Elizabeth Bishop's Poetry

Paper Summary:

The paper examines Elizabeth Bishop's poems "Sonnet," "Song for the Rainy Season," "The Fish," and "Rainbow" and asserts that they all reveal a hidden "gay code." On the surface, the poems appear simple, but underneath they present themes related to homosexuality, such as the desire for social acceptance, emotional confusion and ambivalence, and gay pride. The paper explains how Bishop's poems tacitly declare that gays are human just like everyone else and that they demonstrate Bishop's gay pride as well as implicitly ask society to change its attitude about homosexuality.

From the Paper:

"The first section begins with the word "caught," and the other section begins with the word "freed." The diction of the first section starkly contrasts that of the second section. At first, Bishop uses words, such as "divided," "caught," and "wobbling" to illustrate the creature's state of emotional ambivalence, captivity, and confusion. However, in the second section, Bishop uses words, such as "broken," "running," and "gay." Bishop's diction in the second part of the poem shows that the creature has defied the constraints placed on him earlier. He has "broken" free from the "bubble/ in the spirit level." When he does this, he no longer feels "divided." Instead, he feels "gay" as Bishop describes in the final line of the poem. Interestingly, the creature could represent Elizabeth Bishop because, when she states that the creature is "running away," this act parallels Elizabeth Bishop's decision to escape a homophobic America and move to a more liberal Brazil."

More papers on Elizabeth Bishop's Poetry:

• Poem Review # 760 : "Elizabeth Bishop's Poem "The Weed"
• Analytical Essay # 53192 : "Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish"
• Analytical Essay # 23437 : "Nature in Literature, Drama and Poetry"

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