Elizabeth Bishop The Fish
Elizabeth Bishop The Fish
Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish" deals with the contact of a fisher with his just caught victim. It's about the feeling of private triumph and moreover the pity and respect for others. The poem which is told the reader by a first person narrator starts with the fact that the fisher just caught the fish without having to struggle. It wasn't hard for him to catch the fish because he didn't make an effort to escape. The fish which he is holding beside the boat is in a pretty bad shape. His skin resembles an "ancient wallpaper" and he is "speckled with barnacles". By staring at the fish, the fisher's feeling of success and superiority grows more and more.
However, while he is looking in the large and yellowed eyes of his …show more content…
Another important fact is that the fisher is probably not a professional. Elizabeth Bishop writes in line 67 that he is sitting in "a rented book", maybe this is the first time he has gone fishing and already got a tremendous fish.
The fisher discovers five old pieces of fish-line which show him that he was the first person who was able to win the fight against the huge fish. But on the other hand the fish is tired of trying to escape over and over again. He is always forced to fight an uneven battle where he can't be the winner. The big hooks in his mouth are like medals for every fisher he could escape from.
In the next part the great feeling of being the first person who could beat this fish makes the fisher feel satisfied and proud.
As the fisher sees the beautiful picture which looks like a rainbow and is created by the flowing oil he recognises that the fish is a living creature and has also the right to live. He may think that there isn't a big difference between him and his huge catch.
Deeply moved by the rainbow his respect for the fish grows and he throws him back into the
Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish" deals with the contact of a fisher with his just caught victim. It's about the feeling of private triumph and moreover the pity and respect for others. The poem which is told the reader by a first person narrator starts with the fact that the fisher just caught the fish without having to struggle. It wasn't hard for him to catch the fish because he didn't make an effort to escape. The fish which he is holding beside the boat is in a pretty bad shape. His skin resembles an "ancient wallpaper" and he is "speckled with barnacles". By staring at the fish, the fisher's feeling of success and superiority grows more and more.
However, while he is looking in the large and yellowed eyes of his …show more content…
Another important fact is that the fisher is probably not a professional. Elizabeth Bishop writes in line 67 that he is sitting in "a rented book", maybe this is the first time he has gone fishing and already got a tremendous fish.
The fisher discovers five old pieces of fish-line which show him that he was the first person who was able to win the fight against the huge fish. But on the other hand the fish is tired of trying to escape over and over again. He is always forced to fight an uneven battle where he can't be the winner. The big hooks in his mouth are like medals for every fisher he could escape from.
In the next part the great feeling of being the first person who could beat this fish makes the fisher feel satisfied and proud.
As the fisher sees the beautiful picture which looks like a rainbow and is created by the flowing oil he recognises that the fish is a living creature and has also the right to live. He may think that there isn't a big difference between him and his huge catch.
Deeply moved by the rainbow his respect for the fish grows and he throws him back into the