The Fish - Elizabeth Bishop

Moment of epiphany - Bishop relates the fish to her own struggles. She sees herself in the fish, in everything that it’s gone through and respects the fish for having gone through hardships, like her, and having come out on top. She decides to let the fish go.

“Until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! And I let the fish go.”

Magnifying glass details - She starts on the outside of the fish then moves inward.

“his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper”
“speckled with barnacles, fine rosettes of lime, and infested with tiny white sea lice”
“frightening gills, fresh and crisp with blood”
“coarse white flesh packed in like feathers”
“eyes which were far larger than mine but shallower, and yellowed, the irises backed and packed with tarnished tinfoil”

Metaphor - Compares the “five big hooks” in the fish’s jaw to a beard of wisdom.

“a five haired beard of wisdom trailing from his aching jaw”

Simile - She compares the hooks to medals and the string to ribbons, showing the fish’s tenure. Reminiscent of army medals for doing great feats, like a decorated soldier.

“Like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering.”

Metaphor - the opaque quality of the fish’s eyes.

“old scratched isinglass”

Form - the poem is written in free verse. It does not have a set rhyme scheme or metre. However there is rhyme at the end of the poem which shows Bishop’s acceptance of herself and her struggles.

It gives the poem a narrative, conversational tone. “…rainbow. And I let the fish go.”

Mood

Inquisitive, reverent, joyous