The Fish Essay
John Aguiar
Mrs. McNitt
ENG-112
February 20, 2013
“The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that must precede the victory”, said Ted W. Engstrom. This quote hung on my wall and spoke to me like a faint whisper all through high school. It wasn't until I was in a wrestling tournament where I was completely out classed in skill that these words rang true in my head. I like the fish in the poem, faced opposition that left me battered, scared and bleeding, but at the end of the day my perseverance gained me the respect that I deserved. “The Fish” was also about perseverance through pain. The fish had almost been caught five times, but his perseverance through pain and utter defeat gained him the respect from the fisherman who finally caught him. The figurative language of “The Fish” shows that perseverance through pain demands respect from those around us.
The speaker used many similes in this poem to show the fish's perseverance through pain. “like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering” (line 61-62). This is my favorite segment in this poem, the author is talking about the fishing lines dangling from the fish's mouth from his previous encounters with fisherman. This shows that on many different occasions this fish put up a fight for his life and made it out alive. Each time he made it out alive a piece of line and the hook was left logged into his mouth. So these hooks with lines attached are this fish's medals. Almost like the medals we receive in wrestling from defeating our opposition. This fish has his form of medals from his opposition.
The author also uses personification when talking about the fish's “wavering ribbons”. The author calls those ribbons “a five-haired beard of wisdom” (line 63). The fishing lines that hang from the fish's mouth are indeed a five-haired beard of wisdom, because each “hair” represents a near death experience in which the fish learned something. This fish perseverance shows in each one of these
Mrs. McNitt
ENG-112
February 20, 2013
“The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that must precede the victory”, said Ted W. Engstrom. This quote hung on my wall and spoke to me like a faint whisper all through high school. It wasn't until I was in a wrestling tournament where I was completely out classed in skill that these words rang true in my head. I like the fish in the poem, faced opposition that left me battered, scared and bleeding, but at the end of the day my perseverance gained me the respect that I deserved. “The Fish” was also about perseverance through pain. The fish had almost been caught five times, but his perseverance through pain and utter defeat gained him the respect from the fisherman who finally caught him. The figurative language of “The Fish” shows that perseverance through pain demands respect from those around us.
The speaker used many similes in this poem to show the fish's perseverance through pain. “like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering” (line 61-62). This is my favorite segment in this poem, the author is talking about the fishing lines dangling from the fish's mouth from his previous encounters with fisherman. This shows that on many different occasions this fish put up a fight for his life and made it out alive. Each time he made it out alive a piece of line and the hook was left logged into his mouth. So these hooks with lines attached are this fish's medals. Almost like the medals we receive in wrestling from defeating our opposition. This fish has his form of medals from his opposition.
The author also uses personification when talking about the fish's “wavering ribbons”. The author calls those ribbons “a five-haired beard of wisdom” (line 63). The fishing lines that hang from the fish's mouth are indeed a five-haired beard of wisdom, because each “hair” represents a near death experience in which the fish learned something. This fish perseverance shows in each one of these