ipl-logo

Comparing The Fish And Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

434 Words2 Pages

Death and the idea of death are often sore and uncomfortable subjects that don’t make the list of “the most enticing topics to make new friends with”. However, it is packaged tightly with what is life. When you have one, you have the other. The poems The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop, Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith, and Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas all have themes of death and choices that are made before death, both by oneself and those around them. They all vary a bit since there are many different aspects of death and loss. For example, The Fish has underlying themes of self-improvement for the benefit of yourself and others, who might be struggling with life, while Not Waving but Drowning portrays what it can …show more content…

This poem shows how easy choosing to give up is, how influential lending a hand to others can be, and how viewing life in a new way can benefit you and the people around you. Shortly after the speaker catches the fish, she notices that the fish “...didn’t fight. He hadn’t fought at all.” (pg. 25), as if it lacked the will to live or as if it had just completely given up before trying. In the end, the speaker “... stared and stared and victory filled up the little rented boat, from the pool of bilge where oil had spread a rainbow around the rusted engine to the bailer rusted orange, the sun-cracked thwarts, the oarlocks on their strings, the gunnels- until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! And [she] let the fish go” (pg. 26). In the midst of her observations, she saw the beauty of life and what it had to offer, she let the fish go because she had a newfound appreciation for nature. In doing so, she gave the fish a second chance at life. Many people find themselves in the position of the fish, feeling hopeless and finding it difficult to go on. Asking for help or taking others up on their support isn’t shameful and can go a long

Show More
Related
1107 Words | 5 Pages

Your Inner Fish essay In Neil Shubin’s Your Inner Fish, he takes his readers on a journey throughout time, teaching how marine animals inevitably ended up on land. Shubin starts his book by describing how himself and other paleontologists found a missing piece, that showed how animals transitioned from water to land. With this discovery it allowed paleontologists like Shubin, to see transitions that could possibly link certain species of fish to humans. A major change between fish and humans is the use of limbs and its ability to use its limbs to take itself out of the water and away from the dangers within.

Read More
799 Words | 4 Pages

Through symbolism, the reader can get the idea that fish are going extinct due to environmental reasons such as pollution and overfishing. The idea that the leaves will eventually fall symbolises that they will eventually do so. Through these visual and literary devices, Sarah Perry has made the reader question themselves about their actions and what effects they could have on the issues. And the way they perceive

Read More
134 Words | 1 Pages

Amy Tan uses imagery in the short story “Fish Cheeks” in order to let the reader feel the way Amy felt at the table on Christmas Eve. For example, in the story it states, “ My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table dipping them into the dozen or so plates of food.” This explains that Amy felt embarrassed that her family wasn’t realizing the fact that they had no manners at the table. Amy was completely embarrassed with the fact that, that was the way her family had acted while they ate. Everyone is put into a situation where they wished their parents or family members had not acted the way they did in front of them, and Amy Tan writing this story makes you remember those times.

Read More
1161 Words | 5 Pages

Symbolism “The Secret Goldfish” The short story by Means is about Teddy’s pet gold fish which symbolizes the struggles the family encountered. Teddy notice that he cannot see the fish and calls out to his mother to clean the bowel. The mother is shocked by how deprived or neglected the fish living conditions has become. She cleans the fish bowel, then after cleaning the fish bowel she would stop by and admire the fish.

Read More
717 Words | 3 Pages

The hooks, though unsightly and painful, are as precious as formal commendation for bravery or survival; they are “like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering”(61-62). She respects the fish’s capacity for survival into old age, noting the “beard of wisdom” he has acquired from enduring to this very moment (63). In “The Fish”, Elizabeth Bishop expresses the impact of admiration for one’s survival of the trials and tribulations that life brings one’s way. Though aged and, at first sight, not deserving of respect or admiration, the adversity and pain that one endures makes

Read More
649 Words | 3 Pages

Personally I feel that the fish is basically dying. The following lines makes me believe he is old and dying. “He was speckled with barnacles, fine rosettes of lime, and infested with tiny white sea-lice,” These lines make me feel as if he fish is not healthy and close to death. The speaker feel that the fish is a survivor/ a warrior, the theme of the poem is victory in minor thing, and the poem has a earnest tone and it’s a freestyle poem.

