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Analysis of E. B. White’s “Once More to the Lake”
E.B. White’s essay, Once More to the Lake , which was first published in 1941, describes his experience as he revisits a childhood lake in Maine. This revisiting is a journey in which White delights in memories associated with his childhood and the lake. In effect, his mindset transforms and goes back to his childhood. This transformation is necessary for him to find enjoyment in the journey. However, the transformation also emphasizes an altered perception of the actual lake. For instance, instead of viewing the lake as it is, he uses his childhood eyes to perceive the lake. This condition creates an interesting departure from reality into what he wants to see based on his childhood experiences. Once More to the Lake is a depiction of E. B. White’s experience as he visits a lake once again – the lake that he has been fond of since childhood.
E. B. White’s experience brings him to the lakefront, where he finds himself staring at the same lake, which is virtually unchanged. This means that White focuses on the unchanging things despite the surrounding changes and the changes that he experiences in his life. White wants to emphasize the permanence of some things, or at least the permanence of the memory of those things, despite the never-ending change that happens in the world.
Even though the lake itself has not changed, E. B. White’s essay indicates that there are some changes in things that are separate from the lake. For example, when White arrives at the lakefront, he wishes to enjoy the scene and the experience of being at the lake once again, but he becomes bothered by the noise of the new boats that are on the lake. The new boats have noisier engines.
E. B. White wants to show that technology can be disruptive. Technology can, indeed, make things become faster and more efficient, but it can also make things noisier, more disruptive, or undesirable. Thus, White emphasizes the negative side of new technologies. Nonetheless, as White continues his story, it is indicated that he has a liking for old engines. This liking started from his childhood. Even though he first views technology as something disruptive, the essay also touches on personal perception and preference. For instance, White does not like the new engines and the noise they make. However, this dislike could be due to his desire and expectation to see boats with the old engines that he saw in his childhood.
Some things may not change. All things change based on the underlying principle that nothing is constant in this world and that every little thing changes. However, there are some things that may not change, such as the thought of a person, the feelings that one has toward other people, and the longing for something. E.B. White shows that the lake is unchanged, but this may be only in his own perception. It is possible that the lake has already changed when he arrives as an adult at the lakefront, but his perception of the lake does not change. This perception and the associated emotions do not change, as he still likes what he sees and feels.
His experience of being at the lakefront brings him back to his childhood years when he was a boy experiencing the lake. Considering that White shows that his perception switches between that of an adult and that of a boy, it is arguable that his actual experience of the lake as an adult is marred by such switching between perceptions. It is possible that the actual lake that he revisits is already different, but his perception, as a boy, does not change, thereby making the lake only virtually unchanged. Also, the technology that he refers to, in the form of new and noisier engines, may have also been affected by such switching in his perceptions. It is possible that the new and noisier boats are not really that disruptive. It is just that he is used to the old and less noisy ones, thereby making his claims about the new boats personally subjective and not necessarily real.
E.B. White’s lake is a symbol of the role of physical spaces in personal development. For example, the essay shows that the lake serves as a setting for familial interactions, especially in the author’s past. Also, the lake serves as a venue for reflection. When White goes back to the lake, it facilitates his reflection of change and development. The lake helps him think back and develop a better understanding of his situation.
E.B. White’s essay, Once More to the Lake , supports the idea of the necessity of permanence in life. Even though the lake has changed over the years, it remains a lake that the author can visit. It stands as a reminder of his childhood experiences. In this regard, the lake sheds light on the benefit of having some form or degree of permanence in life. This permanence can help anchor the person and his psychological development.
- White, E. B. (1941). Once More to the Lake .
- White, E. B. (2016). Essays of E. B. White . Perennial.
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Once More to the Lake
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Discussion Questions
One of the essays most striking features is White’s descriptions of the feeling that he has re-entered his past as his father, while his son has taken on the role of his younger self. Why is this impression important to White’s description of his vacation?
Analyze one or more of White’s descriptions of the lake itself. What do these descriptions tell us about White’s feelings towards the lake and what literary or stylistic techniques does he use to communicate those feelings?
Despite the changes White describes, he is insistent that the lake and its surroundings have remained more or less the same since his childhood visits. Do these insistences seem sincere to you? Why does White emphasize the importance of consistency in the face of change?
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Expert Answers. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is supposed to have said that no one ever steps into the same river twice: the second time, it is not the same river and he is not the same man ...
