Elizabeth Bishop quotes

a tremendous fish

remarking the size of the fish

he didnt fight, he hadn’t fought at all

shows fish’s lack of struggle

his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper

describing the fish appearance

shapes like full blown roses stained and lost through age

compares fish skin to flowers

the pink swim bladder like a big peony

compares bladder of fish to flower

I looked into his eyes, which were far larger than mine

Bishop looks into fishes eyes

I admired his sullen face. the mechanism of his jaw

facial features of the fsih

grim wet and weaponlike hung five old pieces of fish line

the fish facial hair and lip

like medals with their ribbons

the fish legacy of escaping fishermen

september rain falls on the house

setting of sestina

reading the jokes from the almanac laughing and talking to hide her tears

grandmother is distracting bishop from what has happened

the iron kettle sings on the stove

personified kettled in sestina

it was to be says the marvel stove, i know what i know says the almanac

personification of the stove and calender sestina

with crayons the child draws a rigid house

shows lack of family structure sestina

house, grandmother, child, stove, almanac, tears

repeated last words in sestina

time to plant tears says the almanac

calendar is personified

edward prince of wales, with princess alexandra

first mention of monarchy in first death in NS

below them stood a stuffed loon

nird First death NS

on his white frozen lake, the marble topped table

metaphor for the birds setting first death NS

come and say goodbye to your little cousin arthur

bishops mother is talking to her in first death NS

jack frost had started to paint him

childhood innocence first death in NS with imagination

jakc frost had dropped the brush and left him white forever

bishop as a child provieds an explanation for the whiteness of arthur’s corpse

they invited arthur to be the smallest page at court

bishop’s imagination tells her that arthur will meet the late royal family

but how could arthur go, clutching his tiny lily with his eyes shut up so tight and the roads so deep in snow

final line summarises bishops childhood innocence FDNS

oh but it is dirty - this filling station

bishop is flummoxed by the filth of the station

oil soaked, oil permeated

bishop highlighting the spread of oil

several quick and saucy and greasy sons assist him

mention of family in filling station

why oh why the doily

bishop is confused by why there is a doily

somebody embroidered the doily, somebody water the plant

bishop sugggest that there is an extra person to the stationb

somebody loves us all

highlights the affection fo a motehr, a feeling she never had

the waiting room was full of grown up people

bishop feels isolated in the waiting room

babies with pointed heads wound round and round with string

young bishop looking at baby heads

their breasts were horrifying

bishop is scared of the ladies and their mutialetd bodies

I was my foolish aunt

Bishop suddenly relates to her aunt itwr

you’ll be seven years old

bishop commenting on her age itwr

you are an I, you are an elizabeth you are one of them

bishop and her intraspection itwr

then i was back in it, the war was on

bishop is snapped back to reality and we learn about the time setting itwr