E.B. White uses a number of similes, metaphors and personification throughout the story in order to engage the reader even more. The author uses thorough details and figurative language so that you are able to clearly picture each and everything that is happening. In response to the author using rhetorical devices he is able to paint a picture in the readers mind and make the reader feel he/ she is currently present in the scene. I really enjoy E.B. White’s way of writing in this work of his, because I am able to evidently picture the scene in my head which pulls me in even more on another level. He uses the rhetorical devices well by putting them in right places and having the story move smoothly. I am able to interpret the story on another level because of the use of rhetorical devices. I personally feel like I am actually with the character and witnessing everything with them. This also helps me comprehend more. I am capable of better understanding all aspects of the story as well. It gives me more than just one way to view things.
“I kept remembering everything, lying in bed in the mornings- the small steamboat that had a long rounded stern like the lip of a Ubangi” (463). The author uses a simile in that he says the steamboat had a long, rounded stern like the lip of a Ubangi. Ubangi is a woman from a village in Africa that have pierced lips with big wooden disks. This descriptive quote gives you a clear image that you are able to picture in your head.
“In the daytime, in the hot mornings, these motors made a petulant, irritable sound; at night, in the still evening when the afterglow hit the water, they whined about one’s ears like mosquitoes” (462). Here, White uses personification. He gives the motor a human- like quality of “whining”. This illustrates the noise the motor made. Also, “they whined about one’s ears like mosquitoes” is a smile used to give the reader a clearer view of the sounds of the engine.
“Outside, the road was tarred and cars stood in front of the store” (463). Here, the author gives cars the human-like quality of being able to stand. When I read this line it reminded of me of the film Cars. This popped up in my head, because the cars in the film are also given human- like qualities. Such as being able to talk, to touch and to eat. The author using personification helped me connect to other things I have witnessed. So that stood out to me.
In conclusion, the author using figurative language has improved my experience with reading this story. It has made it more interesting and understandable. I think the story moved very smoothly and the use of figurative language has only made it more enjoyable. I also feel like everyone can relate to this story, because during our childhood we all had that one favorite place we would love going to no matter what.
Lip of an Ubangi
