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Comment 10 of 10, added on September 29th, 2008 at 9:13 AM.
my interpretation of the "rainbow Rainbow rainbow" bit is that she is referring to the oil which has spilled (on the boat deck i think) and the sunlight is reflecting on the oil, making it look like rainbows, you know how it does. i also think that the reason she let the fish go was because,while looking in his eyes, they had a sort of moment. for one split second she saw herself in the fish. he was a "warrior" and had clearly beaten tough times (being caught 5 times but escaped) bishop too has experienced traumatic times but she always came out on top.she was a fighter and recognised this similar quality in the fish, and let him go
mary from Ireland
Comment 9 of 10, added on February 5th, 2008 at 8:43 PM.
what does the ending "until everything/was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!" mean?
Shy
Comment 8 of 10, added on December 11th, 2006 at 6:12 PM.
I don't think Elizabeth is as sympathetic for the fish as everyone thinks she is, or just Kate, but Bishop does say she felt a sense of victory fill the boat, as if taking pride in catching the fish. Also she describes the other hooks in the fish by calling them medals
mike from United States
Comment 7 of 10, added on December 10th, 2006 at 6:51 PM.
This is an interesting poem about a fish and fishing though the deeper meaning is slightly disturbing. I think that the end of the poem is lacking a certain gansta element - I believe that the ending line should read "WHATS UP CRACKA!?!" to add personification to the characterization of the fish.
Julian from Sweden
Comment 6 of 10, added on June 18th, 2006 at 7:42 PM.
You know I first read this poem about 30 years ago in year 8 or 9. I think something woke up in me when I did. It is the only poem I remember affecting me & I've looked for it a few times since. Here it is again! I love her honesty & empathy; her description & her.. I don't quite know what it is... I'm teaching an English class for a sick teacher... I'll see how we go with this one.
Paulos from Australia
Comment 5 of 10, added on April 5th, 2006 at 1:04 PM.
OH MY GOSH I JUST LOVE THIS POEM ;)
adam fernandez from United States
Comment 4 of 10, added on March 13th, 2006 at 5:52 PM.
I think it's easy to simply dismiss this work of art as a mere stupid poem, with little or no meaning...but that would be terribly ignorant of us. This moment of epiphany truley signifies Bishop's ability to cherish life, no matter how insignificant it may seem, and doesn't it really hold truth?We are presented with such a beutifully illustrated universal issue. Im sitting on my own in my room bed ridden, sick for the past 3 days, and nobody has even rang me to see how I'm doing...Im hurt,clearly... and feel unloved and disregarded, but it would really make my day if someone thought of me, I mean i have feelings too just like any of us....there's not such a famous saying, that says "everybody wipes their arses" who's with me?! I certainly do...and if you dont, then your a minger. I mean I hold all these feelings, Im utterly saturated with them, yet, my whole class havn't even felt the absence of my presence...and who's to say that fish isnt just as important as any other eegit? A living thing is a living thing at the end of the day. I said it once and i'll say it again...you'll probly think Im a flipin oddball 4 sayin it again, but i dont care cuz u dont know me..."everybody wipes their arses" there is certainly a lesson to be learnt in this poem, like it or not
orlagh from Ireland
Comment 3 of 10, added on March 7th, 2006 at 7:09 AM.
Oh don't be so sure ED, how can you call the fish "a silly thing"? Especially a person who does fishing and is at least a bit sensitive should realise fish is a living creature. It is alive and what you do is taking life from it, simply killing. It is not sport, it's killing. And Elizabeth admitts that. She shows cruelty of fishing, the fish has "aching lips" (or mouth, I don't remember), it is hurt. And it's been made by humans feel pain several times. The hooks became partd of the fish's body. It seems the poet saw disgracefulness of treating it in such a way, and felt sorry for it, let it free. It is not catching a fish we should be proud of, but actually releasing it.
kate from Poland
Comment 2 of 10, added on February 4th, 2006 at 6:22 PM.
This poem was very beautiful. The fish was an old warrier--had fought many battles and was too tired to fight another. Whose victory was this--the man, whose compassion told hold, or, the mighty fish--who won another battle?
priss from United States
Comment 1 of 10, added on December 5th, 2004 at 1:19 PM.
Bishop’s attention to detail and ability to provide a narrative for the creature’s past are things to notice here. In the first 20 or so lines, she clearly uses physical aspects of the fish to suggest a deeper past, which makes the fish something more important than the silly thing it actually is. In a letter to Marianne Moore, Bishop wrote:
The other day I caught a parrot fish, almost by accident. They are ravishing fish – all iridescent, with a silver edge to each scale, and a real bill-like mouth just like turquoise; the eye is very big and wild, and the eyeball is turquoise too – they are very humorous-looking fish. A man on the dock immediately scraped off three scales, then threw him back; he was sure it wouldn’t hurt him. I’m enclosing one [scale], if I can find it. …
Ed from United States
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my interpretation of the "rainbow Rainbow rainbow" bit is that she is referring to the oil which has spilled (on the boat deck i think) and the sunlight is reflecting on the oil, making it look like rainbows, you know how it does. i also think that the reason she let the fish go was because,while looking in his eyes, they had a sort of moment. for one split second she saw herself in the fish. he was a "warrior" and had clearly beaten tough times (being caught 5 times but escaped) bishop too has experienced traumatic times but she always came out on top.she was a fighter and recognised this similar quality in the fish, and let him go
mary from Ireland