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The Sacred Battle of Sympathy: An Ode to the Old Fish

In Elizabeth Bishop's narrative poem, a woman catches a battle-worn fish, sparking internal turmoil over releasing it. The fish, resembling a war-scarred soldier, evokes empathy and respect. The fisherman's conflicted conscience leads to a poignant exploration of respect for life and mortality. Bishop's poetic devices enhance the emotional depth, inviting readers to reflect on the sanctity of life and mortality in this poignant encounter.

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The Sacred Battle of Sympathy: An Ode to the Old Fish

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  1. TheFish - By Elizabeth Bishop

  2. Introduction about the Poem • A narrative poem told in I person • about a woman catches a fish on a rented boat • Goes through series of stages having look at the fish • Internal struggle between whether to let the fish go or not • closely related to slavery

  3. A tremendous fish • Compares fish to old soldier with war medals • It doesn’t struggle but hangs from line of defeat • Gains the utmost respect for battle-worn creature of the sea • Has five battle lines dangling from his lip • Fought atleast 5 battles with fishing poles of the sea on its back

  4. Appearance of the fish • An old fish • The brown skin hung in strips, from the whip of his master • Looks malformed and diseased • Looks like a old warrior against slavery • Has torned the internal parts of the body and so many ailments • Appearance invokes us to set free for it gains sympathy and respect

  5. The fisher’s feeling • Conscience is conflicted • Dilemma in making decisions to set free the old fish • Shows respect and sympathy towards the fish • Felt like victorious in catching the fish • First received detachment , then intrigue & finally mercy • Personified the old fish as a old soldier

  6. Analysis • Bishop uses personification by calling ‘him’ instead of ‘it’ • Creates not the image of fish but expands the scope of poet’s appreciation • Uses technique of hyperbole stating fish eyes’ are bigger than her own • Uses rhetorical & sound devices, as well as metaphor, tone, symbolism, simile & imagery • Uses abundant description & vivid imagery to visualize the fish

  7. Message i) About the respect for age, experience & the sanctity of life ii) Come face-to-face with our own mortality, when we come to face-to-face with someone else’s death

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