Poem Analysis: The Fish By Elizabeth Bishop

In the free verse “The FIsh” by Elizabeth Bishop, the speaker has caught a fish and is immediately faced with the decision to release or keep the fish. The fish is “speckled with barnacles”, “infested with tiny white sea-lice”, has “coarse white flesh” and has “five old pieces of fish-line” on its mouth yet, the speaker can see past the ugly appearance and commend the struggles the fish has gone through to receive each feature. Bishop uses a venerable tone to illustrate that wisdom and character is sometimes reflected without impeccable appearances. The speaker uses alliteration to emphasize the traits of the fish as well as his reaction. The lines“skin hung in strips” and “frightening gills, fresh and crisp” are used to highlight the unfavorable detail of the fish’s body. The speaker's attitude towards the fish is equally emphasized with the alliteration in the line “I stared and stared.” The superficial traits have not left the speaker unsettled but intrigued by the fish’s actions and history.

For example, the fish has “brown skin hung in strips” and “shapes like full-blown roses stained like full-blown roses stained and lost through age” because the fish has lived through immense struggle and has persevered. The wisdom the fish has gained came at a cost of the color and beauty of its scales. Furthermore the fish has shown an enormous fighting spirit during its lifetime. The imagery of the “five old pieces of fish-line...like medals with their ribbons” demonstrates that the fish has survived five fatal events. By juxtaposing foul traits with admirable ones, the insignificant looking fish proves its worth lies with strength and courage and not with