The fish by Elizabeth Bishop. Then answer the questions below using specific examples. From the story as supported, where in the point does the author used sensory language? Such as sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste. Provide an example from the poem and explain how this example helps readers. Understand the poem and/or picture the event in their minds.
In the poem "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop, the author indeed uses sensory language to engage the readers and make the poem more vivid. Let's explore a few examples below:
1. Sight: Bishop uses visual descriptions to help readers picture the fish. For instance, she describes the fish's skin as "brown skin / hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper" and its eyes as "yellowed" and "infested with tiny white sea-lice." These visual details help readers imagine the fish's appearance and its worn-out condition.
2. Sound: Bishop incorporates auditory imagery to enhance the readers' experience. In the poem, the author mentions the "great broken heart" of the fish when she catches a glimpse of it. This metaphorical description of the fish's heart creates a somber tone and allows readers to imagine the sound of a heart breaking.
3. Touch: Bishop employs tactile language to evoke a sense of touch. She recalls how her "fingers" held the fish's jaw and how her "hands" cradled it before releasing it back into the water. These descriptions allow readers to imagine the texture and weight of the fish in their hands, enhancing their connection to the narrative.
4. Smell: Although not explicitly mentioned in the poem, Bishop's detailed descriptions of the fish's appearance may indirectly evoke a sense of smell. For example, she observes the "riddle-marked skin" and the "white flesh" of the fish, which provide sensory cues that evoke the smell associated with a fish market or the ocean itself.
By incorporating sensory language, Elizabeth Bishop enables readers to better understand and visualize the events of the poem. These vivid descriptions using sight, sound, touch, and indirect connections to smell allow readers to engage their imagination and form a clearer mental picture of the fish, the surroundings, and the overall experience being portrayed.
To identify the author's use of sensory language in "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop, we need to carefully analyze the poem and pick out specific examples where the senses of sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste are invoked. Here is an example from the poem that illustrates the use of sensory language:
Example: "Here and there / his brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper, / and its pattern of darker brown / was like wallpaper: / shapes like full-blown roses / stained and lost through age."
Explanation: In this excerpt, Bishop uses visual imagery to describe the fish's appearance. The vivid description of its peeling brown skin, likened to ancient wallpaper, allows readers to visualize the fish's worn and weathered exterior. This sensory detail helps readers form a mental picture of the fish, enabling a more intimate understanding of its physical state.
Moreover, the comparison to wallpaper emphasizes the fish's age and the wear and tear it has undergone. By connecting the fish's skin to something familiar, it adds depth to the reader's perception and engages the sense of touch. This sensory language creates a powerful image that enhances our comprehension of the poem and the experience of encountering the fish.
To further examine the poem and identify other instances of sensory language, carefully read through the text, paying attention to Bishop's use of specific details, imagery, and descriptive language associated with the senses.