"The Fish"
By Elizabeth Bishop
Our Analysis
- Title- Notice that the title is "The Fish" and not just a fish. This indicates that the poem will have a greater meaning for the fish, possibly symbolism or a metaphor of some kind. After reading, we know that the title reflects the importance that the fish has to the narrator.
- Paraphrase- The narrator, when fishing one day, catches a fish, and after examining it, takes a closer looks and realizes how old and worn he is. She also sees a few rusted hooks in his lip, indicating that this is not his first encounter with a fisherman. Out of respect for this fish, and after realizing what a rough life he's had, she releases him.
- Language- Three sentences really stick out in the way that they are different from the rest of the poem. The sentences in lines 5 and 6 ("He didn't fight. He hadn't fought at all.") recognize the change in the fish's behavior. The rusted hooks in his lip showed how he had fought before, but this time, he had given up and not even put up a fight. What does this mean? Another sentence, near the end, is so concise, yet has so much meaning. In the last line of the poem, the narrator says, "And I let the fish go." Here, the narrator is showing compassion and demonstrating respect for the fish and his efforts. Throughout the poem, the narrator describes the fish's appearance. Phrases like "battered and venerable," "his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper," "his sullen face, the mechanism of his jaw," and "grim, wet, and weapon-like" seem like a metaphor for what?
- Organization- Initially, the narrator describes the fish as a normal fisherman would describe the day's catch. However, as she looks at it longer, she starts to look beneath the scales and closely examines it. As she does this, the tone and meaning of the poem change (around line 45). By line 65, the narrator has left her scientific view of the fish and now understands and respects what the fish has endured in his life. This organization is representative of the three tones throughout the poem.
- Tone- The tone is intially didactic, as the narrator simply describes the physical appearance of the fish. As she begins to describe his sharp gills, white flesh underneath his scales, and his shiny entrails, a tone shift to one of admiration occurs. She seems in awe of this beautiful animal, and as she notices the rusted hooks in his lip, has respect for the tough life he's obviously lived. When do you think the third tone occurs?
- Theme- The theme is that lessons can be learned from simple things in life, as the narrator learned of persistence and dedication from the fish.
- Backround of Elizabeth Bishop- Elizabeth Bishop was an orphan who grew up in the north, and after she got enough money, she traveled the world, experiencing many other places. Through her travels, she grew to love the ordinary, which shines through in this poem, as well as other writings of hers, as she goes through such a deep analysis of this seemingly simple and old fish.
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