Analyzing The Poem 'The Fish' By Elizabeth Bishop

He refers multiple times to fishing terms that the general audience may not be knowledgeable of such as “spinner” (“Once” para. 1), “hellgrammite” (“Once” para. 5), and “bass” (“Once” para. 5). These terms not only classify White as a fisherman but also suggest the importance or impact that fishing and the lake have on his life. By using logos in his writing, he gains credibility with his intended audience.

In David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech, This is Water, addressed to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College, he aims to encourage his audience to be aware of the world around them and to be conscious of their attitude towards others. Wallace’s underlying purpose is to reveal how genuine learning permits people to recognize their default setting and it allows them to alter it. To convey these messages, he uses pathos by placing the reader in relatable situations and establishing a connection with his audience Wallace begins his speech by referring to a metaphorical story about fishes and although its meaning isn’t crystal clear until the end, it causes the reader to find interest in his speech and opens their minds to listen. He also establishes credibility with the audience by reminding them that he is just like them and admits his own mistakes. This credibility is vital for the remaining of the essay because it helps the audience not to feel emotionally manipulated through his use of pathos.

In the poem The Sharks by Denise Levertov it is telling us her experience with sharks and how sharks were appearing in the sea .For example the quote “Dark fins appear,innocent as if fair warning.”This shows that she knew the sharks were lurking in the sea and she was noticing the dark fins in the ocean.As this was happening she knew the sea at the momment was threatening to swimmers and other people.This is important because the author is telling us what she is seeing and she is also descibing it to us in details exactly what she sees and feels at this moment in time.Another quote example is “I tell you they break six feet of water.”By this she means that the sharks can enter water as shallow as six feet.By this she was trying to say that

As the boat drifted away “the fisherman went blind with uncontainable rage. ‘Get back down there where you belong!’ he screamed” (377). The fisherman, in pure shock and disbelief of his imminent doom, lashed out at the boys he loves so dearly. While his words try to shelter the boy from the reality of the situation, it is his inability to conceal his anger that instead allows them to understand what is happening. The fisherman tries to take control of a situation he clearly cannot control, “Dad,’ asked the boy steadily, ‘what do we do now?’...’The first thing we have to do,’ he heart himself saying with infinite tenderness… ‘is think” (378). Before he can even think of what to do, the fisherman is trying to instruct others and, ultimately, save them. As the fisherman develops his plan for their rescue, the situation grows more dire and the inevitability of their fate grows more apparent. The fisherman’s actions in the face of imminent danger exemplify his protective leadership and will to

The adults, namely Ms. Fisher and the Homeowners Association, don’t know what’s causing the disappearance of these colourful fish. They believe that it’s one of the kids down from Tangerine, since Lake Windsor has the more expensive houses, and Tangerine is poor, most people being Spanish and farmers. Besides the fact that the HOA is lowkey racist, and that them being blind relates to the motif of ‘sight’, the fact that they’re unaware of what happened infuriates Paul. It isn’t until he speaks up, and announces the truth-- that it’s actually the osprey, does anyone know with certainty what happened. This shows how the osprey aren’t free [from blame] until the truth is

The author uses imagery in the poem to enable the reader to see what the speaker sees. For example, in lines 4-11 the speaker describes to us the

I understand the metaphor here only because I have the script for the speech sitting right in front of me, but if this was my college graduation I wouldn’t really be listening and the meaning would go right over my head. It’s all about your outlook on life, for the fish they don’t notice the water and they take advantage of the life it gives them unlike the wise old fish who knows that the water is important and that it allows him to live. You see this difference in perspective again with instance involving the atheist and religious men. The atheist man prayed to God to save his life, but he got the Eskimos instead. He saw that as proof that there was no God, but to the religious man, it proved that God did save the atheist by sending the Eskimos. It’s all about how you perceive the things that happen in your life. As people, we naturally think that our own ideas and feelings are superior to those of other people. Thinking we are the main importance is poison in the mind, and according to Wallace, our “natural default setting is the certainty that situations…are really all about me” (xiv). Getting away from that feeling and that default setting seems to be the major goal of this speech, but I don’t see how the impatient soon-to-be college graduates are paying close enough attention to get the

Though written in a very light and simple manner, the poem comes across as something very profound, laden with meaning through its incongruities. The persona, wanting to see something, often goes to the well and looks down at the water to see it. This certain search below the water's surface can be compared to man's search beneath the human experience for meaning, for certainty.

The author’s diction is easy to understand, not complicated fisherman dialect. In lines 8 and 9, she uses words that offer a precise description of the fish, "battered and venerable and homely". But she also employs words that show that she has knowledge of fishing, such as, shiny entrails (line 31), and isinglass (line 41).

These three lines are perfect examples of the imagery within the poem because they contain an image of a river with its small peeks and waves trembling and glistening in the afternoon sun. All the while it equates the natural beauty of the river to the beauty that the young man sees in the youthful maiden.

The short story “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod is narrated by a man who comes from a fishing family. His mother’s side of the family has forever lived and worked by the sea and continues this tradition. The narrator’s father always wanted to be an academic, but worked on the boat to support his family. Through this passage it is evident that the parents’ characters clash in many aspects of their lives and are in constant conflict. MacLeod demonstrates this through the use of repetition, the contrast in other unrelated ideas, and through information that is withheld.

"When he was not in the boat, my father spent most of his time lying on the bed in his socks" with the bureau covered with "magazines and books". The mother "despised the room and all it stood for" deeming all of the books to be a "colossal waste of time". This division between the old traditions and generations of fisherman, and the fathers disconnection to nature, as portrayed by the sea, illustrates a sense of identity and belonging within each of the characters.

To elaborate, the reader can not truly hear what is taking place in the poem, but does get a sense of being able to hear what they are reading. For instance when the speaker says “While his gills were breathing in” (22), the reader can almost hear the fish breathing. The speaker again stimulates the auditory senses when she says “and a fine black thread, / still crimped from the strain and snap” (58-59). Again the reader can virtually hear the sound of the line snapping. The next aspect of imagery that needs to be examined is the sensory imagery. An excellent example of sensory imagery is found when reading the lines “It was more like the tipping, / of an object toward light” (43-44). These lines can give an almost unbalanced feeling to the reader as they conceptualize these words. Imagery is not the only important element used in this poem. As stated earlier, irony is an important component involved in “The Fish”.

o Page 49 “…the hooked fish, the female, made a wild, panic-stricken, despairing fight that soon exhausted her..”

I wish I could feed the fish, he thought. He is my brother. But I must kill him and keep strong to do it. Slowly and conscientiously he ate all of the wedge-shaped strips of fish” (59). This relates to perseverance by showing how Santiago doesn’t really want to harm the fish, but he knows he has to in order to make a living. Santiago’s hand has cramped up, yet he feels sorry for the fish, not himself. He has caught a few small fish to eat raw. He wishes he could feed the