White's "Once More to the Lake" is a descriptive essay that relates his trip to a lake with his son, to the trips that he used to take with his father. Though it is very descriptive, I personally think that it was too descriptive, and less entertaining. It being only around five pages, it could have had more of a plot, and less about telling the reader how it smelt and felt at the lake.
White used description about the sight, smell, and sounds of the lake to help transport the reader to his location, and help them visualize it and see why he loved it. However, I think that the excess of description made it boring to read. I got tired of reading about the sounds of boats, and their cylinders. Though I felt it was too full, he did do a good job at painting the lake for the reader, and making them feel as though they were there with him. White used a chronological order to tell his story about his son and him going to the lake. It began as a flashback however, which altered the normal chronology and made the reader more interested. He would often flashback during certain parts of the essay when things reminded him of his old days at the lake. This helped the reader see the story as it popped up in the author's head. Certain images made both White, and the reader flashback. He often related himself to his father with connecting images, such as picking up a bait box or a table fork. This showed the reader how similar he was to his father, without blatantly telling the reader. .
Also, he refers to the lake as "holy" because he grew up here. This was his spot for one month per year, and it reminded him of his family and growing up. The lake for him is very nostalgic, and he loves it so much he wants to share it with his son, and readers. He ended the essay by relating himself to his son. He personally watched his son put on his cold bathing suit bottoms, and felt the "chill of death".
