Once More To The Lake

(1) How is the essay structured? More specifically, what two views of time does he express? 

This essay is structured like a compare and contrast essay. Throughout the essay the author is comparing how the lake was during the time of his boyhood and how it is when he returns with his own son several years later. The author then goes into the comparison of the lake to prehistoric times. As the story progresses the father realizes that he has become as his father was when he was a boy, and that his son has become him. A handful of the comparisons made were followed by the phrase “there had been no years.” This indicates that the lake appears to have not aged along with the author or grow older with time. The two main views of time focussed on in this essay are the times from when the author was a child at the lake with his father and when he is an adult and taking his own son to the lake. The biggest contrast between these two times is the sound. When the father heard the outboard motor is when his allusion of boyhood was broken and he was yanked back into the present day. That was when he had to confront the moving years and aging. 

(2) What is going on at the end of the essay? What is White struggling with? 

This essay highlights the steady and inevitable progression of time. Near the end of the Essay White is forced to confront the fact that he has aged. He has to be brought back to reality by the breaking of his allusion of boyhood through the sound of more modern technology that takes the form of an outboard motor.  From this point on he begins to realize that a lot of time has passed between the years and that the lake, despite the deception of its familiarity, has aged.  When he is confronted with this time progression he struggles with it knowing that he is aging and will pass on, while the lake will remain just as he remembered it.

1. What is the nature of Mrs. Mallard's heart problem? Is there any way in which this might be considered symbolic or ironic?

The nature of Mrs. Mallards heart condition is unclear; however, it is apparent that any news that could be shocking or ‘a lot to take in’ needs to be delivered with the upmost care so that she can take it all in without damaging or stopping her heart. This is ironic because the news that was most likely to upset her, in the eyes of both the family and reader turned to to be the news that liberated her. On the there side of this, the news that should have filled her with joy, did the exact opposite and ultimately lead to her untimely death.

2. The setting of the story is very limited; it is confined largely to a room, a staircase, and a front door. How does this limitation help to express the themes of the story?

The limitation of space and setting described in the story helped express the theme because of that way that the details of the place didn't take away from the actions and thoughts of the main character. The author provided just enough detail to let us know what the setting looked like and where it was, but not too much as to distract the reader from the story. 

3. What kind of relationships do the Mallards have? 

The Mallards have what seems to be a trifling marriage. This is made apparent when Mrs. Mallard now sees her upcoming days as being short, rather than long and drawn out. This idea is then reinforced when she keeps on repeating the word “free.” This repetition indicates that she felt trapped in a marriage that wasn’t worth the effort and had finally felt at peace and liberated knowing that the rest of her life was her own.

Good Reading and Writing

I believe that good reading consists of actively engaging with the text. This could mean highlighting key words and phrases or writing little side notes or questions in the margins. These two skills aren't necessary for "good" reading but they do help the reader to reflect on the text they are examining in a more consistent matter. Good reading also consists of relating to the text as much as possible. It is always a good sign when you are finding different connections to your own experiences through the text. I believe that good wiring is about how well you convey your subject to the audience. If the sentences are well strung together with a clear flow the writing tends to be enjoyable. I also believe word choice is a big part of writing. When a certain verb or adjective is over-used it makes the writing bland. The use of words like "good" or "bad" are quite cliché and can almost always be exchanged for better and descriptive adjectives. These are just a few elements "good" reading and writing consist of but there are many more.