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Elizabeth Bishop's Poem The Fish

Elizabeth BishopÆs poem The Fish embodies a speaker who is the persona of the poem. According to Kennedy (1982), a ôpersona or fictitious characters [is] not the poet, but the poetÆs creationö (16). The persona in The Fish appears to be a female, primarily from the descriptions of the fish that focus on its physical ôhomely-nessö and her depiction of various aspects of the fish in colors of ôpinkö, ôrosettes of limeö, and akin to a ôbig peonyö (Bishop 2004, 1). The persona also appears to have an illumination or an epiphany, a moment of awareness when formerly unknown or subconscious information makes its way into the conscious mind.

The persona is fishing on a rented fishing boat. When she catches the fish, she informs us that ôHe didnÆt fight. / He hadnÆt fought at allö (Bishop 2004, 1). This implies that the fish is tired from its years of trying to survive in fishing waters. Bishop also uses personification by giving the fish human qualities, from referring to it as ôheö instead of ôitö, to the personaÆs lending it sensible qualities. This is a fish that feels much like humans feel. His wounds cause him to feel pain just from breathing, ôthe terrible oxygen / that can cut so badlyö (Bishop 2004, 1). He also has a ôsullen faceö, a ôlower lipö, and possesses a ôbeard of wisdomö (Bishop 2004, 1). All of these qualities remind us that the persona has also struggled in life, and she understands the fishÆs sensory feelings.

The poet uses a great deal of imagery throughout the poem, structuring the poem through the use of language. She often uses parallels like ôHe didnÆt fight / He hadnÆt fought at allö and the poem is filled with sensory imagery that mimics the human senses (Bishop 2004, 1). This is a fish that embodies sound (ôgrunting), breathing (ôbreathing inö), smell (ôlike rosesö), and vision (ôeyesàtipping / of an object toward the lightö) (Bishop 2004, 1).

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Elizabeth Bishop's Poem The Fish. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 04:55, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1711340.html