Answer

Comparing and contrasting Once More to the Lake by E.B. White and Street Scenes by Ann Hood

The two writers, Ann Hood and E.B. White, are great artists who represent two different generations where the structure and existence of a memorable family life plays a crucial and integral part of their lives. Tradition and its continuity is quite significant in both lives of the authors who view it as a treasure with such importance that they only hope its continuity would last forever.

Ann Hood remembers her past unlike White who cherishes the memories of the lake, Ann marvels at the existence of her childhood picnic sites, which besides the few changes on the number of paths and roads she used to walk along with her father everything else remains literally the same. The lake and the road are a reminiscence of the past that the two writers relate with their early childhood lives representing a symbolic family life that has been purposely fast-paced.

Once More to the Lake provides a revisit to White’s former boyhood vacation spot that he still cherishes. The lakeside presents great happy memories of the past just as much as they also provide a glimpse of the future. Standing besides his son near the lake, White engages in an internal struggle between acting like a son next to his father the way it was many years ago and the current reality that now he is the father and that years have gone by. The author also remembers vividly the day he went fishing in the lake with his father when writes

I looked at the boy, who was silently watching his fly, and it was my hands that held his rod, my eyes watching. I felt dizzy and didn’t know which road I was at the end of” (White 236).

The author is also aware that soon enough his son would also take over his place as he eventually passes on with the words

I watched him, his hard little body, skinny and bare, saw him wince slightly as he pulled up around his vitals the small, soggy, icy garment. As he buckled the swollen belt suddenly my groin felt the chill of death, (White 237).

Ann Hood’s life is marred by the tragedy of his close sibling and later on her father representing a sad life unlike White, his memories are full of wonderful moments initially with his father and later on with his son (White 240). The lake reflects the past life that White shared with his father. Not much has changed except the number of boats and their new looks as well as the increase of the noise level around the lake. Advancement in technology can be blamed for the noise pollution around the lake as the boats new engines are bigger unlike the old small single engines that characterized the old boats that White and his father frequented the lake with during his early years.

The mention death in both stories reminds that human lives are transient and insignificant. The memories and experiences that one goes through in life are immortal. While watching his son

Standing on River Street next to Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot, Ann Hood remembers her childhood. For thirty eight years she had used the street almost every day of her life and it represented almost all the aspects of her life. Her friends and lovers were on the same street, the hospital she was born in and where her father had also died were in the same street. The church she attended the college and off course to the airport or the train station.  Just like the lake provided a vivid reminiscence of White’s early life, River Street was the synonymous with Ann Hood’s life. It literally defined all the aspects of her life (Ann, 240).

When River Street floods as a result of the increased water levels of Pawtuxer River that had never been witnessed in the last one hundred years it reminds us of our interference with the environment through excessive emission of carbon dioxide and the increased global warming that is resulting in an increase in the global water levels. The constant interactions of mankind and the environment through advanced technological skills is also impacting the environment negatively just like the increased levels of noise and the number of boats in the lake as White describes it.

In both writings, different parental roles are clearly defined out. White’s father provided a role model for her son just as much as Ann Hood’s mother spent a lot of time with her daughter. The importance of family life and its impact on the children is critical to the overall growth of a child. The memories of the two authors depict a life that was characterized by the great time they spent with their parents. Though, the fathers of the two writers are deceased, they can still remember the times they spent together with their parents and the memories are immortal. Ann Hood remembers,

The highlight of the carnival was the Little Miss Natick Beauty Pageant, and the summer I was six, my mother entered me in it. My Auntie Julia, a seamstress, sewed me a leopard bikini, My great Aunt Nuneen set my hair in rags to make perfect banana curls. Because i had no talent to speak of, my mother taught me a poem to recite for the talent competition, (Hood 239).

The love that the two authors attach to their backgrounds is very deep and its influence is felt almost in every sphere of their lives. The breathtaking moments at the lakeside that White shares with his son are almost similar with Ann Hood’s moments when she stands on River Street.

Both writers agree that in their lives, the lake and the road for white and Ann respectively, has an indelible mark in their lives and as long as they live they will forever be indebted to their parents for the wonderful moments they shared in with their parents.

To conclude, both books outline the intricate details of their family lives. They share the joy and sadness that they encountered in their lives. White writes about his early childhood life, his adventures with his father in Maines Lake that he considers the only place that embodies that kind of beauty. Ann Hood, on the other hand, considers the River Street as the most important place in her life as she was born there and have father also passed on in the same street, which naturally means she would also most likely find her eternal resting place in the same neighbourhood. The most significant difference between the two stories is their settings. White is pictured with his son just like his father brought him up while Ann spends most of her time alone without a child unlike the time she spent with her mother in various events in her past. The most logical conclusion would be that she may have had a different life style or she may have lost her child just like she lost her brother and father. The hard times she spent mourning about the loss of her brother indicates that she may have had sand moments in her life when she reflected on different tragedies that she may have faced in her early and adult life. Finally she draws a lot of strength from her good memories and the various buildings that mark the different aspects of her life in River Street. It is very sad that both the lake and the Street face various types of environmental challenges that have been occasioned by human being’s inventions. The overcrowding of boats at the Maines River and the overflowing waters in River Street indicates that some generations in future would not have the opportunity to share the wonderful moments that the two writers have experienced in their lives. The need to conserve and protect our environment is so profound in both books that they just fall short of denouncing some inventions of the current era especially on technological advancement as a way of protecting the environment. The early memories they all shared would be lost if the environment is not protected.