“The Fish” is a poem written by Elizabeth Bishop, a prominent American short-story writer and poet. This one-stanza work, full of figurative language and vivid imagery, is written without any particular pattern of rhythm, in free verse, containing 76 lines similar in length. In it, the author describes her probably the real-life experience of catching “a tremendous fish.” She “held him beside the boat half out of water,” and a hook was on a corner of the fish’s mouth. Regardless of his huge size, the animal did not fight, and the author was excited due to her victory. However, looking at the fish and noticing five old fish lines with hooks in his mouth, she started to feel respect for this creature, realizing what struggles in his long life this fish overcame. At the end of the poem, guided by a new feeling, the author released the animal.
Regardless of its relatively simple plot, the poem nevertheless addresses a highly essential topic of ecological awareness and relationships between humans and animals in their co-existence. Moreover, the poem reflects the author’s way from human superiority to the understanding of people’s kinship with nature and the necessity to protect animals. In the beginning, the author feels proud of herself, inspired by the fish’s size and an ability to catch him by herself. She writes, “I thought of the coarse white flesh packed in like feathers, the big bones and the little bones, the dramatic reds and blacks of his shiny entrails, and the pink swim-bladder like a big peony.” In other words, the author does not feel mercy – instead, she is thinking about how she will it the fish imagining his meat according to his type. Moreover, she observes the fish, which looks like a giant monster with “brown skin hung in strips,” “speckled with barnacles,” and infested with sea-lice. However, at the same time, the poem’s flow gradually reflects the author’s changing attitude to the fish, underlining that this animal and the person are close together and do not have substantial differences from each other. Looking into the fish’s eyes may be regarded as the poem’s crucial and turning point and as the author’s attempts to identify and compare the existence of the human and the fish. First of all, while the fish is a huge creature with shallow eyes and dangerous jaws, the poet addresses it like “he,” personifying the animal, and admires its “face” and “lip.” Moreover, describing the fish, Bishop uses human-made objects, such as “tinfoil” and “wallpaper,” for comparison in order to emphasize the bond between people and animals. Finally, the author’s respect for the fish grew when she saw old fish lines and hooks in his mouth “like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering, a five-haired beard of wisdom trailing from his aching jaw.” In this way, Bishop addresses the fish as an old and brave man who overcame multiple struggles in his life but remained undefeated. That is why she lets the fish go, and the oil in her boat that reflects the rainbow that can be seen everywhere symbolizes the righteousness of her decision.
In the present day, the issue of human superiority over the planet’s wildlife remains highly disturbing due to its negative impact. In particular, human-led activities, such as livestock grazing, crop farming, pesticide use, mining, residential and industrial development, am and road building, and logging, lead to the modification, fragmentation, and even complete destruction of habitat, endangering wildlife populations and decreasing global biodiversity. At the same time, regardless of movements for animal protection, people are regarded them as intellectually inferior creatures and exploit them. Milk, meat, leather, fur, wool, silk, suede, feather, and ivory are multiple reasons why animals are exploited for people’s benefit. In addition, animals are frequently kept alive for hard work at farms or fun in circuses. At the same time, mankind should understand that regardless of their intellectual and physical development, animals are people’s neighbors on this planet. Moreover, animals determine the functionality of almost all processes in ecosystems – thus, they should be respected and protected.
“The Fish” may be regarded as a poem with a simple plot, however, it addresses an essential theme of environmental awareness and difficult relationships between people and nature. In it, the author, who initially regarded animals as food and their catching as fun, transforms into a person who manages to see a creature’s personality and respect it. Releasing one creature may be regarded as a symbol of respect for ecology, the environment, and life in general, as saving one life means saving millions of lives at the same time. All in all, while animals may be perceived as dangerous, weird, and alien, the poem suggests an opportunity for a human to feel boundary-crossing empathy and deep respect for them. In addition, the author reminds that even if people get used to think that they are distinct from animals, they all live on the same planet sharing the same benefits of life and participating in all its struggles as well.