Monday, October 22, 2007

hahahahahaha........ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!
“The cottages with their innocent and tranquil design, (White 303)”

In referring to the cottages as “innocent,” White makes it sound as though these cottages bear his child self and memories within them. Everything he admires at the lake, he holds in regards as holy and untouchable. “Innocent” is often a term used to describe one who is not only young, but usually someone who is still considered pure. The idea of the cottages being pure and tranquil adds to White’s overall soothing feeling about the lake and its atmosphere.

“And then the kettle drum, then the snare, then the bass drum and cymbals. (White 305)”

Without explaining it outright, White compares the sound of thunder to the beating of drums through metaphor. The progression of sounds from lighter to deep is represented in which drums he mentions in that order.

“As he buckled the swollen belt, suddenly my groin felt the chill of death. (White 305)”

Throughout the story, White compares his son to himself at the age which his son is now, and how he is like his own father. White’s perception of this is extreme at times to the point that he actually sees his son as himself. In this line, his son and he are the same person, because while his son is performing the action, he says that “my groin” felt the chill of death.

“How you could have it eating out of your hand if you connected to it spiritually. (White 304)”

White very often considers himself deeply intimate with the things found at the lake. In addition to finding every detail beautiful, he even considers himself “spiritually connected” to them. Though much practice and usage of the motorboats, one might gain an amount of skill with them, and to White this is a way of forming a bond with the boat. He means to say that the boat would actually become a part of oneself.

“For a moment I missed terribly the middle alternative. (White 302)”

White’s love for the lake is nearly obsessive. Every detail of his childhood is remembered. Though he first doesn’t expect the lake to be beautiful at all any more, once he’s realized how much is the same it becomes bothering for any tiny detail to be changed.

“I felt dizzy and didn’t know which rod I was at the end of. (White 302)”

White’s feeling that his son has become himself actually becomes confusing to him when he sees a dragonfly on his rod. In actuality, it may have been the son who had the dragonfly on his rod - White leaves it pretty open for interpretation. However, the point is made that the nostalgia is uncanny.

"We caught two bass, hauling them in briskly as if they were mackerel, pulling them over the side of the boat in a businesslike manner... (White 302)"

The metaphor "as if they were mackerel" insinuates that they were trying to show off by treating these bug fish as if they were small-fries. Pulling them over the side of the boat in a businesslike manner gives the image that they take this seriously, or at least act like they do for the sake of further looking cool.