The Poem Fisherman by Kurt Brown - Essay Example

?Full Analysis of the Poem ‘Fisherman’ The poem en d Fisherman by Kurt Brown speaks about the daily pursuits of an individual that he experiences as he goes on discovering what he could do to improve his life. The first line stated as ‘A man spends his whole life fishing in himself’, is a catching statement especially with the last three words. The poet seems to consider everything a man does, whether work, entertainment or necessity, is nothing but a discovery of one’s self. A whole life/lifetime would include every activity and this is what the author is looking into which he believes to be spent ‘fishing in himself’ meaning, looking into what is in him that is beneficial. The fisherman is not pictured fishing in the river or ocean but in’ himself’. This statement thus suggests that ‘fishing’ is a metaphor used to paint the act of bringing out something valuable from one’s self like talents, skills, outrageous ideas that could change the world or the modern Einstein who could solve all the problems in this computer age. The second line continues the thought expressed in the first line then goes on with another sentence that continues through the third line. This style has an effect on the reader that seems to challenge interpretations and ask for more meditation of the meaning of the statement because if one tries to analyze line by line, he would soon discover that the meaning might be quite different or that the statement strongly affirms initial interpretations. The second line completes the thought of the author that what the subject is fishing in himself is ‘something grand’. What could be grand in a person other than something that makes him stand out in a crowd? This statement then strengthens the understanding that the man in the poem is fishing or looking into the possibilities of having some special skills, talents, even attitudes or experiences that could encourage other people or benefit them in some ways as the man himself is benefited for his personal needs. That grand thing the man is trying to fish in himself is described in the next sentence as a ‘lost lunker, big enough to break all records’. This line also confirms that the analysis on the poem is going through the right path, that the grand thing being fished in a person is something extraordinarily huge to be recognized as superior to other men. ‘Rumors, myths, big promises of wonder’ could be stories of achievements and encouragements of people around the world, from different generations. This shows that the character in the poem did not personally witness achievers rather had just heard about them so that they are considered merely rumors, unfounded and unproved. Some stories might even seem to be exaggerated and unbelievable so that they are counted as myths like the successes of Hercules and other heroes of old. ‘Big promises of wonder’ could represent encouragements that express belief in an individual like the adage that goes ‘If others, why can’t I?’ Such leads people to believe that for every person, there is always something special that is sitting somewhere inside of him, waiting to be discovered and nurtured. The ‘shadow of something enormous darkening the man’s life’ might be a metaphor of his doubts and fears about what he has and what he can do. It is mentioned that the man only felt this shadow and did not see it. So many times, men see with their feelings especially with things that are still unknown and have not been tried yet and most of these times, people are overwhelmed with the possibilities of failure that is why they would rather go about with the normal activities of men. Then, the poet suggests that the shadow the man might have felt could be that of another fish’s, greater than his doubts and fears. What could be haunting the man is the fear that he might not become as popular as another person, as successful as his neighbor, as intelligent as his classmate, as talented as the other boy or as innovative as the ordinary man who seems to make beautiful things from garbage. The poet seems to make sure that every reader would have the right interpretation of his poem and so gives some clue to what he is talking about. He refers to the word ‘fish’ as the elements in a man that could provide food like industriousness that leads to the production of wealth, therefore food; talents that could be used for the entertainment of other people which also brings prosperity, and the list goes on. The sixth and seventh lines make even clearer the point being made here. ‘Other fish’ means ‘other people’. ‘The shadow of other men’s souls’ portrays those intangible attributes of a man. To understand this further, it might be best to place the picture of a person with all his talents, skills and fears, in juxtaposition with the image of individuals in the world, their achievements and failures. One man has the element of success and as he considers the stories of successful people, he knows he could prosper, too. However, there are also stories of failure which could be extremely destructive. He considers both possibilities and fears and doubt play in his mind. On another angle, other people are seen around the man and some are big so that their shadows could almost cover the others. Shadows represent dark things that bring gloom so, it does not actually matter if the shadow would be of success or failure but what needs to be considered further is the effect it brings to a person. Sometimes, another person’s success could be intimidating to an individual and could become a shadow that haunts a person making him fear the possibility of not being as successful as the other. On the other hand, failures could also become catalysts to fear and doubt. The famous and successful people are not spared of failures and this might just easily crush a spirit trying to succeed especially when assistance is scarce. The ‘ocean’ referred to in the poem could be the world the man lives, where he works and move about, taking his chances on what fate could bring on him that might probably make him see the ‘fish’ in himself. When the eighth and ninth lines are linked to the first line of the poem, a more interesting analysis is called for because now the man is seen not just fishing in himself but is going out to the ocean. However, it should be noted that as mentioned earlier, every action of a man is an act of self-discovery so that even if he goes out to perform his responsibilities, it is still an opportunity to discover what he has. On the second mention of the word ‘ocean’, it is asked if it is where the man is going or the ‘little puddle of his tears’ which could probably mean the hurtful thoughts or experiences he dwells in. Then, it is argued if this could just be a comforting thought or an escape route from all the hardships that he has been through. Whatever it is, the man still needs to go out and discover himself, even as he feels the ‘land fall away under his boots’, meaning, the things he believed in that strengthens him to go by simply fade as he mixes with other fishes in the ocean. He sighs and thinks of the time when he rests at night, able to think and plan again and envision a better tomorrow as he dreams all over again to discover what he has. Read More