Question

Connect an offshoot of realism, naturalism was a literary movement in which writers worked to describe ordinary life accurately and realistically. Look at lines 45–55. How does the speaker personify the fish? Why does Bishop have the speaker revise her initial statement about the fish?

Answer 1

The student's question pertains to Elizabeth Bishop's personification of a fish in her poem to explore themes of Naturalism. The speaker's revised statement about the fish serves to challenge perceptions and reflect the deterministic outlook of Naturalism that individuals are controlled by their environment and heredity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question refers to a literary analysis of personification within the poem 'The Fish' by Elizabeth Bishop. The instructor is asking how the speaker in the poem personifies the fish and why Bishop has the speaker revise an initial statement about it. This question touches on elements of Naturalism, a literary movement closely related to Realism but that pushes boundaries to explore more controversial and gritty subjects. Writers of Naturalism, influenced by the likes of Charles Darwin and Émile Zola, believed in a deterministic nature of human behavior controlled by heredity and environment and often showcased characters with little or no control over their fate, reduced to their basic instincts and societal constraints.

In the lines given, the personification of the fish likely involves attributing human characteristics to it, in order to create a vivid portrayal of the fish's life and experiences. This technique would potentially provide a deeper insight into the fish's existence, mirroring the human condition as explored by Naturalists. Bishop's decision for the speaker to revise their initial statement probably challenges the reader's perceptions, encouraging a re-evaluation of the assumptions about the fish and, metaphorically, the human struggle.

This exercise strengthens the understanding of Naturalist literature and its distinguishing features from Realism, highlighting its focus on the more stark, grim facets of life and the overwhelming influence of inescapable natural and societal forces.

Answer 2

The speaker personify the fish by given the fish a male gender and she refers the fish using the pronoun "his". Though the fish lacks emotion but she uses the adjective vulnerable to qualify the fish.

As she observed closer, she understands and share the feelings of the fish and she finally set the fish free.

Step-by-step explanation:

The poem fish by Elizabeth Bishop shows the ecological awareness that made her to accept the relationship that exist between human beings and non human beings. This was shown when she set the fish free.