Ring of time
Ring of timeIn E.B. White’s The Ring of Time, the author gives a narrative account of his trip to a circus rehearsal where he describes a fascinating scene of a young girl practicing a horse act for an upcoming show. As a writer, he feels it is his obligation to record the events he is witnessing, and convey this to his readers without leaving anything out. However difficult this may be, the beautiful and fleeting moment is something he wishes to ultimately capture. When he arrives on the scene, White senses something magical about the surroundings of this circus as it undergoes a rehearsal, but he is primarily fixed on a young woman who passes by him. The young “cleverly proportioned, deeply browned by the sun, dusty, eager, and almost naked” girl is the one thing which he wishes to focus on. After watching her magnificently ride around the one of the circus’ rehearsal rings, the author begins see a connection between the girl and her act. This brings about the author’s central idea of a cyclical view of time.
White suggests that time is circular, and that is goes round and round repeating itself. The images of rings and circles throughout the first few paragraphs support this. He describes the girl’s gaze as “circular”, and “time itself began running in circles” as she took her horse around the circus ring. However, time itself is a constantly changing quantity with everything around it changing also. White realizes this and states, “She will never be this beautiful again”....
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