Once More To The Lake: An Appraisal Essay

E. B. White’s essay entitled â€Å"Once More To The Lake† is a classic example of a modest literary work that is able to, more or less, effectively convey the message of the author to his readers. Modest, if only to point, is such a loaded term. But since there is no need to excessively indulge with having to justify the choice of word, it must be qualified that, while the author was able to convey effectively his chief intention for writing the essay, his work is nevertheless not without identifiable ambiguities and areas for improvement. That being said, this paper attempts to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of E. B. White’s essay by perusing the very work itself. Appraising E. B. White’s Essay First, there is a need to primarily square with the general observations that may be leveled with White’s essay. At first glance, White’s essay seems to largely pertain to the author’s vivid recollections about his childhood experiences into the lake of Maine. In fact, one of White’s strengths lies in articulating well his gripping sense of nostalgia as a force that strongly lends an inspiration for his work. This is shown in how he communicates his memories throughout the essay in a manner noticeably recurrent. As a way to demonstrate this point in contention, it would be helpful to cite a few quotes from White himself. For instance, in one of his entries he shares: â€Å"I bought myself a couple of bass hooks and a spinner and returned to the lake where we used to go, for a week’s fishing and to revisit old haunts†. And in another example he relates, â€Å"†¦.everything was as it always had been, that the years were a mirage and there had been no years†. Still, this quote seems to be another glaring example: â€Å"It seemed to me, as I kept remembering all this, that those times and those summers had been infinitely precious and worth saving†[1] (White). These three quotes, among a host of notable others, represent the overarching theme of â€Å"remembrance† evidently palpable, if not all together patent in White’s essay. But it needs to be further asserted that White’s goal for writing the essay is not at all restricted into plainly sharing his cherished memories. Put in other words, White seems to convey something much more profound than merely engaging into an emotional recollection of his past. If one were to carefully appreciate the full tonality of essay, it would appear that White is actually preoccupied – subtly, to say the least – with an endeavor to convey the fact of his mortality. This is a revelation he makes towards the end of his opus in saying, â€Å"suddenly my groin felt the chill of death† (White). In ways more than one, it would not even be wrong to claim that â€Å"mortality†, and not the recurrent theme of â€Å"recollection†, is actually the whole point of the essay. It seems needless to point that White uses a specific writing technique here; i.e., after an elaborate presentation of his vivid recollections, it seems that all White wanted to say was that he now feels the pangs of his mortality. If taken into this specific context, it would look as though White simply used the lengthy essay as a springboard from which his point is to be ultimately drawn. Whether this interesting approach would serve well the essay or not depends on how readers are able to read between the lines. On the one hand, if readers will come to realize White’s brilliance in the process, the technique surely has served the essay well. On the other hand, there a high possibility that readers would miss White’s message since the crux of the matter seems to be wrapped in an elaborate cocoon of complexly constituted sentence constructions.   All things considered however, one can safely say that White’s essay has been relatively successful in conveying both messages thus far identified. Next, there is also a need to look into how White’s writing styles are able to contribute to the effectiveness of his essay. First among the list involves how the author was able to successfully develop his persona in the essay. Since White’s essay is of personal nature, the development of his persona and the expression of his feelings through narration, description or dialogue play a crucial role for the work (Blau, Elbow & Killgallon 33; Anderson, et. al. 451). In many ways, White is able to use the techniques of narration and description for the said purposes pretty well. In fact, it is only by right of justice that one must give a fair amount of credit to White for consistently weaving his persona all throughout his work. Second, the admirable manner by which the author is able to use the written language to speak volumes for the essay should merit an affirmation as well. Simply put, one cannot just let White’s talent of using graphical descriptions in his account pass by unnoticed. White writes for instance, â€Å"†¦.in the shallows, the dark, water-soaked sticks and twigs, smooth and old, were undulating in clusters on the bottom against the clean ribbed sand, and the track of the mussel was plain†. Still in another entry he puts: â€Å"Summertime, oh summertime, pattern of life indelible, the fade proof lake, the woods unshatterable, the pasture with the sweet fern and the juniper forever and ever, summer without end† (White). If these quotes say anything about White, it merely tells of his undeniably extensive writing talent. Thus, if one thinks that creative writing is an art that needs to be nurtured, it has to be acknowledged that White is a person who has perfected it somewhat. Certain ambiguities or questionable aspects palpable in White’s essay need to be also raised. First, because White is able to playfully joggle up words and sentences in his essay with much facility, it seems that this admirable talent proves to have a drawback as well. This manifests in how White occasionally falls into incoherence problems. For instance, there is an entry in his essay where White at first was recounting a scene at a tennis court and suddenly shifts attention towards a restaurant scenario, without proper transition techniques. Concretely, he writes: â€Å"†¦sagged in the dry noon, and the whole place steamed with midday heat and hunger and emptiness. There was a choice of pie for dessert, and one was blueberry and one was apple†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (White). This in part violates a fundamental rule in paragraph composition which states, â€Å"good paragraphing† is marked by clarity and coherence (Shaw 23). Second, it seems that because of the very personal nature of his essay, White is able to capitalize on the liberty of writing his piece marked by randomness and spontaneity. But this approach makes White’s essay more fluid than flowing. In most cases, it affects the progression of the storyline as well. For instance, the third to the last paragraph of the essay begins with the phrase â€Å"We had a good week at the camp†. It seems as though White intends to wrap his work up with such a summation. But the next paragraph again recalls an â€Å"afternoon†¦.there at that lake† when â€Å"a thunderstorm came up† (White). At the very least, the approach is very ant-climatic; and it too violates the basic structure of narrative essays which â€Å"usually follow a chronological pattern† (Gillespie, et. al. 1030).   In the final analysis, it has to be admitted that such an oversight – if it can be called one – affects the effectiveness of essays in communicating the author’s message Conclusion There are surely a lot of good reasons to suppose that White – a creative writer that he is by all measures and standards – is a talent to reckon with. His essay â€Å"Once More To The Lake† surely attests to his ingenuity. In the discussions that were developed, it was learned that White’s personal account of his childhood experiences is successful in emphasizing the themes of â€Å"remembrance† and â€Å"mortality†, inasmuch as it is able to convey well the persona of the author in said work. It was also asserted that White’s writing skills are truly a marvel to behold. And while the essay has coherence and transition problems here and there, the work can still be considered as a worthwhile material, all things considered.