On the Road

September 7, 2005

"Once More to the Lake" by: E.B. White

The literary selection that was chosen for this essay was E.B. Whites, "Once More to the Lake." It is a very in depth passage and it touches upon many sentiments. It teaches many lessons and also keeps you involved. It is good reading material for everyone regardless of age.

Childhood memories hold a great deal of importance for adults in different walks of life. Every adult you see, no matter how old, was a child at some point in time. These adults relish their childhood memories because it is the period in time in which they got to enjoy life without the worries of the world bearing down on their shoulders. They often see their children and reminisce about things they did as a child such as E.B. white does as he watches his son. He says, "Watching him I would remember the things you could do with the old cylinder flywheel, how you could have it eating out of your hand if you got really close to it spiritually." For that short moment, he remembered how it felt to be young.

Time, place, and aging have a serious impact on childhood memories. This is true for many reasons. Moving away from the place where you spent your childhood often results in faded memories. The term "out of sight, out of mind" holds very true when this is the issue. Aging can have an equal impact on your memories. This is due to the fact that as you get older, your memory wears thinner.

Adults often return to their childhood memories again and again. E.B. White does this many times throughout the section. He sees certain things and they cause him to remember pieces from his childhood. There are many reasons for adults to look back on their childhood. It's fun, it's a conversational piece, and it's also sentimental. Still, the number one reason why it is believed that adults look back on their childhood is because, it preserves their youth. The adults get to go back and re-live their childhood at will.

In conclusion, E.B. Whites "Once More to the Lake" is great reading material for all. It takes you for a ride through his childhood (E.B. White) and also gives you a chance to look back at your own childhood as