When reading Elizabeth Bishop one can get a better grasp of her technique by analyzing then comparing and contrasting each of her poems. I chose to expand on the poems "Little Exercise" on page 41, "Questions of Travel" on page 93, and "Song for the Rainy Season" on page 101. The poems all generally involve travel but the main thread between them all is the involvement of water, which is a subject that Bishop discusses in a number of her poems. She discusses the many forms of water throughout the book such as rain, snow, clouds, and rivers and uses them to describe her inner feelings. The self-reflection of surfaces with water can represent the same within a human being. These a only a few of the reasons Bishop uses water as a subject so frequently and if we dive in to each poem specifically we may see more reasons.
The first poem to analyze is "Little Exercise" on page 101. In the poem Bishop describes a storm and various seaside scenes below it. The storm is compared by a simile to a dog looking for a place to sleep in. Bishop then describes the trees below the storm and how they are unresponsive to the lightning. Then under the trees she describes a heron responding to the falling rain that is shining and surrounding the bird. She then moves to a boulevard with palm trees lining the sides of the roads and describes the relief the scene gets from being wet. Then the storm leaves in a series of "badly lit battle-scenes" which describes the lightning and its departure, as it seems to move to another part of the field below with each strike. Then in the last stanza she places the only human in the poem in a boat tied to a tree on the shore. This human represents the reader which is absorbing the storm through all senses, kind of like the reader is absorbing the storm with each line. She explains the rain as refreshing and by doing so the reader can easily see the rain as cleansing, which is a common theme for rain.
Elizabeth Bishop In 1916, a young child was forced in to reality when her mother was permanently admitted into an insane asylum. Unfortunately, the child could seek no solace in her father because he died the year she was born. Left with no choice, she went to live with grandparents that she c...
Bishop: An Outsider to Herself Though most of Elizabeth Bishop's poems seem to be focused more on real objects or places, some are less tangible, and more imaginary, concerned with self-worth This is how Bishop hints to us how she has a low self-esteem and a feeling that perhaps she doesn't belong here in the world. ... The man-moths goal to escape from the underground is an example of Bishop's yearning to break out of the prison that she sees herself trapped in, "he climbs fearfully" (Bishop, pg 14). ... (Bishop, pg 191) By personifying the dog, we see really how dif...
"One Art" Elizabeth Bishops "One Art," is an emotional poem that displays" losing is not just an art, but a mastered skill. ... Bishop uses different literary devices to express her thoughts. ... Bishop chooses a traditional form of rhyme and repetition. ... An emotional poem which displays' losing isn't just an art, but a master skill is shown is, "One Art" written by Elizabeth Bishop. ... Bishop suggests that mastering the art of losing objects does not prepare one for the loss of a person, which adds irony to the title. ...
In the six stanza poem, "One Art," by Elizabeth Bishop, the poet points out that one ought to be almost indifferent to the loss of any given thing - and not upset - because some things actually want to be lost. It appears as though Bishop is suggesting that one ought to almost be happy for lost things for they must have wanted to be lost. ... Largely, "Bishop's lines share her ironic tips for learning to lose and live with loss" (Candlish Millier, 122). ... Elizabeth Bishop continues with her notion of the art of losing when in the fourth and the fifth stanzas she examines ...
Elizabeth Bishop's poem, "The Fish," expresses a speaker's view of nature from outside it, to becoming one with it. The writing suggests that by catching and then releasing a fish, the angler bonds with this fish and begins to view the world as this fish does, if only momentarily; the two worlds com...
Essay interpreting "One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop In "One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop, the speaker's attitude in the last stanza relates to the other stanzas in verse form and language. ... Elizabeth Bishop suggests then that mastering the art of losing objects, such as car keys, does not prepare one for the loss of a person, which adds more irony to the title. ...
"The Fish" In her poem, "The Fish", told in the first person, Elizabeth Bishop applies elaborate imagery and abundant use of similes, and adjectives to tell the tale of an encounter between a novice fisherman and a weary, somewhat jaded fish. ... Bishop acknowledges the speaker's appreciation for the fish's beauty by drawing an image with her words. ... Bishop conveys the speaker's initial distaste with the appearance of the fish by comparing it's skin to something old and artificial. ... It is almost as if Bishop is comparing the fish to a proud, war-torn sold...
In the Elizabeth Bishop's poem "The Fish", the author presents the image of the fish which was caught by a fisherman. ... To find an answer Bishop gives a detailed description of the fish. Bishop demonstrates that the fish is old and at the same time beautiful. ... Bishop shows how bright and rich the colors of this fish are, considering the age. ... Bishop's theme is the respect for not giving up and surviving at any cost. ...
