Elizabeth Bishop Diction

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Elizabeth Bishop childhood was very arduous. Her father died when she was only 8 months old. She was then separated from her mother at the age of five when her mentally unstable mother was institutionalized. As a child, she also suffered from multiple diseases as she stayed with other relatives. During that time, she was heavily depressed because of her situation. Then to make matters worse she had to go and stay with other relatives she did not know. Even though she faced all those challenges she decided to go to Vassar College. While going to college, she began to write poems. Poems became Bishop’s method of voicing her pain and frustration with her life. Eventually her poems became widespread and she was able to find comfort. Elizabeth…show more content…
She uses careful diction throughout the poem but one phrase with careful diction really conveys the message. The phrase “infested with tiny white sea-lice” is important to the message because it shows the suffering of the fish (Meyer 18-19). When the reader thinks of “infested” the thought of an unwelcomed guest preying on its victim comes to mind. Something that comes in to “suck the life out” of a victim or to conquer the opposing force. This the type of predicament that the reader finds the fish in. After reading this, the reader begins to think that this is “the end of the line” for the fish. However, it takes careful eye to see that the fish has made it thus far. Even with the unwelcomed guest and hardships, the fish has still fighting for its life. This is what Bishop wants the reader to see. She wants them to correlate the fish’s predicament with our own situations in life. She wants the reader to know that they will be faced with circumstance they do not desire, but like the fish, they must find a way to persevere. This is why the correct words are necessary when describing the fish. If the reader cannot create a mental picture of the fish as a fighter, they will be unable to see the message presented in the…show more content…
The tone of Bishop’s poem is very morbid and melancholy during most of the poem. Phrases such as “he hadn’t fought at all” and “while his gills were breathing in the terrible oxygen” make the reader think the fish will not survive (Meyer 6, 22-23). But in line 71, her tone changes into a jubilant atmosphere. The fisherman watches “until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow” and tells us he let the fish go (Meyer 74-75).These two tones are useful in that it shows the life in which readers may find themselves. In their lives, there appears to be no “light at the end of the tunnel”. Everyday gets worse and worse just like the poem’s tone of the fish gets worse and worse. But the sudden change is what Bishop uses to help the reader whose life is similar to the fish, find hope. She wants them to know that there are acts of kindness that can ease the pain the reader may be going through. She wants to know that if they just keep pushing eventually things will turn out right. Instead of saying it plainly, Bishop uses her tone to covertly encourage the reader to keep
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