Rhetorical Analysis Of Once More To The Lake By E. B. White

In E.B. White's essay “Once more to the lake,” the speaker contrasts his childhood vacation to the camp, with the new and improved technology advanced cabins at the same campground. White employs a series of of rhetorical devices to portray his experience at the cabin over the week. The use of action heavy verbs, and figurative language in paragraphs eleven through thirteen allows the reader to recall memories from his childhood. Without these rhetorical devices, White would not have been able to accurately display the speakers memories and attitude towards the camp. White uses a variety of striking, action heavy verbs to describe the everyday details of the camp. The omission of phrases containing descriptive words would limit the imagery

Whites choice to personify the thunderstorm blowing across the lake exemplifies the all too familiar feeling of an approaching thunderstorm. White vividly describes the thunderstorm by personifying the thunder and the lightning. His decision to personify them places the reader in that exact moment, standing next the the speaker. Both listening to the “crackling of the light against the dark” and watching the “gods grinning and licking their chops in the hills.” This causes the reader to this same experience from their childhood, just as the speaker recalls his own fond memories of August at the lake. These memories lead to the speakers overall positive perception of the new experience. Without the familiarity, the speaker would have felt that the camp had changed as technology advanced, leaving the reader with a feeling of disappointment. This is not the case. The end of paragraph eleven bring back the speaker best memories of his childhood summers, and the idea that he is able to repeat this leaves the speaker with a sense of affirmation. This leads to the overall positive attitude of his decision to come back to the lake, even though he had many doubts, fearing the changes made alongside the advancements of