Poem Snake and the Fish

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Throughout the poems The Snake by D.H. Lawrence and The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop, speaker’s state of mind change during the events of the poem. At the beginning of the poems, Lawrence’s speaker has rather neutral feelings about the snake just as Bishop’s speaker about the fish. However, at the middle of the event, he has conflict with himself and she starts to have esteem for the fish. At the end of the poem, he feels guilty and despicable whereas she feels proud and happy. At the beginning of the poems, Lawrence’s speaker has rather neutral feelings about the snake as Bishop’s speaker about the fish. He describes the snake as something delicate and non-aggressive. He saw a snake coming into his environment to drink his water. Because the snake is harmless, he compares the snake to a cow: “ And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do” (L.19). As opposed to, she is coming into the fish’s world, and she describes the fish objectively: “he was speckled with barnacles” (L.16). She shows less compassion for the fish: “ and held him beside the boat/ half out of water, with my hook.” (L.2/3) However, at the middle of the event, he has conflict with himself and she starts to have esteem for the fish. He feels “ so honoured ” (L. 34/35) that the snake came to drink his water. He describes the snake like a divinity: “And looked around like a god, unseeing, into the air” (L.45). Nonetheless, he tries to fight with his pressure from society: “ The voice of my education said to me/ He must be killed” (L. 24/25). After more examinations, she starts to respect the animal: “ I admired his sullen face” (L. 45). It is not a simple fish anymore for her because she notes that it has history. She states : “with all their five big hooks grown firmly in his mouth” (L. 54/55), and she compared the fish’s face to “ a five-haired beard of wisdom“ (L. 63). At the end of the poems,

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