Rhetorical Reading

In E.B. White’s essay “Once More to the Lake,” he describes spending time with his son at a lake in Maine that he visited as a child. One month every summer he would vacation at this lake with his father. White had dreamt about bringing his son to the lake one day. Upon White’s return to this fabled lake, he realizes it’s not the same lake he visited as a child. He finds that the modern world has made its mark on the lake. To White, what developers in the area call progress he sees as destructive and has impacted the lake negatively. White’s use of figurative language allows him to show to the reader what he felt and how he viewed the changes sprouting up around him. To some, change is viewed as progress while to others it can be devastating and destructive.

: Larchwood Lake may not ever be the same again. The story about Larchwood Lake is not that uncommon. Without doing extensive research into possible things that could occur by lowering the lake level, the Larchwood Lake Homeowner’s Association destroyed the very thing they were trying to protect. Carelessness and poor planning are not the only root causes however. There are a number of reasons that led to the degradation of Larchwood Lake that happen to relate to more macro level environmental issues. Those reasons are poorly designed environmental policy created by the E.P.A., poor understanding of lake ecology by the managers of the land, and false confidence in poorly planned ideas. By looking at how these factors contributed to the degradation of the lake, hopefully we will be able to make more ecological sound decisions in the future.

In this passage, Prose gives the reader his feelings and attitude towards nature. Giving off the impression that she has respect and dedication for it. She releases a positive message towards the subject and believes that it is a necessity for life. Throughout this passage the author uses effective figurative language and imagery. Nature can only be seen and felt by certain people. And when they are able to see nature it is a blissful and tranquil image. The wilderness has much more to offer than is the streets.

In the third section of John McPhee's Encounters with the Archdruid, the author observes the discourse between conservationist David Brower and Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, Floyd Dominy, on the merits of dams in the southwestern United States. Brower "hates all dams, large and small," while Dominy sees dams as essential to our civilization. The Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, which Dominy created, are the main issue of debate between the two men.

He stated that it was the difference between life and death. Glen Canyon was alive. Lake Powell is a graveyard. He really seems to be going out on a limb in saying this extreme of a statement. I think that he is wrong in saying that. I feel that he is only looking at one side of the story. I would say the opposite, but for a rhetorical analysis proposes only, I will come from his point of view in researching that he came to that conclusion under the assumption that the wildlife and nature was more alive then the life “outside” of the dam. Lake Powell is a graveyard in such that there is nothing natural about it. The rocks are pretty and the water is blue. Abbey talks of a term called “bathtub ring”, it is left on the canyon walls, after each drawdown of the water level. The park rangers in Glen Canyon consider it to be not of great importance, and that is one of the only illusions that you look at upon a natural lake. To some people seeing that effect is more then they have seen or may ever see in their life when it comes to nature. People come from places where there isn’t a lot of wildlife around them. The closest they get seeing that might just be from a book or a video they saw in school. So what if they dump a ton of striped bass and rainbow trout into the lake every year. One of those fishes could be the first one ever

McCullough once again reiterates the responsibility of man prior to the 1889 disaster with the example of Daniel J. Morrell’s concerns in 1880. He sent John Fulton on behalf of the Cambria Iron Works to inspect the dam, where two major structural problems were found: there was no discharge pipe to reduce water in the dam, and, the previous repair left a leak that cut into the dam. This initial warning and advice was rejected, even after their offer to pay for repairs. McCullough then points out that there were in fact four other crucial problems that needed to be repaired that had not been noticed by Fulton. The height of the dam had been lowered, reducing the height between the crest and the spillway. A screen of iron rods were put across the spillway, which would decrease its capacity when clogged by debris. The dam sagged in the center so it was lower than at the ends when the center should have been highest and strongest. Lastly, the club brought the level of the lake nearly to the top so there was no reserve capacity for a severe storm. By indicating the many problems with the dam prior to the great flood of 1889 and the South Fork Club’s refusal to acknowledge the potential danger, McCullough is leaving little doubt to the reader of his

Page 2: The lake and area around it is used for many reasons by humans and animals alike, and I believe

As the essay continues, White notices more and more differences from the lake he remembered as a child. The calmness of the lake and its surrounding forestry is still intact, but

At first glance, Henry Thoreau’s, Where I Lived and What I Lived For, and E.B. White’s, Once More to the Lake, have nothing in common. After several readings; however, one can interpret that both authors have the same message. Even though Thoreau and White use extremely different styles, they both portray nature as the simplest way of life. Thoreau writes an argumentative essay in the 1800’s trying to persuade society to “simplify” by going back to relying on nature instead of technology (50 Essays pg. 417). White writes a 1900’s narrative about his visit to his childhood lake where he shockingly discovers how nature reveals the essence of life.

1. Why was the building of the dam first proposed in 1919 and by whom?

White exaggerates to the reader, through the use of hyperboles, that he is imagining a worse possible scenario than that which may be seen by a bystander. Instead of viewing what society views as progress as advancement, he sees it as a step away from the starting point; he sees the starting point of the advancement as the same point as the ending point. White believes that the lake was perfect as it was, that it should not be changed. Most people

The tone and choice of words change as Marquart recounts the history of North Dakota. While the first half of the passage used words such as “lonely” and “treeless”, the latter half used more optimistic imagery of the land such as “neatness” and “perfect confluence” (49). This more lighthearted and positive imagery shows that although North Dakota seems dull and unexciting, she still possesses admiration for her home. The imagery is used to describe the origins and history of North Dakota which suggests Marquart has appreciation for the regions origins. It also shows how Marquart believes times have changed and so has North Dakota. Although it was once a place that was deemed uninhabitable, she chooses to highlight its positive attributes, which suggest she admires its transformation despite its flaws. Marquart characterizes the region as a place that she has appreciation for and is much more remarkable than its appearance

With environmental issues such as global warming, pollution, and natural resource depletion, it is indisputable that preserving the wilderness is essential for a sustainable future. While the effects are becoming more prominent today, the concern for maintaining a balance with nature has been around in the United States for over a century. In defense of preservation, one individual shares his perspective in his book, Desert Solitaire, of the crucial need for undisturbed wilderness and how the exploitation of it must be contained. Edward Abbey’s method to convey his message can be crude, unfiltered, and raw. Regardless, he argues “there is a way of being wrong which is also sometimes necessarily right” to justify his approach (xii). Although Abbey’s point of view is sometimes “violently prejudiced [and] unconstructive,” his message is passionate and thoughtfully presented in a manner that invites

The 1960’s were considered the “golden age for dam construction” and contributed to thousands of dams being built across the United States. Dams are regualarly built to support recreational activities as well as hydroelectric power and water supply purposes but people recently have realized many of the negative impacts affiliated with them. Many are now 50 years old and due for relicensing which involves many tradeoffs for dam owners and public stakeholders to consider. Urbanization below such structures has brought up safety concerns from land owners and recognition of ecosystem degradation has flooded recent news and reports. Dam decommissioning is becoming more of a viable option for aging dams that are abandoned and have lost their economical use. Over 500 dams have been removed from US riverine systems since 2000 and 51 alone in 2013 (American Rivers, 2013).

“The human problems appear as monumental as the magnificent engineering edifices left on the landscape; but, without consideration of the human factor, great dams simply make great ruins” (Dupree 1980, Carta 2015).