Analysis Of The Poem The Fish

“The Fish” In the poem “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop one of the main themes is power. This is shown through simile, personification, and repetition. The author purpose is to show the reader that power can be restricted and that power maybe the sturdiest at their main years, but over time power will dwindle with time. The theme of power is shown through the use of simile, “Here and there his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper, and its pattern of darker brown was like wallpaper”. (9-13). The author describes his simile as skin and compares it to wallpaper, which is a symbolic of old wallpaper that has been through good times and harsh times over the lifetime. The description of the “Here and there is brown skin hung in strips
While the fisherman was visually inspecting the fish, he looked at the fish bladder and it reminded him of a type of plant that had the same resemblances and images of a plant. The description of “The pink swim-bladder…big peony” gives the fisherman of sense of a happy place or the marking of a plant that he has not seen in a long time. Another simile the author uses in the poem, “Like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering a five-haired beard of wisdom trailing from his aching jaw” (61-64). When the fisherman looked at the fish jaw, it was like a trophy case of hooks, fishing line, and swivel’s. The portrayal of “Like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering” shows that the fish endured extreme battles as he fights to survive against the enemy, once he was caught, it shows the rewards he has received while in battle. The theme of power is shown through the use of personification, “I looked into his eyes which were far larger than mine but shallower, and yellowed, the irises backed and packed with tarnished tinfoil” (34-38). The author describes his personification and compares it to an idea, which is figurative of aging. The explanation of the “tarnished tinfoil” give an imagery of dilapidated tone to the poem. The reader is heartened to feel ruined and aging about power being coarse experience in their own
And I let the fish go” (74-76). The author describes his freedom and compares it to a rainbow, which symbolic of peace. The description of the “rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!” gives a wisdom of nonviolent tone to the poem. The reader is encouraged to feel happy and sentimental about power being an exceptional experience to life. When you catch a fish that has been fighting with humans for years and years, once you finally land the fish on the boat. You will look at the fish and evaluate him. As they look around the boat or even if anyone is around looking at them. Their might be a sign to change their minds or ideas they had previous thought about when they caught the fish. When you realize a sign like a rainbow, then they know how the fish sensations and what he has endure in this epoch with all the skirmish wounds. That’s when you adopt to let the fish go and live in harmony until his last days as a warrior of the underworld. To summarize, in the poem “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop the theme of power is shown through simile, personification, and freedom. From this poem, I have learned that power can be peaceful and rewarding if the people ponder and think outside the box. Life is precious and we all have scars when we face other humans. Once they see the scars on our face or body they will think of a brief moment of what kind of life they have endured, with this some will just