Literary Techniques Used In 'The Fish And Turtle'

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With a little subtle humor, and use of certain metaphors, both “The Fish” and “Turtle” use similar techniques to present aspect of the animals’ lives. They both show the struggles of the animals’ have with their natural habitats. Both “The Fish” and “Turtle” are portrayed as weak and helpless. With the use of dramatic imagery and tone, the “The Fish” depicts the fish as a resilient and tough. In contrast, the “Turtle” relies on graceless and negative connotations in order to show the turtle as vulnerable. However, both poems use these techniques to lead the readers to conclude animals are ultimately innocent. Both “The Fish” and “Turtle” are presented with similar techniques that allow the audience to empathize with these two animals’ lives. The first poem, “The Fish”, is full of vivid imagery that helps the reader understand the fish’s world and life. The poem is meant to evoke not only empathy, but an understanding with the fish, and an admiration. “Turtle” is much harsher by comparison. The speaker in the poem describes the animal with cruel remarks, seeming to have no patience or affection for the creature. The tone is at first unenthusiastic, then becomes almost frustrated by the the turtle’s very nature. Her irritation is reiterated throughout the piece, by implying the “Turtle” has no desirable characteristics. She questioned: “Who would…show more content…
The speaker in the “Turtle” describes the supposed weakness of the turtle as something the turtle does to itself, something to be pitied but not sympathetic towards. The writer illustrates the turtle’s flaw like a disappointment, and implies it is unable to survive on its own. She resounded that sense with the lines: “She can ill afford the chances she must take/ in rowing toward the grasses that she eats/ her track is graceless/ like dragging / a packing-case places/ and almost any slope/ defeats her modest hopes” (Ryan lines
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