Poem Analysis: 'The Fish'

Big Fish contains many archetypal symbols with a deeper meaning than what meets the eye. The most prominent archetype in this movie is, as the title suggests, the big fish. In mythology, a fish represents divine creation and life. The fish’s large size is also indicative of its power and importance. Edward Bloom personifies the big fish; he brought life to everyone he came across through his interesting and inspiring

o Page 49 “…the hooked fish, the female, made a wild, panic-stricken, despairing fight that soon exhausted her..”

The realization comes later after he has accidentally hooked the biggest fish he has ever hooked. By reeling in the bass, he would be losing Sheila, but cutting it loose would make him lose the catch of his life. When the narrator finally knows a decision must be made between the bass and Sheila, he chooses Sheila believing it is a more mature thing to do. When he “pull[s] a penknife . . . and cut[s] the line,” (7) he makes a conscious decision that Sheila Mant is to be more important than his fishing. When the night is over, and Sheila goes off in a different guy’s Corvette, the narrator comes to the realization that she was not worth giving up the fish. Later in life, after being with other girls and catching other fish, what “haunts [him] still” is losing the bass, not Sheila Mant. Ultimately, the narrator’s maturity came from finding out what he actually loved the most and sticking to that.

As the boat drifted away “the fisherman went blind with uncontainable rage. ‘Get back down there where you belong!’ he screamed” (377). The fisherman, in pure shock and disbelief of his imminent doom, lashed out at the boys he loves so dearly. While his words try to shelter the boy from the reality of the situation, it is his inability to conceal his anger that instead allows them to understand what is happening. The fisherman tries to take control of a situation he clearly cannot control, “Dad,’ asked the boy steadily, ‘what do we do now?’...’The first thing we have to do,’ he heart himself saying with infinite tenderness… ‘is think” (378). Before he can even think of what to do, the fisherman is trying to instruct others and, ultimately, save them. As the fisherman develops his plan for their rescue, the situation grows more dire and the inevitability of their fate grows more apparent. The fisherman’s actions in the face of imminent danger exemplify his protective leadership and will to

He refers multiple times to fishing terms that the general audience may not be knowledgeable of such as “spinner” (“Once” para. 1), “hellgrammite” (“Once” para. 5), and “bass” (“Once” para. 5). These terms not only classify White as a fisherman but also suggest the importance or impact that fishing and the lake have on his life. By using logos in his writing, he gains credibility with his intended audience.

Sometimes our everyday experiences can strike us in ways that will influence our thinking in ways that might forever alter the way that we view our lives. In the short story “Fish Story,” Rick Bass primarily uses conflict, symbols, and the changes in a character to present a central theme reflecting the inevitability of our maturing thoughts and growing responsibilities that come incrementally with age. Gullason (1982) shares, “A short story represents a prose narrative usually concerned with a single aspect of personality changing or revealed as the result of conflict” (p. 222). We might interestingly find both of these dynamics within our weekly discussion’s short story assignment. Pigg (2017) explains, “The theme of a work of fiction is as much a creation of readers as it is for the writer because the user’s knowledge and beliefs play a part in determining the theme(s) they will recognize” (Attend Topic 4 Unit 2 [Video]). The writer of this week’s short story was likely to have known the theme that he intended to communicate while also recognizing the diversity of human thinking that gives us a myriad of perspectives. The “’Fish Story’s’ narrator is a 10-year-old boy in the early 1960’s living in rural Texas with parents who run a service station while their customer brings a 86 pound catfish creating a task to keep the fish alive until time to cook it” (Bass, 2009, pp. 1-2). As we recall our childhoods, most can likely remember how our imagination and fantasies began to collide with the realities of life, and this overreaching concept might allude to the theme of this piece of work. The narrator tells us how “He grew dizzy in the heat and from the strange combination of the unblinking monotony and utter fascination of his task until the trickling from the water hose seemed to be saturating and inflating the clouds as one would water a garden” (Bass, 2009, p. 2). As the narrator embraces the mundane task, his daydreams seem to symbolize the innocence of his youth. Later the story’s narrator “speaks less of childhood than of the general nature of the world in which we live, while contemplating that those days were different – we had more time for such thoughts, that time had not yet been corrupted”

The boat represents the only way of life for the family due to the tradition of it being passed down the family. But the boat can cause disruption throughout the family because it is the center of attention for the family. The author was introduced to the fisherman lifestyle when he was a kid, “when I was very small he took me for my first ride,” (224) which can symbolize the family trying to get the author ready for the future. The mother (whose family passed down the boat) had a strong connection due to growing up with the boat being in her life. The mother put a lot of pressure on the family to stay in the family business and not go elsewhere. When she found out about the daughters leaving, the author said, “she was worried about herself and about her family and her life,” indicating her devotion towards the boat. The daughters were able to find a different path and move away from the boat and so did the son but it wasn't as easy for him. He felt the most pressure being the youngest and the only male in the family next to his father saying, “I would remain with him as long as he lived and we would fish the sea together,” (234) putting the father in a tough spot since he wanted his son to

