once more to the lake

E.B. White's essay "Once More to the Lake" is a very well written piece of writing. That being saidI will first start breaking down the main points and different parts of this essay by discussing the more broad subject of his structure. Most of the essay is written about the present but he jumps periodically to his past. He uses this effect as a comparison between the past and the present. It shows mostly how his son is just like he was, but at the same time his son can be different. For instance they both snuck out on the boat, but he used a quiet oar while his son used an loud outboard motor. The time and culture differences seem to jump out to show some of the suttle differences time can cause. An example could be the switch of people from humming inboard motors to roaring outboard motors. I say these are suttle, but in this story they are everything. He uses the small differences to show how much the world has changed. It is easy to understand and apply the concept because the story is so realistically true. The essay was just a chronlogical story about a fishing trip, besides the occasional flashback of course. A very simple story used to show the importance of the observations made during different points in the authors life. He is able to bring it all together.That is one part of what makes this literature so great.

The second part of my "breakdown" will be analyzing White's tone throught the essay. One cannot help but realize his longing for the past merely by his mentioning of it so much. It is apparent how important it is to him, and the lasting effect it continues to have on him. He does not just tell the story; he shows the story. Another reason he is such a good writer. The reader can get lost in the shear detail alone. How descriptively he is able to portray something that happened so long ago right next to what is happening right beside him shows his passion for what has happened compared to what is happening. He is reliving the past in his mind