Edgar Allan Poe The Lake Theme

Many people, after reading “The Death of the Moth” by Virginia Woolf or “Once More to the Lake,” would get the general idea that both essays are about death. However, it is apparent to me that both works are really an illustration of the significance of life, but each essay accomplishes this in a different way. I aim to show how these two essays are alike by comparing their similar theme of “carpe diem” as well as some stylistic choices.

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” (Mark Twain). This quote from the famous American writer is the basis for what became one of the hardest ideas to comprehend, death. Death has always been a complex term, causing one to struggle with what the true definition is. It is also hard to wrap your mind around what does it truly mean to die. These are the questions we long for the answer. Whether we acknowledge it or not, death has always been feared by many. Death remains an impossible question, one that has been unexplained since beginning of time. Even though dying is a natural, we as a human race still fear it. What can be done to defeat this never-ending battle? According to Montaigne’s “To Philosophize is to Learn to Die” and Cory Taylor’s “Questions for Me About Dying” we can overcome this by living to the fullest, living with no regrets, living a legacy, and lastly not fearing the inevitable. If you want to conquer the question of life, live in the moment.

Through the use of an un-named narrator in his poem entitled “The Raven”, Poe darkly conveys feeling understood by many: hopelessness, lost love, and death. The poem follows the un-named narrator, as he reflects on, as well as struggles with, the realization of his lost love, Lenore. Like many, he tries to detract his overwhelming feelings for Lenore by investing his time in studying books. Despite his greatest efforts, he is unsuccessful. Much to his surprise, his solitude is interrupted by an unanticipated visitor. Throughout the poem, Poe uses imagery, tone, symbolism, and rhyme as a means of conveying his overall themes of undying devotion and lingering grief.

Robert Frost and William Shakespeare have been celebrated by many people because of their ability to express themselves through the written word. Here we are years after their deaths analyzing these fascinating poems about life and death. It’s clear they had similar thoughts about this subject at the time of these writings, even though their characters could not have been more opposite. For both poets, life is too

fleeting of life and time, and the nearness of death, Poe reminds the reader that between the

“Once More By the Lake” is an informative short story featuring a man who seems to feel as though he is losing his identity. As a parent, he doesn’t realize that as time passes by his family’s orientation is changing and, as a result, seems to lose himself in time as his surroundings and his son’s actions remind him of himself. Nonetheless, throughout the story, the author uses great detail to put the main character’s feelings on display by using experiences and emotions that are relatable to the reader. The childlike mannerisms and impressive attention to detail exhibited in the essay show how the narrator sees himself and showcases the author’s use of imagery. Revisiting his childhood lakehouse brought past memories to the surface which, over time, shows the main character’s emotional ties to the lake. In fact, in the story, the narrator says, “It was the arrival of this fly that convinced me beyond a doubt that everything was as it always had been, that the years were a mirage and there had been no years” (White 2). Throughout the story, White challenges the reader's mind by describing his situation to the reader and unintentionally drawing from them the conclusion that life as one knows it is destined to change at any given time, including one’s

Authors often create texts that share common themes to teach readers importance of certain aspects and hardships of life. Theme may be expressed through an author’s use of rhetorical devices and many other contributing factors such as figurative language and repetition. The essay, “Once More to the Lake” written by E.B. White and the poem “Forgetfulness” written by Billy Collins, both contain a theme of identity loss. In “Once More to the Lake” E.B White connects to a lake at young age and when returning with his son years later is unable to identify himself. In similar theme “Forgetfulness” describes different factors of human life and everyday things being forgotten and lost. Both White and Collins use repetition and metaphors to further push the theme of identity loss throughout the texts.

` E.B White, author of famous stories like Charlotte’s Web, once said ,"The middle track was missing, the one with the marks of the hooves…”. He continues on with this phrase, trying to connect the reader to the concept that change comes with time. In “” Once More to the Lake” by E.B White and ” Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins, both writersauthors strive to make the reader understand how nothing can stay the same throughout the tests of time. In White’s story, he narrates an experience of going to the lake that he used to visit when he was young. He takes his son with him, and at first, sees himself in his son, but eventually succumbs to the repercussions of time, proving that he is closer to death than previously thought. Additionally, the poem ”Forgetfulness” address the same topic. Billy Collins, the author, describes experiences that display memories being forgotten over time. Collins, therefore, tries to show the reader that memories tend to fade, or change, over one’s lifetime. Therefore, using diction and figurative language, E.B White and Billy Collins help one better understand that the true tragedy of time is the change that comes with it.

“Once More to the Lake” by E. B. White is about a man who decides to take his son on the family vacation to the lake he took with his father when he was a child. During the essay, the author reminisces on his trips to the lake during his youth and tells the reader about how things have changed. The author uses wonderful detail and at some points in the essay feels as if he is a boy again standing in his son’s place with his father next to him. The author shows the readers he is a man who enjoys time with his family and cherishes his memories at the lake by expressing how he values the way things were in the past, and the joy that he experiences at this lake with his family.

In “Once More to the Lake,” E. B. White takes a trip down memory lane when he takes his son to the same lake White’s father took him to. Having not visited the lake in years, White is unsure of what he will find when returning. Upon first glance, White is pleased to find that the lake has remained unchanged, unaffected by the passage of time. However, with closer examination, White can discern what is the smoke and mirrors of nostalgia and he notices the small, but earth-shattering differences. With this fishing trip, White sees his son as himself and himself as his father. White concludes his essay with the realization that he is getting old and that time changes everything. Throughout “Once More to the Lake,” White implies that life changes as we age no matter how much we do not want it. White has a vast understanding of rhetoric and “Once More to the Lake” is a testament to his knowledge of rhetorical strategies. White uses strong descriptive diction enhanced by contrasts between old and new to create a vivid image of the lake, and of life itself.

Moving on, the poem “Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins and E.B. White’s essay “Once More to the Lake” both use important figurative devices to describe the theme of how

“Thou art an emblem of the glow/ Of beauty- the unhidden heart-/ The playful maziness of art” (3-5). “To The River___” by Edgar Allan Poe is a poem about a young boy who is enthralled with the daughter of Old Alberto. The origin of the poem may be explained by the fact that Poe wrote it at the mere age of eighteen; a time when emotions flow freely and the mind is yet to be fully developed. The poem describes the young girl as a perfect example of raw and pure beauty through classic literary elements such as imagery, tone, rhyme, and diction. “To the River” is a beautiful poem that compares the elegance of a young woman to a crystal clear flowing river.

In the final stanza Poe writes that everything in this natural world reminds him of his beloved and that his heart still longs for his beloved wife. "and so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride, in her sepulcher there by the sea- in her tomb by the sea". In this stanza the true feelings of Edgar Allen Poe are clearly evident. He pours his entire soul into this single stanza. He cries out to the world that his one true love is really gone; but he is only truly crying out to those who are able to view the tragedy of life and death through his eyes. Poe’s belief that fate somehow holds a grudge against him for finding love and happiness with a 13 year old girl is begging to be justified.

Edgar Allan Poe would often unite elements of dreadfulness, love, and imagined aspects in his poems settings to help produce a Gothic atmosphere within his pieces. As illustrated by Poe in ”The City in the Sea" the setting takes place in an isolated city in the distant west that has no clear origins or particular placement in reality, therefore contributing a dreamy but dreary with a hint of gloomy feeling to the poem. Alternatively, "The Raven" uses the setting of a monotonous room at night, whereas the shadowy corridor outside the room and the rustling of curtains suggest the presence of a paranormal or supernatural entity in the chamber. Poe establishes the scenery as a mood that is receptive to the tensions of horror and fear within his works.