Read More
661 Words | 3 Pages

The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop Poetry is the art of minimal storytelling, often containing hidden or abstract ideas as the theme. Theme in other types of literature tends to be more distinct and clear cut, a theme tells the lesson or point of a book, story, or movie. In poetry, however, it can be necessary to read three or four times over to merely understand the “point” of the poem. While poems are much shorter than other literary forms, it can require the most thought and probe your mind for alternative perceptions.

Read More
747 Words | 3 Pages

The young fish mentioned represent that the “most profound realities of life are the most difficult to see or talk about” (Fairhurst, 2001, p.xiii) demonstrating Wallace’s point that we must be continuously active in important aspects of life. At first glimpse this analogy seems to loosen the tension and start the speech on good terms but once coming back to this idea it is frightening that this is “a great and terrible truth”(Wallace 2007). Connecting back to the idea of being attentive if wanting a fulfilled life, this analogy goes perfectly as those who remain in the “default” (Wallace 2005) setting do not need to understand the message behind the analogy and can only see the human, but those who want to go forward will look closer at the function of the words and understand the

Read More
246 Words | 1 Pages

Have you ever thought about how an animal feels when they a caught? As a man you should respect nature and Elizabeth Bishop demonstrates this in her poems. In on of her poems “The Fish” heavily depends on figurative language. As Elizabeth writes the poem “The Fish” she uses the figurative language of imagery. For example, “Here and there his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper (9)”.

Read More
653 Words | 3 Pages

The use of metaphors to describe the fishing line as "medals with their ribbons/frayed and wavering/a five-haired beard of wisdom" (61-63) highlights the precarious nature of animals in the face of human intervention. Our actions are the greatest impediment to their flourishing, making every instance of an animal's escape from our attempts to capture or kill them a medal of honor and a symbol of prosperity. As the fisherman becomes more attuned to the fish's presence, they develop a sense of empathy and awe, recognizing the creature's tenacity and will to survive. Ultimately, the fisherman's decision to release the fish back into the water stems from a deep appreciation for its individual beauty and worth, a rejection of the preconception that animals are mere commodities for human use. By celebrating the value of this one fish, Bishop challenges the notion that animals are disposable and encourages a more compassionate and respectful relationship with the natural world.

Read More
1861 Words | 8 Pages

Upon losing the first big trout, Nick “felt, vaguely, a little sick” (Hemingway 193). Unable to fully control the environment around him, Nick feels that his simplicity has been challenged. Recovery is not linear and Nick, seemingly, is sick at the thought of it. He cannot always win the “struggle for control of his thoughts and emotions” (Green 311). Yet, he stands and continues on to try to catch another trout.

Read More
1067 Words | 5 Pages

The novel, The Old Man and the Sea, is a story about an old man, Santiago, who experienced great adversity but did not give up. The author, Ernest Hemingway, describes how an old man uses his experience, his endurance and his hopefulness to catch a huge marlin, the biggest fish he has ever caught in his life. The old man experienced social-emotional, physical, and mental adversity. However, despite the overwhelming challenges, he did not allow them to hold him back but instead continued to pursue his goal of catching a fish with determination. Santiago’s character, his actions and the event in the novel reveals an underlying theme that even when one is facing incredible struggles, one should persevere.

Read More
496 Words | 2 Pages

The narrator is all alone at sea, has no companionship, and is struggling by to survive. It is winter while the narrator is on the ship so he is freezing, and has no one to care for him. The narrator believes that he has nothing to live for. He is struggling and does not know how much longer he can last. “No harps ring in his heart, no rewards, No passion for women, no worldly pleasures, Nothing, only the ocean’s heave.”

Read More
708 Words | 3 Pages

These lines open to the reader that those who are in need, suffer the same fate of the those give their love. Both groups are lost, and unsure how to solve the issue at hand. The giver does not know what to give, and the needy do not who will give what to help their situation. Baldwin uses the word adrift to describe how they not in control of the circumstances. This stanza is the introduction of internal struggle of the narrator, and how he is unsure of to resolve the condition of

Read More
1049 Words | 5 Pages

Death is always sad: the loss of a life, a family member, a friend. But as mournful as loss is, death can also be a blessing. No one wants to see their family member suffer from an illness that is bound to kill them in the end or have to suffer through it themselves. Authors like Carver and Saunders use death in fiction as a way to bring characters closer together. Both Carver and Saunders utilize death as a way to unify family members.

Read More

More about Comparing The Fish And Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Related Topics

Open Document