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Analyzing The Poem 'The Fish' By Elizabeth Bishop

792 Words4 Pages

Visualize “The Fish” The words of Elizabeth Bishop in her poem “The Fish” give vivid and colorful detail as fish was just caught, however, the poem then changes from a mental image to a warm feeling in your heart as relief sets in.
Ms. Bishop describes catching a fish that didn’t put up a fight (5). As an avid fisherman myself, fish typically put up a fight and will do what it takes to be released from an unknown pull that would eventually bring the fish out of the water. I could not imagine being a fish and becoming exposed to a hook and line and the actions that soon to come. The first line brings into question the type of fish caught and makes the reader wonder if the fish is old, sick, confused, or just uncertain of its own being for survival and this would be a form of situational irony. The fish is then described as “battered and venerable and homely” and his skin resembled ancient wallpaper. The fish doesn’t understand the dramatic irony as fish most likely don’t understand time nor the aging process of life. It is described has having sea-lice and barnacles. This indicates the fish is host to other sea-life and covered with seaweed. This continues to paint a picture of the fish and …show more content…

The purpose of these type of irony used are to enhance the readers imagination to feel as if we caught the fish and held the fish in our hands. It gives us readers the visual aspect of the life that is breathed in and out of the fish as well as the life that it carried. It also plays a role describing the life of the fish with age and the scars of previous hooks that the fish had taken and fought to escape from. Th purpose continues to show us that this fish is more than just a species from the sea and he can gaze at us as we gaze at him with their great big eyes. My favorite part of this poem is shortly after victory was

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