| The Fish (Group 6) |
| by Elizabeth Bishop |
|
Like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering, a five-haired beard of wisdom trailing from his aching jaw. I stared and stared and victory filled up the little rented boat, from the pool of bilge where oil had spread a rainbow around the rusted engine to the bailer rusted orange, the sun-cracked thwarts, the oarlocks on their strings, the gunnels—until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! And I let the fish go. |
Instructions: Each individual student MUST post his or her sentences (mini, mini explication) about this section of the poem. The recorder Must post his or her individual sentence, as well as the GROUP paragraph, upon which you must agree. The GROUP paragraph must be EXACTLT 9 sentences. You must all decide as a group that the paragraph is to your exact specification. Come to agreement. Only then will the recorder post the GROUP paragraph.
Like medals with their ribbons
Frayed and wavering,
A five-haired beard of wisdom
Trailing from his aching jaw.
Explication: In the last segment of the poem “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop, the author makes a connection between the feelings and encounters of the fish, which we presume to be a Goliath Grouper and her own life experiences of struggles and success. In sentences 61-76, she compares the fish to an honorary hero that was granted a second chance in life. “Like medals with their ribbons”, creates an image of an Idol winning many competitions or battles. The simile crafts another level of respect for the creature on the part of the narrator and following the simile is a metaphor which emphasizes the narrator’s resultant admiration for the fish. The fish is believed to be incisive with his “five-haired beard of wisdom” in sentence 63, which interprets that the fish is old and wise in age after endeavoring many triumphs within life. In sentence 64, “trailing for his aching jaw”, suggests that because the fish grew old after having grappled with so many unsuccessful attempts of being held captive, the hooks became part of him as his groveling skin deteriorated over the rusted hooks making his jaw so painful. Although the massive, yet ancient beast had been tormented within his venerable life span, he proudly swims along accepting his willingness not to fight anymore!
[Reply]
“I stared and stared
and victory filled up
the little rented boat,
from the pool of bilge”
Stopping to stare and admire the respectful fish she found, filled her up with pride and a sense of victory. She could relate to this creature in some way because their long life journey has put them through many different obstacles. The little rented boat symbolizes just one phase in their journey that will continue, and brings them together that day.
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“where oil had spread a rainbow
around the rusted engine
to the bailer rusted orange,
the sun-cracked thwarts,”
The bright sun that spread across the ocean as well as the rusted engine aloud the oil to produce the most beautiful and colorful rainbow in a sign of victory. Every single part of the boat has been in operation for a very long time, that ocean waters has rusted the engine, the bailer and the sun has cracked every chair in it. The oil spilled out of the rusted engine is the significance of a fighter in a battle where she bled, and victory came at a high price.
[Reply]
Jamilla Montgomery Reply:
May 27th, 2012 at 4:37 pm
@Brenda Hernandez, I love the way you described the oil on the boat, I definitely agree with your interpretation of these lines. I agree when you said that the oil spill out is like her in a battle where she may have bled but also came out on top. The rainbow that comes from the oil by the rusted engine is a sign of her victory and a sign promising that everything is okay.
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“the oarlocks on their strings,
the gunnels—until everything
was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!
And I let the fish go.”
Explication: As she pulled the fish out of the water with nylon strings and held him beside the boat, she was finally able to get a full glance of its entire body.
It was at that special moment in time when she realized, that she and the fish had something in
common; they both endeavored struggles in their lives, survived battles and gained victory.
Once she envisioned the positive prospects of life, she decided to indulge herself by releasing
the miraculous creature back to his wild to perhaps share some of his victorious tales to his
minnows without ever having to fight again!
[Reply]
“the oarlocks on their strings,
the gunnels—until everything
was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!
And I let the fish go.”
As she pulled the fish out of the water with nylon strings and held him beside the boat, she could get a full glance of its whole body. Than she realized that the fish and her had something in common; both of them had struggled in their lives, survived battles and gained victory. At the end she decided to give him another victory by letting him go and perhaps sharing some of his victory by doing that.
This is my correct explication!
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Group 6 Paragraph
In the last segment of the poem “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop, the author makes a connection between herself and the goliath groupers’ life experiences of struggles and landslides. She creates an image and compares the fish to honorary war heroes winning many battles when she illustrates, “Like medals with their ribbons. Although the fish encountered many fierceful triumphs within life, he became incisive and wise in his old age as he bears the painful memories with five hooks embedding within his groveling skin, deteriorating over the rusted hooks. As the author stopped to stare to admire the respected fish she captured, she was besieged with pride and a sense of victory prevailed over her failures. The little rented boat may symbolize a piece of history which had brought them together that day to reunite the resultant admiration for each other. Throughout all the detailed, yet worn out sections of the boat, the intensity of the sun was like a lucid transparent piece of paper which enabled the oil drizzling from the back of the engine to produce the most brilliant looking rainbow all over the place. As she pulled the fish out of the water with nylon strings and held him beside the boat, she was finally able to could get a full glance of its entire body. It was at that special moment in time, she realized that she and the fish had something in common; they both endeavored struggles in their lives, survived battles and gained victory. Once she envisioned the positive prospects of life, she decided to indulge herself by releasing the miraculous creature back to his wild to perhaps share some of his victorious tales to his minnows without ever having to fight again!
[Reply]