age.
Here, sitting on this bench, I found ten minutes of paradise. And like Smith says in her essay, I eventually began thinking about what comes next. What other beaches can I find? In my perspective, a beach can only last for a certain duration of time, and once you leave that environment, it will never be the beach that it was before, because ultimately, life is constantly changing.
He reflects back to his past and compares it to the present he is in. During the first morning back at the lake, he “began to sustain the illusion that [his son] was [him], and therefore, by simple transposition, that [he] was [his] father” (White 432). White feels that everything at the lake is the same, but he is playing
Although the old man suffers in pain and exhaustion due to the great size of the fish, the overwhelming sun, and his injured hands, he does not quit but keeps persisting. He does not let go of the fish. He maintained his strong desire to conquer the