Example Of Generation Gap In Kiswana Browne And Once More To The Lake Essay

In the reading “Kiswana Browne” written by Gloria Naylor, Kiswana considers a generation gap between her mother and herself. On the other hand, In “Once more to the lake” written by E. B. White directs blame towards the world that is changing rapidly for the loss of some the former ways as well as attitudes as he goes between boyhood visits with the father to the lake and comments on his present visit with the son. Certainly, as on one hand Kiswana wants to identify herself with her generation due to new changes that are being realized in the world, on the other hand, White intends to maintain the harmony among generations since he believes it brings happiness and peace.
Certainly, Kiswana Browne is a heroine who lies behind the young generation always, uninterested in their color or the era they represent. She has a spirit that is rebellion-free that marks the young people, and comes to a sharp contrast with the older times. Therefore, the generation gap has been and will always be a current discussion topic. From the story, the observation is that Kiswana still fears her mother in spite of the fact that she is no longer in a her house and has abandoned the way of the life of her parents. Certainly, this is manifest in the statement, “Oh, God, it’s Mama!” (Naylor 46). Here, Kiswana has a feeling of guilt, which all children have at the time they do a thing that is against their willpower, or intend to hide an adored secret.
In addition, there are various elements in the conversation, held between daughter and mother, which put emphasis on the contrast with the rich beliefs as well as surroundings of her parents. For instance, she points out, “At least you have a halfway decent viewit’s the boulevard. Honey, did you.Linden hills from here? (Naylor 48). Contrary to other youths who undertake their own rebellion in mind, Kiswana took a step to make it real her life entirely. Thus, she altered her Christian name to Kiswana in order to exhibit how proud she actually is of her African roots.
In the reading “Once more to the lake”, written by White, there is the best relationship between father and son. White describes two distinct memories he has about the same lake, the first memory is about when he visited the lake with his father and now with his son and watching him just the same way his father did to him. Indeed, such memories are full of beauty and happiness of his father and his son. In this regard, the author points out that “I looked at the boy, who was silently watching his fly, and it was my hands that held his rod, my eyes watching” (White 2). In this situation, he is a model father who desires to make an effort to take his son to nice places and to do the much he can for his son, the same way his father did for him in the past. He points out, “I began to sustain the illusion that he was I, and therefore, by simple transposition, that I was my father” (White 2). In this regard, he makes an effort to do all he can, as a father since that is what he experienced while he was with his father. In essence, even if it does not seem like a unique experience to have quality time with the son at the lake, it tends to be a moment special in the eyes of the reader since it is not a usual setting between the children and parents in the present-day world.
In conclusion, as on one hand Kiswana wants to identify herself with her generation due to new changes that are being realized in the world, on the other hand, White intends to maintain the harmony among generations since he believes it brings happiness and peace. Kiswana is possibly driven by the notion that people all over the world are interacting more than ever before and there is technological advancement, which makes it necessary to break away from old ways. On the other hand, White believes there should be no gap between generations. That is the main reason he takes his son to the place his father used to take him. He sees himself in his son and his son in himself, and this bridges the generation gap.

Works Cited

Naylor, Gloria. “Kiswana Browne”. In Reading culture ( George Diana and Trimbur John, eds.). New York: Longman. Print.
White, Edward. Once More to the Lake, 1999. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.