Understanding "The Fish"Essay In the poem "The Fish", the use of short lines and the presence of enjambments indicate that the poet, Bishop, is giving her own thoughts. This form of poetry gives the impression that the poet is not simply writing the words on a piece of paper but rather speaking them out loud. The poem is presented in such a way that the audience feels as if the poet is present on the scene and is recounting the events that occurred throughout the poem (Bishop 463). The poem is also written as a single stanza. The decision to write it this way may have been an attempt to portray the long ordeal that fishermen face while fishing. In doing so, Bishop is able to prepare the audience for the poem and ensure that he describes it as terrible in order to help the audience visualize how the fish gasped for air and fought against oxygen. The fish's gills have also been described as scary despite the role they play in safeguarding its survival. The descriptions help create a picture of the fish and how big it was so the audience can understand what an achievement the narrator accomplished in catching it. Describing it as having “white, coarse flesh encased like feathers” (Bishop 463) intensifies the audience's view of the fish to a level where they can relate to the events that were occurring in the world. Fish survival is therefore seen as nature's resilience and its ability to persevere despite adverse challenges that may occur. It is also a statement that shows that despite man's various harmful activities, nature will always emerge victorious and continue to thrive. Out of courage or wisdom, the fish did not fight when caught by the narrator (Bishop 464). This may have been a result of his various encounters with fishermen. In his old battered state, the narrator would have felt sympathetic and simply let the fish go. His body was also in bad shape, full of ropes and wires. The narrator was able to grasp the concept that no matter how much humans have abused nature, it will still continue to thrive as the fish did.