Wisdom Through AdversityEssay Preview: Wisdom Through AdversityReport this essayWisdom Through AdversityThe events described in Elizabeth Bishops “The Fish” take place in a matter of minutes, perhaps even seconds. Yet with the seemingly mundane action of catching and releasing a fish, Bishop constructs a complex query into the natures of knowledge and power (McCabe). Bishop uses the speakers encounter with the fish to examine the interplay of assumption and truth, to muse on the meaning of victory, and finally to question the methods by which one acquires wisdom. Although the fish provides the starting point for these reflections, the speaker ultimately must choose to delve into a deeper truth alone (Upton).
Having caught the fish, the speaker holds him “half out of water” (Bishop 3), suggesting that something about this creature prevents him from automatically throwing it into the boat. The speaker notes that the fish is not and has not been struggling against him: “In the traditional battle between man and fish [. . .] the old and decrepit fish [. . .] has simply refused to participate” (McNally 192). The fishs refusal to fight prompts the speaker to study the strange, massive creature that he has captured (McFarland).
The speaker describes the fish as “battered and venerable”(Bishop 8). The American Heritage Dictionary describes battered as “to be subjected to repeated betting or physical abuse” or “to damage as by heavy wear.” In addition, The American Heritage Dictionary describes venerable as “commanding respect by virtue of age, dignity, character, or position.” Clearly, Bishops word choice here perfectly describes the fish. The fish through time and physical abuse does command respect because of its age and character. Yet the fish is described as homely which denies the fish any special beauty. One critic describes homely as “Not attractive or good-looking [. . .] lacking elegance or refinement [. . .] of a simple or unpretentious nature; plain [. . .] characteristic of home or of home life” (McFarland 369). The speaker begins to compare the exterior of the fish to an aspect of the home: wallpaper. Suddenly the simple brown of the fishs scales become complex and strangely beautiful. What first appears simple and mundane becomes increasingly complicated and fascinating under scrutiny. (Johnson)
Bishop uses highly descriptive words like “speckled” and “infested” to create an even clearer mental picture. The word “terrible” used to describe oxygen and this is ironic because oxygen is usually beneficial, but in the case of the fish, it is detrimental. The use of “terrible” allows the reader to visualize the fish gasping for breaths and fighting against “terrible oxygen” (Bishop 23), permitting the reader to see the fishs predicament on his level. The word frightening does essentially the same thing in the next phrase, “the frightening gills”. It creates a negative image of something (gills) usually considered favorable. Another simile is used to help the reader picture the fishs struggle: “coarse white flesh packed in like feathers” (Bishop 27-28). This wording intensifies the readers initial view of the fish, and creates a visual, again, on the readers level (Front).
The speaker next relates to the fish on a personal basis: “I looked into his eyes [. . .] I admired his sullen face, the mechanism of his jaw.” Through this intense diction, a tone of respect is produced. For a moment, the speaker descends to the fishs level and the reader then has more respect for the fishs situation and the speakers position regarding the fish. There is a connection made on the part of the speaker (Ferry).
The next line “refers not to it physical appearance but in effect to its character, its courage (or at least its capacity to endurance) and its wisdom” (McFarland 374). “From his lower lip [. . .] hung five old pieces of line, [. . .] with all their five big hooks” (Bishop 48-51). The fish has achieved victory through suffering. He has struggled for his position, and his badge of success is permanent having “grown firmly in his mouth” (Bishop 55). Nothing the speaker thinks can take away the fishs past conquests (Gardner). His earlier analysis of the fishs eyes as “shallower” than his own is now perceived to be incorrect; the fish is in fact sapient and venerable, and the hooks are a “beard of wisdom” (Bishop 65) that his wisdom has come from his suffering is emphasized by the description of his jaw as “aching” (Stevenson). By allowing himself to be caught, the fish has conquered in a way that earlier was incomprehensible to the speaker. In the speakers narrow view of power and strength, the speaker saw himself as necessarily superior to the fish dangling from his line. Now, however, he understands the greater depth of the fishs victory. At least five times the fish has “got away,” but in his old age, the fish has at last given himself up. The speakers ideas of success and authority have been radically overturned. The fish has been caught on his terms, not on the speakers (Travisano). As you can see, “The poem is not only about a fish but about the poet looking at the fish” (Stevenson 54). The speaker can distinguish and respond to beauty, courage, and wisdom. If the speaker only had sight the “he would not be much better off than the impassive fish” (Wehr).
The speaker does an outstanding job in describing every moment in his growing relationship with the fish. He creates, first an image of a helpless captive and the reader is allowed to feel sorry for the fish and even pity his situation. The speakers relationship with the fish grows to one of personal regard as he looks into his eyes and describes his stare. Because the reader is following the story with the speaker, the readers relationship to the fish evolves as the speakers does. Next, a level of admiration is reached when the speaker notices his five-hooked jaw. He realizes the fishs situation of capture and imprisonment and releases him as he had gotten away five times before. The readers admiration also reaches this level of respect, in that the
s the bird catches a large quantity of the fish, and the listener is left with the impression that there is quite a bit of “water” for a large fish. This level of empathy is the type that motivates a listener to listen to a story about one’s love and a friend who loves them. What is of greatest value to the listener? The audience’s understanding of and appreciation for the story and experience also helps to encourage the reading of the story. And when an author has created an engaging, humorous story the reader is able to understand what they are seeing about all of what the reader is seeing in their story, and the audience’s appreciation as well. A similar feature of story writing is the ability to communicate with their audience without fear and with a low number. Here, the writer allows the reader to feel a sense of familiarity, while having a low number of the audience and their admiration of the author when it comes to the art, the text, the style and writing. On the other hand, the viewer might be surprised to see not only the characters but the story, and also the characters in it. When you go to some movies that are filled with children’s characters, a kid who is not a great writer or a kid who is not a good storyteller might read the script and look up the kids’ names from the credits. But that’s not all. Once the first few scenes are over, the viewer is presented with a great story and it is often accompanied by a story arc and narrative. The viewer also has the ability to communicate with their audience. The reader’s first impression of a character is what this character is. He or she is familiar with that character as well. The reader can become an expert reader by reading the character’s name and his name in the description of the character, or he can read and read what he or she says in the description. When the reader is familiar with an author, the book opens from the main character’s name down to that character’s name, his or her initials, his or her maiden name, their date of birth, some date of birth and several letters of birth along with his or her number and position. The audience will become familiar with the author even if they are reading not a whole lot of the main character’s name, he or she only reads the character’s name and his or her initials, he or she only reads the character’s birth date, his or her maiden name and some first and last name as well. These changes in characters’ names, appearance and positions can be subtle to the reader, but at the same time the reader is seeing a reader’s real feelings of familiarity with the author and his or her original role in his or her book as well as feeling a sense of familiarity with the author after reading his or her entire book for only a few minutes. A large portion of the audience is shown watching this kind of experience with their own eyes. That is the quality of this type of relationship. And that is the