Question

Analyze the elements of modernist poetry in Elizabeth Bishop’s poem "The Fish."

Answer 1

Elizabeth, in her poem, describes her feelings when catching the fish. She gives a very detailed description of the fish while showing an imagist style while doing so.

For example, she uses the following phrases:

"its pattern of darker brown

was like wallpaper:

shapes like full-blown roses

stained and lost through age".

She did not use a rhyme scheme to give the poem a musical quality like many poets used to do. Instead, she uses 'alliteration' to create rhythm. Such quality consists of repeating the same sound or letter at the beginning of each or most of the words in a sentence.

"still crimped from the strain and snap".

"still crimped from the strain and snap".