“Once More to the Lake” by E.B White
White’s essay has excellent use of diction (word choice). In paragraph 5, White uses the word “illusion” to describe the feeling of transposing positions with his son. What is an “illusion”? White uses several other words throughout the essay that have a similar connotation (look up this word if you don’t know it) to “illusion”. In each of paragraphs 3 and 6-10, White uses at least one word or phrase that seems to have the same kind of suggestion as “illusion.” What are those words, and why do you think White has described the lake, its atmosphere, and his reaction using those kind of words?
White mentions roads several times. Where does he do this and why do you think he seems to think roads are important? What might roads represent? Are there any other similar images or (possibly) symbols which operate in a similar manner to the image of the roads?
Perhaps the most important theme in the essay is that of time. What conclusions do you think White comes to about the processes of time and change? To help sharpen your thinking about this, you can think about the following “sub-questions” (though you don’t need to answer all of these). Is the process of change good or bad? Is it inevitable or avoidable? Is the process of change for a human being different from the lake itself? It could be useful here to look at the words or phrases which White uses to describe the lake and its atmosphere.
Finally, and perhaps fitting similar to the last question, how are we to interpret the last line of the essay? It seems relatively negative in light of the rest of the essay. To sharpen this answer a bit, look up the word “mutability.” How does this essay deal with the mutability of humans beings, and how has White hinted at that issue throughout the essay before we even get to the last line?
Discuss the concept either of change OR of disappointment in the poem. If you discuss change, what has changed, why, and how does/do the speaker/s feel about that change? If you discuss disappointment, what is the source of that disappointment, and how does the speaker react to it?
