Elizabeth Bishop was one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. She was quite unique. Her sincerity for her Poetry gave her work an emotional feel. As if each writer was following her on an emotional journey. Through her Poetry we see that she lived a good life, one that teemed of vitality and the joy of heightened awareness, but also we see that there were times of loneliness and depression.
Elizabeth Bishop was born in America in 1911. Her father died shortly after her birth and at the age of five Bishop lost her mother to mental illness. These harsh lessons of life, so early learned, left a void in Bishops life, the void of a settled loving family. Her poem Filling Station explores the themes of love and family which depicts her longing to be loved and to belong. The poem describes a family living amongst the oil and dirt of a filling station. At first she dismisses the filthy place Oh but it is dirty! But as in much of her Poetry Bishop looks beyond the obvious to find a beauty and homeliness within all the dirt. In this poem she comes to the conclusion that Somebody loves us all. This short sentence has gained the power of a proverb for me in my life and Im sure it will hold resonance with many of you too. This comforting thought, wise and true, shows how Bishop reveals the truth through her close observation of the little things in her quest for self-discovery. Bishops original way of viewing situations is also clear in her poem The Prodigal. Have you ever wondered what happened to the prodigal son during his transgression from home? Well Bishop did in this clever poem which focuses on the lowest part of the prodigal sons life. This effectively simple poem describes mankinds need for companionship, she herself being a self-proclaimed outsider.
A striking photographic quality of images is atypical of Bishops Poetry. Her poem The Fish uses language that is imagistic and precise in describing the confrontation between an amateur fisher and a tremendous battle-worn fish. The poem is rich in imagery, simile and metaphor and uses layering of images which describes in intricate detail the newly caught fish. Bishop is an empathetic imaginative observer as she describes the fish inside and out down to The dramatic reds and black s of his shiny entrails, and the pink swim bladder like a big peony. The final line until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! And I let the fish go describes a moment of epiphany and revelation common to Bishops Poetry. Bishop pronounces a merciful verdict on the life of the venerable old fish which contrasts strongly with mans attempt to conquer nature. This moral poem is one to think about the next time you go fishing.
My favorite poem by Elizabeth Bishop is First Death in Nova Scotia. The full complexity of childhood is effectively evoked in this simple poem about the death of her cousin. This is a poem we can all relate to as it captures a childs first experience of death. Although written in her fifties, Bishop manages to capture the confusion she felt as she attempted to understand the fin ality of death. This poem has quite a chilling quality which echoes the wrong sequence death has taken in extinguishing the life of a child. The final stanza, although chilling, is one of my favorite pieces of Poetry. The vulnerability and fear created as the child doubts the presence of an afterlife is true of my experience of death and Im sure others. The child Bishop asks But how could Arthur go; clutching his tiny lily with his eyes shut up so tight and the roads deep in snow? This final line filled with poignancy is a perfect example of Bishops simple but effective style.
Her Poetry covers topics from death to family and from tr avel to morality. Her keen eye for detail, her accurate observations and her simple, concise description of the world around us makes Elizabeth Bishops Poetry an animated read. Her Poetry boasts genuine feeling which originates from her own harsh experiences in life and often expresses a greater understanding of life and death. Her pleasing style makes her Poetry a firm favorite among many amateur writers and Poetry lovers. I hope I have instilled in you today the joys of reading the Poetry of one of the most influential females of the last century. I will now leave you with a final quote from Elizabeth Bishops poem called Poem. This poem maps the readers experience of reading Poetry, from indifference to recognition of a common humanity. Life and the memory of it cramped, dim, on a piece of Bristol board, dim, but how alive, how touching in detail--the little that we get for free, the little of our earthly trust?
The article was p roduced by the writer of masterpapers.com. Sharon White has many years of a vast experience in analysis essay writing and analytical essays writing consulting. Get free samples of essays, courseworks and APA style research paper.
Author:: Sharon White
Keywords:: Elizabeth Bishop,famuos poet,20th century poet,19th century poet,great poets
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