“The Boat” written by Alistair MacLeod tells a story about a father’s life and how he lived as a fisherman. The narrator is an adult man who looks back on his life of when his father was still living because even though he got a university education, he now wants the life his father had. He expresses how his father always wanted him to become something bigger and better then what he became. The author, Alistair MacLeod, used many different writing techniques within this short story. The symbolism of “The Boat” expresses inevitability through the little hobbies the father/husband does through his boring routine life, obligation through the father/husband’s commitment as a fisherman to provide for his family, and imprisonment through his

Antwone "Fish" Fisher is a complex individual who has been through a great deal of psychological and sociological conflicts in his short life. His mother was arrested and then abandons him, he was abused physically and emotional, and then lived on the streets. In short, nearly everything bad that can possible happen to a person has happened to young Antwone Fisher before he has reached adulthood. In his autobiographical book Finding Fish (2001), Fisher explains how the torment that he experienced in his youth shaped the man that he would become in adulthood. Although this story tells about one young man's difficulties in life and how he had to overcome obstacles in order to be a functional and positive member of society, it is really a story about the larger human condition and how every person becomes affected by their experiences.

In David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech, This is Water, addressed to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College, he aims to encourage his audience to be aware of the world around them and to be conscious of their attitude towards others. Wallace’s underlying purpose is to reveal how genuine learning permits people to recognize their default setting and it allows them to alter it. To convey these messages, he uses pathos by placing the reader in relatable situations and establishing a connection with his audience Wallace begins his speech by referring to a metaphorical story about fishes and although its meaning isn’t crystal clear until the end, it causes the reader to find interest in his speech and opens their minds to listen. He also establishes credibility with the audience by reminding them that he is just like them and admits his own mistakes. This credibility is vital for the remaining of the essay because it helps the audience not to feel emotionally manipulated through his use of pathos.

In the novel The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway, there is a fish that the old man finally catches after 84 days, but is consumed by Mako shark’s in the process of reeling it in. Santiago, the old man, had a strong connection with the marlin even though he only saw him for a short period of time. They taught each other many things through a tug and war type of play. Catching a marlin fish was a goal of Santiago that he had been attempting to fulfill for a decent period of time, and after being persistent and patient, slowly but surely he was able to succeed. Many symbols in Hemingway’s novel have their own counterparts in my own life, which include a goal, hope, and idolization.

The young narrator in the story is overcome by a pull between Sheila Mant, the beautiful girl on vacation, and his love of fishing. While on a boat ride to his first party, the narrator tries to impress Sheila by acting like someone else. During the ride, a huge bass is pulling on the boy’s fishing line, but Sheila thinks that fishing is dumb, so the boy does not want her to know. He is in a tugging war between who he is, and who Sheila thinks he is. At the end of the story the narrator proves to have learned a lesson because he says, “There would be other Shiela Mants in my life, other fish, and though I came close once or twice, it was these secrets, hidden tuggings in the night that claimed me, and I never made that mistake again” (Wetherell 40). By him saying he never made the same mistake again, he means that he never again made the error of acting like a different person to impress someone. The narrator realizes that he neither got the girl nor the fish because he was too busy trying to look cool in Sheila’s eyes. Like Shakespeare implies, never let who you are be placed below someone else’s thought of you. If he had been himself, the young narrator may have been successful in getting either his true love, or the biggest fish of his life. When a person takes his or her mask off, they realize that being who they are will always surpass the criticism of

When the boy finally gets a date with Sheila Mant, so they set out on a canoe ride toward the band in Dixford. As they started their route the boy set out a rod without Sheila noticing, hoping to catch a fish. While the line drifts Sheila explains “I think fishings dumb’ she said, making a face. ‘ I mean, it’s boring and all. Definitely dumb” (3). This is a perfect example of situational irony, because the boy loves fishing, as he says, “There was a summer in my life when the only creature that seemed lovelier to me than a largemouth bass was Sheila Mant,” (1) and has a line in the water, as the girl that he admires tells him her true feelings about fishing. This relates to the theme because it helps to clear up the fog that has clouded the boys head causing him to believe that Sheila is his true desire, when yet the fishing should be more

The fish was bending the rod so it must be big and fat. It is also probably the biggest fish he ever caught. The story states the fish is the biggest he had ever seen. The fish is probably hooked well and won’t come off. He dragged it through a bunch of rocks and weeds so it would probably be easy to catch. The fish fights hard so it would be fun to catch. The fish is putting up a good fight with the pole and it would be fun for the narrator to catch. Another reason he might choose the fish is there are other girls. A few girls live around him other that Sheila. There are other girls around him that he could go out with other than Sheila. Sheila doesn’t like one of his biggest passions. Sheila doesn’t like fishing and he loves fishing so there might be another incident like this. There will be more available girls in the future. In the future there might be more girls that for sure like him back. In summary, the narrator can choose either the fish or Sheila

The Fish is a narrative monologue composed for 76 free-verse lines. The poem is constructed as one long stanza. The author is the speaker narrating this poem. She narrates a fishing experience. The author is out in a rented boat on a body of water, presumably a lake. She tries to describe the fish to the fullest, which appears to be the purpose of the poem, without saying either the specie or an approximate age. The narration gives the impression that the fish is slightly old. There are a number of reasons as to why that fish got caught by the author, including time of day, the weeds weighing it down, fish’s age, and the fact that it has been previously caught five times.