English - Elizabeth Bishop: Questions of Travel

Questions of Travel Themes

Travel vs. Home

Observation

Identity

Travel vs. Home Quotes

"There are too many waterfalls here..."

"Think of the long trip home."

"There are too many waterfalls here..."

Bishop immediately presents nature as overwhelming. The abundance of waterfalls can be interpreted as a metaphor for the constant movement of travel, contrasting with a desire for stillness or rootedness.

"Think of the long trip home."

The metaphor of a "long trip" shows the emotional journey and effort it takes to face the past and find your true self again. It suggests that healing and self-understanding take time, distance, and courage.

Observation Quotes

"Is it lack of imagination that makes us come / to imagined places..."

"Should we have stayed at home and thought of here?

"a fat brown bird who sings melodiously"

"Is it lack of imagination that makes us come / to imagined places..."

rhetorical question to challenge the reader's assumptions about travel.

The juxtaposition of "lack of imagination" with "imagined places" creates an ironic tension — suggesting that travel, often seen as bold or adventurous, might actually be the result of dissatisfaction or escapism.

"Should we have stayed at home and thought of here?

Bishop wonders whether the idea of a place can be more satisfying than the real thing.

"a fat brown bird who sings melodiously"

The bird is a reminder of the simple beauty you find by slowing down and observing.

Identity Quotes

"but surely it would have been a pity / not to have seen..."

"but surely it would have been a pity / not to have seen..."

This line introduces a shift in tone from doubt to affirmation. The soft modal phrase "surely it would have been a pity" reflects hesitant certainty — a gentle defence of the value of experience.

It suggests that, despite earlier scepticism, some sights and encounters in travel are simply too meaningful to miss

"the tiniest green hummingbird in the world"

The exactness suggests the poet's hunger for meaning in fleeting moments. Travel is validated not by grand experiences but by small, perfect encounters.

"Should we have stayed at home and thought of here?"

The line transforms the poem into a quiet philosophical meditation, prompting the reader to reflect on whether the value of travel lies in external adventure or internal discovery.

The poem ends on uncertainty, but also peace. Travel, like life, doesn't always need answers.