Dat Tran
Professor: Ashley Becker
February 21, 2016
ENC 1102

Literary Devices in “The Fish” The poem "The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop is one of the masterpieces to study. It is written in free verse, that is, it does not have any consistent rhyme or form. However the poem shows control of the poet over the verses as the lines are of equal length and kept short and trim. The poem is a colorful epiphany of several literary devices used by the poet to describe a fish and why, even after catching the fish, the poet let it go. To begin with, the poet has made use of imagery to describe the fish. The poem begins with an author explaining that she caught the fish, continuing on to describe the fish as “battered, venerable and homely” (8-9). In these very words, the reader gains an understanding of the empathy the poet is feeling towards the fish caught: then begins description. The brown colored skin of the fish which hung “like ancient wallpaper” (11) seems apt as it imposes an imagery of an old waning wallpaper, there by implying the old age of the fish. The age implied imagery continues in the lines which follow saying “like full-blown roses/ stained and lost through age”
(14-15).
Further on, the poet describes other parts of the fish- as she could see a few lime figures, the white speckled sea lice infestation, and a few green weeds clinging on. The entire description makes use of imageries to bring home the point and help the reader see and envision the fish in the same manner as the poet herself. Further on the poem, the description on the fish’s eye makes for the best imagery provided – “far larger than mine / but shallower, and yellowed, / the irises backed and packed / with tarnished tinfoil / seen through the lenses / of old scratched isinglass”
(35-40). The detailed description of the eyes in the poem makes evident how connected the poet was to the fish and how deeply she observed the fish, almost as if being one with the fish. Another imagery of much importance in the poem is the last part, where after observing the fish so keenly, the poet suddenly feels liberated. It is here, towards the end, that the poet describes her own surrounding – the little rented boat, rusted engine, sun-cracked thwarts – all comparison between the fish and the poet / fisherman, where the poet was oblivious to the reality of the world around her, until she caught the fish and observed the fish keenly. It was realization about the fish that brought the poet / fisherman the realization about her own situation and surrounding and the free frivolous nature of the human life. The use of the rainbow imagery towards the end is much highlighted as it is repeatedly used just before the fisherman/poet releases the fish back into the sea as a mark of respect. It also signifies the fact that the poet/fisherman has had a sudden realization thanks to the fish and this realization has come in the form of a rainbow. One can also see the use of rainbow as a religious symbol within the poem. In the Bible, Noah was gifted a rainbow by God as a symbol of peace.
In this poem, as fisherman/poet gains respect for the fish. She feels inclined towards letting the fish go. At this feeling rises, so does the rainbow around the fisherman/poet. When the rainbow spreads all around the poet, it is then that the poet releases the fish, thus completing the symbol and its functional usage here within the poem. Apart from the use of imagery, another literary device used significantly within the poem is metaphors or simile. The comparison “of the pink swim bladder” to a “big peony” is quite enthralling (32-33). Similarly, in comparing the hook and the line to the medal, and the ribbons, the poet again uses metaphor to establish to significance of the hooks and the lines stuck to the fish’s lower lip. These hooks and frayed, age lines signified how strong the fish was once and how it broke free of the fisherman’s device five times before, thus establishing the bravery of the fish by way of comparing these hooks and lines to ribbon and medal.

Work cited
Bishop, Elizabeth. “The Fish”. Poets.org, 2011. Web. February 21, 2016.