Rhetorical Analysis Of Once More To The Lake

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Rhetorical Analysis of “Once More to the Lake” In “Once More to the Lake,” E.B. White narrates his experiences about his summertime visit to a lake as a child and father. White recounts non-chronologically, shifting between the past and present, following his flow of thoughts. White maintains a nostalgic tone throughout the essay, trying to convince himself that the utopian world he experienced as a child remains the same. However, at the end of the essay, White unexpectedly shifts to a somber tone with his mentioning of “the chill of death” (437). He finally acknowledges he is subject to the supreme irony of life, meaning that it must end with death, in contrast to the timelessness of the lake. White’s use of a nostalgic tone that abruptly changes to a somber one illustrates the cyclic nature of life that everyone is an element of while living amidst a timeless world. White maintains a nostalgic tone throughout the essay. For example, he says, “Summertime, oh, summertime, pattern of life indelible, the fade-proof lake, the woods unshatterable…” (434). This is part of a long sentence that represents the degree of …show more content…
“The chill of death” was the sudden realization that White had about his temporary existence and the timeless lake. White understood that his son is replicating the things he would do during his childhood, and now, he has inherited his father’s role. White says this transfer of roles will continue for generations. With these contemplations, White acknowledged his limited existence in the world, where the world around him would gradually change as new waves of technology arrive, but he would leave no mark on a place that was so precious to him. This radical shift in the tone illustrates White’s acceptance of the universal truth of
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