Changes That Time Brings

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Essay 1 Changes That Time Brings In E.B. White’s essay “Once more to the Lake,” White describes his cherished childhood memories of his summertime vacation at the lake. With familiar sounds, smells, and sights, White is transported back in time, but in his reflections of himself while watching his son; he realizes the changes that time brings. He ultimately recognizes that both technology and urban life brought changes such as, there were no longer three set of tracks to choose from to walk on, the arrival to the lake was less exciting, and the sound of the place had changed with the annoying sound of the outboard motors. The first change that White reflected upon was the tracks he walked when he was young. As White walked back to his farmhouse feeling convinced that nothing had changed at the lake, he looked down at the road not only to realize it was a two-track road but also that a middle track was missing. He specifically remembered how the middle track looked like; “the one with the marks of the hooves and the splotches of dried, flaky manure” (White, 31). This helps to visualize back when he was younger where horses and wagons must have been used. With only two tracks now, only cars were being used on that road. White expresses how, “There had always been three tracks to choose from in choosing which track to walk in” (White, 31), now it was limited to two. He was saddened by seeing this change and for a moment, he began to miss the third track badly. The second change that White reflected upon was the feeling when arriving at the lake. White cherishes his memories and realizes that the summers he passed at the lake as a young boy were precious and worth saving. He remembers the jollity, peace, and goodness of the campers when arriving to the lake. White describes “The shouts and cries of the other campers when they saw you, and the trunks to
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