Fish
Evaluation of “The Fish” In a seemingly simple poem, “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop, consists of a speaker who catches a fish, scrutinizes it, and lets it go. ... Yet the richness of the imagery in this poem cause us to evaluate it as a deeper poem that is about transformation, most specifically about the speakers gradual transformation from near indifference to the fish to someone who appreciates its power and beauty in an ecstatic, almost mystical way. ... But as the speaker begins to examine the fish more carefully, her language becomes more descriptive, and she includes more metaphors and similes, "I looked into his eyes” “which were far larger than mine” “but shallower, and yellowed,” “I admired his sullen face,” “the mechanism of his jaw.