Vuong 1

Mai Vuong

ENC1102a

Professor Malenfant

31/1/2019

The Fish: An Explication Essay

The “Fish” is a poem authored by Elizabeth Bishop in the 20th century. Its title allows the

audience to have an idea that a poem is a about a fish. True to the title, Bishop’s poem is a narrative

monologue where she tries to discuss a fish encountered in an expedition to the fullest. More

specifically. Her description gives the impression of an old fish, caught several times and currently

lacks the strength to fight back. Eventually, the narrator releases the fish after catching it. This

paper analyses “The Fish” line by line and attempts to deconstruct the author’s writing style in the

poem.

The poem begins when the narrator has caught the fish and is facing indecision. In

particular, the speaker pulls the fish “half out of water” (3), showcasing that hesitation to throw

him into the boat. It is worth noting that the fish becomes personified. It is also noted that the fish

has not been struggling against the hook; this prompts the narrator to develop an interest in this

strange behavior. On close analysis, the fish is seen to be “battered and venerable”; yet, he seems

“homely”, a contrasting characteristic that is underscored by the author. The author also described

the fish’s exterior and compares it to the home wallpaper – “Brown / was like wall-paper”.

Suddenly, its skin also turns out to be like “full-blown roses.” This trend continues within the

whole poem as what is considered simple gradually becomes intricate under scrutiny.

The speaker continues inspecting the fish and gets rather intrigued by its features. Her mind

is going through a series of considerations when she notices that the fish is “speckled” (16).
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However, she misses the fact that the fish is covered in barnacles and other elements that showcase

its living conditions. In the next line, the narrator realizes that the analysis was inappropriate and

insists that the fish is “infested” (18). This shows a rapid change of heart from considering the fish

as beautiful to ugly. This realization provokes a sense pf pity mixed with disgust. She considers

the struggle of the fish in breathing (23) to analyzing the threat of the gills (24). The recognition

of a negative side to the fish frightens the narrator. However, the poet decides to use simile to

better characterize the fish as relatively inferior. For instance, she states that the flesh is “packed

in like feathers” (27) and “the pink swim bladder like a big -peony” (31, 32). She further confirms

her superiority by staring into its eyes, which she discovers are shallower (37). The speaker further

describes the fish’s age and looks. In the long run, she re -affirms her authority when the fish fails

to make eye contact.

Then narrator considers herself as superior to the fish. Nevertheless, the fish has not yet

acknowledged her supremacy. The narrator then considers the fish as a trophy, “admiring” her

features including the mechanism of its jaw (46). Suddenly, the narrator sees the past encounters

of the fish; five hooks remain attached to its lips a symbol of its triumph over others (55). Faced

by this sudden reciprocation of power, the author stares at the fish with helplessness. “Everything

was Rainbow ...” (75) symbolizes the victory of the fish when the owner lets it go (76).

Overall, the fish is a very interesting poem of nuance. It contains irregular line beaks, use

of contrasts, imagery and symbolism. Although the audience is only given visual descriptions,

there still exists much room for interpretation without much from the poet. Furthermore, one must

look into the internal meaning of the poem to comprehend what it means.
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Works Cited

Bishop, Elizabeth. The Fish. 9 February 2019. https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/fish-2. 10

February 2019.