• What effect does the abundant description have on your reading of the poem? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. How does it affect the few actions? For Grace Bulmer Bowers. Elizabeth Bishop published her first book of poetry in 1946 and wrote until her death in 1979. The first thing I want to mention are my insights on the poem, first and foremost the "Fish" is a metaphor for planet earth or the land that humans live on, we keep battling the fish for control and it is growing weary and tired. The imagery of a tremendous fish representing land is rather common, told of in the Bible in the legend of Saint Brendan. There is very little action in this poem and so much description. Discussion. My initial reading of the poem did make me believe it was standard Primal fight between man and nature, the fisherman had caught this Mighty Beast who had bested man five times before, but the first few lines don't give that any credence. The female artist faces nature and finds no reason to fight but recognizes herself as part of nature and celebrates that union. Your IP: 45.55.180.84 if anyone has any insights or if anyone disagrees I would love the discussion. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. The early poetry of Elizabeth Bishop is discussed. Sure the fish could just be a fish or the fish could also be a metaphor and if the fish is a metaphor what is the fish metaphor for, the way the fish is described with stripes of brown, green seaweed, with barnacles growing off of it and white sea louse infesting it brings to me imagery of the Earth covered with small cities and infested with humans. Summary: The Fish is a narrative poem by Elizabeth Bishop told in the first person about a woman who catches a fish on a rented boat and, after staring at him for a while, decides to throw him back.The narrator of this poem goes through a series of stages in which she is at first detached from the fish, then intrigued by him, and then finally sympathetic towards him. 7. Discussion. In Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish," in lines 34-44, she uses several literary devices. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. He hadn’t fought at all. And the hooks are her exlovers. Her father died before she was a year old and her mother suffered seriously from mental illness; she was committed to an institution when Bishop was five. Study questions, discussion questions, essay topics for The Fish. This student essay consists of approximately 3 pages of analysis of Response to "the Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop. 7 [Discussion][Help] "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop 1946. Why is she doing this? Cookies help us deliver our Services. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. About The Fish Poem Text Not everything in a poem is a metaphor or allegory for something else. Pay attention to what the narrator notices about the fish in that moment of victory, and stop trying to invent metaphors that the poet did not place in the poem. Share published poems and discuss poetry here. Menu. I think others are right, it's not helpful to look for too much symbolism or metaphor right off the bat. In the very first lines of Bishop's poem, the narrator catches the fish and treats him as such. Elizabeth Bishop Questions and Answers - Discover the eNotes.com community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on Elizabeth Bishop