Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop
First off i would like to say that this poem was one of the most descriptive and detailed poems i have ever read. From the beginning to the end the fisher in the poem admired what he/she called a tremendous fish (1). As the fisher held the large fish up to the boat they notice the fish didnt fight at all (6) this was interesting to me for the simple fact that fish usually panic when out of water. The way the poet described the body and imagined the insides was amazing. The poet really was fascinated by this fish. When the poet went on to describe the hooks latched onto the side of the big fishes mouth (52-55) I kno that fisher felt good knowing they had caught a fish that had once got away. I feel this is why the fisher decided to let the fish go (76).
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I thought so too concerning this poem its very interesting to read and rich in detail. I also feel as if that was one of the reasons she let the fish go but perhaps bishop did so also because of everything the fish has been through? Numerous fisherman tried to catch it and failed. The fish is a warrior , holding much experience and wisdom maybe the author felt it would be wrong to keep it and let it die in such a way? To be the one to destroy something that has fought and withstood time? Just a thought what do you think on it?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, I had such a clear picture of the fish in my head, every detail was so rich and solid, it painted a complete picture in my mind.
ReplyDeleteand I'll go one step further with the previous comment and say, I feel the fisherman related to the life of the fish and all its accomplishments,and in a celebration of both their lives, released the fish. That's just what I got from it, do either of you agree? -or maybe it's just me wanting to relate with the fish.
Good discussion, but see my comments on Ashley's, Amanda's, and Adam's blogs, and blogs from previous classes as noted--remember, all these values are values the speaker attributes to the fish (the fish itself is not a brave warrior, etc., though it is, in part, a metaphor for such things in the speaker's frame of reference). The poem does, however, call this sort of poetry-making personification into question, so to exclude that would be to under-read a lot the ambiguity and tension in the imagery...
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