"Once More to the Lake" is an essay by E.B. White describing his emotions when he returns to a childhood summer place. He had first visited the Maine camp with his own father in 1904, and he revisits in 1941 with his son. He compares the lake of his memory with the largely unchanged contemporary scene and simultaneously experiences the place through his son's eyes and his own.
The lake helps him think back and develop a better understanding of his situation. E.B. White's essay, Once More to the Lake, supports the idea of the necessity of permanence in life. Even though the lake has changed over the years, it remains a lake that the author can visit. It stands as a reminder of his childhood experiences.
"Once More to the Lake" is a narrative non-fiction essay written by E.B. White.The essay was originally published in Harper's Magazine in 1941. White (1899-1985) was an American author best known for his children's novels, including Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, as well as his contribution as co-author to The Elements of Style, a seminal English-language writing guide.
In E.B. White's vivid 1941 personal essay 'Once More to the Lake,' the lake serves as the setting for both the author's past and present. Throughout the essay, White describes a dual existence ...
Share Cite. E. B. White 's "Once More to the Lake" is a deeply personal essay and clearly has more than one purpose. One reason for writing is to record his memories of a place he loved as a child ...
Adding to these impressions is the role of technology, the eroding nature of memory, and the passage of time changing the way White views his past memories of the lake. The main idea of this work ...
Once More to the Lake Lyrics. One summer, along about 1904, my father rented a camp on a lake in Maine and took us all there for the month of August. We all got ringworm from some kittens and had ...
Analysis: "Once More to the Lake". Although the scope of White's narrative is rather narrow as he recounts a summer vacation with his son, he employs the trip as a framing narrative that supports a complex commentary regarding the passage of time. Throughout the essay, White attempts to balance the sensation of timelessness he experiences ...
"Once More to the Lake" is an essay first published in Harper's Magazine in 1941 by author E. B. White.It chronicles his pilgrimage back to a lakefront resort, Belgrade Lakes, Maine, that he visited as a child. In "Once More to the Lake," White revisits his ideal boyhood vacation spot.
In "Once More to the Lake," White performs an act of extended act of self-examination that features very little interpersonal interaction with other individuals who feature in the essay. Although the essay is set in a bustling campsite and White describes several other people, the descriptions are ultimately reflections of White himself.
Good Essays. 1032 Words. 5 Pages. Open Document. In the text "Once More to the Lake" author E.B. White focuses on appealing to fathers or even possibly parents in general. The text is eloquently written to ultimately reiterate that change is constant and at some point in life all people will eventually die. His primary goal of this text is ...
"Once More to the Lake" is an essay first published in Harper's Magazine in 1941 by author E. B. White. It chronicles his pilgrimage back to a lakefront reso...
Once More to the Lake by E. B. White Summary and Analysis
Quick answer: Three changes you could include in a thesis statement about "Once More to the Lake" are that the boy who once visited the lake is now a father, that he has "become a salt-water ...
To print or download this file, click the link below: Once More to the Lake EB White (1).pdf — PDF document, 119 KB (122137 bytes)
Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Once More to the Lake" by E. B. White. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
by E. B. White. E. B. White (1898 - 1985) began his career as a professional writer with the newly founded New Yorker magazine in the 1920s. Over the years he produced nineteen books, including collections of essays, the famous children's books Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web, and the long popular writing textbook The Elements of Style.
"Once More to the Lake" is an essay first published in Harper's Magazine in 1941 by author E. B. White. It chronicles his pilgrimage back to a lakefront reso...
Once More to the Lake. 26 terms. bswan0731. Preview. CH1: Foundations of Chemistry Notes. Teacher 28 ... I think the last sentence of the essay shows that the author was correct in his statement about living "a dual existence" was true. ... It shows that the author was correct in his thesis the whole time, and he knows what is about to happen ...
An analysis of a paragraph in the short story Once More to the Lake by E.B. White
Length: 4 pages (1115 words) In E.B. White's essay, "Once More to the Lake," the narrator is reminded of his own childhood vacations to the lakeside camp with his family during a return trip with his son. Revisiting the lake and watching his son perform the same activities he once did leads to a series of memories he holds with his father.
In "Once More to the Lake," what does White mean by "now the choice was narrowed down to two"? Which change at the lake disturbs E. B. White the most? What is a good thesis statement for "One More ...