Posted by Tatyana Lazukova (24.23.55.15) on June 28, 2005 at 6:35:59 p.m.:
In Reply to: Re: "The Fish" posted by Sara Dastoum on June 27, 2005 at 9:48:51 p.m.:
Learning about elements of poetry helped me to look at this poem from a different perspective. This is narrative poem. In the tone of Elizabeth Bishop's speaker the reader hears a lot of pride and sympathy. The fish remains passive and doesn't fight, which symbolizes the pain. The poem ends on a note of celebration because the speaker lets the fish go.
>In learning the elements of poetry, I now realize that "The Fish" uses symbolism. The fish in fact symbolizes freedom; especially with all those times the fish has been able to fight for its freedom, what with all the other hooks in its lip. Because the poet used the element of assonance, I was able to closely inspect the lines "He hadn't fought at all. He hung a grunting weight." I now see that the fish allowed itself to be caught this time, a sort of resignation; probably because it was so tired of having to always fight for its freedom.
>>During the beginning of the poem, I hadn't expected "The Fish" to be a touching poem. By the end, I really sympathized with the fish. The poem is about the fish having to constantly fight for it's life, and the character realizing this. The character then has respect for the fish, and lets it go.