Literary Analysis of “The Fish” poem by Elizabeth Bishop

Here’s the instructions from my professor:

For your research paper, you will be writing a literary analysis of Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish.” The poem can be found on the Academy of American Poets Website (it’s the first hit on a Google search). As you know, a literary analysis involves a close reading of the text, examining what effects certain authorial choices have on the text. Why, for instance, does Elizabeth Bishop compare the eyes of the fish to isinglass? Why does she choose that precise word? Why does she make such an ecstatic list at the end of the poem before declaring “Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow?” What effect does the repetition of that word have? Why does she choose a particular word choice over another? An analysis may focus on diction, for instance, or structure, or figurative language; it may choose to examine imagery or aspects of sound, or other qualities that contribute to the effect of the poem as a whole.
Your paper should be six pages in length, including a works cited page, and it should cite and discuss specific passages of the primary text, providing appropriate citation. In addition, the paper should cite from at least two secondary sources. You can find secondary sources online, and you may find them in the databases on the library’s website.

First, read the poem several times; take notes each time as you go. Choose aspects of the poem that interest you and that you can see contribute to the whole. Isolate one or two of these constituent parts and take notes. Write a thesis statement. Then begin searching for secondary sources to support key points. Write the paper, beginning with an introduction (including a thesis statement) and several body paragraphs, each with a topic sentence. End with a conclusion and a works cited page.

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