Poetic Elements in "The Fish" by Marianne Moore

The form of “The Fish” by Marianne Moore is artistically articulated in its appearances. It does not follow a traditional form but uses a certain pattern (due to the line breaks) to create the undulating sensation of a wave. Each stanza is as if it were the start of a new wave, which suits the theme of the poem well because of the contents. The poem starts off with how the sea barnacles on the cliff rocks react to the waves crashing in and out by “opening and shutting itself like and injured fan.” They can not hide from the waves or the sun. They are helpless and remain stationary as the day moves on. The number of syllables in each line fluctuates, contributing to the physical form of the poem. There are eight stanzas, and the rhyme pattern of each stanza is AABBC. The poem is linked together literally because each stanza relies on the previous one in order to continue the thought, just as the title is apart of the first line in itself. Moore uses alliteration of the dominate ‘s’ sound such as “submerged,” “shafts,” “sun,” “split,” “spun,” “spotlight,” and “swiftness” in just four lines. All of these descriptors create very vivid images of the theme of the sea and the waves crashing onto the rocks as the sun shimmers down.