Flashcards for The Fish

The Boat (implied presence)

In Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish," the boat isn’t directly or dramatically described, yet it serves as a crucial silent stage for the poem's moral drama.

character

The Fish

The fish is the main focus of Elizabeth Bishop's 1946 poem of the same name, acting more as a catalyst for the speaker's moral and aesthetic awakening than as a traditional character.

character

The Speaker

The Speaker in Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish" embodies the poem’s only human voice and central consciousness — a first-person angler who catches a large, ancient fish and experiences a significant moral and aesthetic change throughout the poem.

character

“I caught a tremendous fish / and held him beside the boat / half out of water, with my hook / fast in a corner of his mouth.”

These lines are from Elizabeth Bishop's renowned 1940 poem "The Fish," narrated by an unnamed speaker who many believe reflects Bishop's own experiences.

First-person narrator (Elizabeth Bishop, semi-autobiographically)

“He didn't fight. / He hadn't fought at all.”

These lines come early in Elizabeth Bishop's well-known 1946 poem "The Fish," narrated by a first-person voice — likely Bishop herself or a closely related character — right after she pulls a large, battered fish into her rented boat.

First-person narrator (Elizabeth Bishop / poetic persona)

“I looked into his eyes / which were far larger than mine / but shallower, and yellowed.”

These lines come from Elizabeth Bishop's well-known 1946 poem "The Fish," delivered by the poem's first-person narrator — either Bishop herself or a closely related poetic persona — right after catching a large, battle-scarred fish and holding it up for examination.

First-person narrator (Elizabeth Bishop / poetic persona)

“the coarse white flesh / packed in like feathers”

This striking simile appears in Elizabeth Bishop's well-known poem "The Fish" (1946), narrated by the first-person voice — Bishop herself, or a close lyrical persona — as she holds a large, battle-scarred fish she's just caught.

First-person narrator (Elizabeth Bishop / lyric persona)

“Like medals with their ribbons / frayed and wavering, / a five-haired beard of wisdom / trailing from his aching jaw.”

These lines come from Elizabeth Bishop's well-known 1946 poem "The Fish," spoken by the narrator as she examines a large, battle-scarred fish she has just caught.

First-person narrator (Elizabeth Bishop)

“I stared and stared / and victory filled up / the little rented boat”

These lines come near the climax of Elizabeth Bishop's well-known 1946 poem "The Fish," which was included in her first collection, North & South.

Elizabeth Bishop (lyric speaker) · "The Fish" (poem), published in North & South (1946)

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

These closing lines of Elizabeth Bishop's poem "The Fish" (1946) capture one of the most celebrated moments in American poetry.

Elizabeth Bishop (poetic speaker) · "The Fish" (1946), collected in North & South (1946) and The Complete Poems (1969)

The Fish

In Elizabeth Bishop's poem, the fish represents hard-won survival, endurance, and the dignity that comes from lived experience.

The Hooks and Lines

In Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish," the hooks and lines stuck in the old fish's jaw represent years of experience, survival, and hard-earned wisdom.

The Oil Spill

In Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish," the rainbow of oil spreading across the bilge water at the poem's climax captures a sudden moment of beauty and recognition.

The Rainbow

In Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish," the rainbow that stretches across the boat's bilge water in the poem's final lines represents a hard-earned recognition, grace, and the transformative ability of careful observation.

Imagery

Bishop's poem relies heavily on vivid visual imagery.

Simile

Simile is Bishop's main rhetorical strategy, appearing over a dozen times and performing the poem's core task of translation — making the unfamiliar body of the fish understandable in human terms.

Extended Metaphor

The five old fishing hooks, still stuck in the fish's jaw along with their lines, serve as a powerful metaphor for a veteran's battle honors.

Free Verse

"The Fish" is written in free verse, lacking a fixed metre or rhyme scheme, but Bishop's lines are far from shapeless.

Enjambment

Enjambment serves as the main rhythmic device in the poem, drawing the reader through the detailed portrayal of the fish's body in a way that reflects a sustained, unblinking focus.

Repetition

The most famous example of repetition appears in the closing line "rainbow, rainbow, rainbow," where the triple use of the word creates an overwhelming, almost dreamlike effect in the speaker's vision.

Symbolism

The fish gradually takes on symbolic significance without feeling forced or overly dramatic.

Volta

The poem's volta hits when the speaker gazes into the fish's eyes and realizes they won't meet their gaze: "They shifted a little, but not / to return my stare."

Personification

Bishop stops short of fully personifying the fish — it never speaks or thinks like a human — but she consistently nudges toward it.

Motif

Colour serves as a persistent motif that traces the emotional journey of the poem.

Understatement

Bishop's distinctive tone relies on deliberate understatement, which amplifies the poem's intense moments through contrast.

Line Break

Bishop uses line breaks as a meaningful device throughout the poem.

tremendous

Extraordinarily large and impressive in size; here used to emphasize the fish's great bulk and age, suggesting it is far bigger than an ordinary catch.

adjective · Chapter 1

fast

Firmly fixed or stuck in place, not moving; the hook is lodged securely in the corner of the fish's mouth and will not come loose.

adjective · Chapter 1

grunting

Making a low, rough sound; describes the fish's labored, heavy breathing or noise as it is held out of the water.

adjective · Chapter 1

infested

Overrun or covered heavily by parasites or small creatures; the fish's skin is densely covered with sea-lice and other clinging organisms.

verb · Chapter 1

lichen

A crusty, plant-like organism that grows on rocks and other surfaces; here it appears as orange patches clinging to the ancient fish's skin.

noun · Chapter 1

barnacles

Small hard-shelled sea creatures that permanently attach themselves to underwater surfaces like rocks or the hulls of boats; here they cling to the fish's skin as signs of its great age.

noun · Chapter 1

sea-lice

Tiny parasitic crustaceans that attach to and feed on fish; their presence on the fish's body signals how long it has lived in the sea.

noun · Chapter 1

swim-bladder

An internal gas-filled organ that fish use to control their buoyancy and stay at a desired depth in the water without sinking or floating.

noun · Chapter 1

iridescent

Showing shifting, luminous colors that change depending on the angle of light, like the inside of a shell or a soap bubble.

adjective · Chapter 1

frayed

Worn down and unraveling at the edges from long use; the old fishing lines hanging from the fish's jaw are tattered and coming apart.

adjective · Chapter 1

leader

A short length of strong, often nearly invisible line connecting a fishing hook to the main fishing line; a broken leader means a previous angler's line snapped during a fight with the fish.

noun · Chapter 1

gunwale

The upper edge or rail along the side of a boat; it is the topmost structural rim that runs along the length of the hull.

noun · Chapter 1

bilge

The lowest interior part of a boat's hull where water, oil, and other liquids collect; here oily, rainbow-colored water pools in this space.

noun · Chapter 1

bailer

A small scoop or bucket used to remove water that has collected inside a boat; it is a basic, utilitarian tool found in small fishing vessels.

noun · Chapter 1

thwarts

The horizontal planks or seats that run across the inside of a small boat from one side to the other, used as seats or for structural support.

noun · Chapter 1