Text:
Before
I opened my mouth
I noticed them sitting there
as orderly as frozen fish
in a package.
Slowly water began to fill the room
though I did not notice it
till it reached
my ears
and then I heard the sounds
of fish in an aquarium
and I knew that though I had
tried to drown them
with my words
that they had only opened up
like gills for them
and let me in.
Together we swam around the room
like thirty tails whacking words
till the bell rang
puncturing
a hole in the door
where we all leaked out
They went to another class
I suppose and I to home
where Queen Elizabeth
my cat met me
and licked my fins
till they were hands again.
Initial Reaction:
My initial reaction to the poem is that when the teacher was reading a poem to their class, the teacher and their student begin to transport into a new world. All the students transform into fishes, as “water was filling the room/Though I barely noticed it/Until the water was up to/my ears/ and then I heard the noises/of fish in an aquarium.” This poem also shows that poetry has the ability to make the reader and listener feel the emotions and feelings in the poem.
Paraphrase:
Before
I began talking
I noticed the students sitting there
as neat as fish
in a can.
Slowly, it felt like water was filling the room
Though I didn’t notice it
Until the water was up to
my ears
and then I heard the noises
of fish in an aquarium
And I knew that even though I had
Attempted to fill the students’ minds
with my words
They had already opened up
Their minds like gills
and let me in.
The students and I swam around the room
Like thirty bodies whacking the books
till the bell rang
like a puncture
in the door
where we all left
They left for another class
Or to go home
where Queen Elizabeth
my cat met me
and licked my fins
until I realized that they were hands again.
SWIFTT:
{SW} Syntax/ Word Choice:
Constructed in simple sentence structures and the use of simple word choice, the poem flowed very well. The author used words that related to water and fish, such as, “frozen fish,” “an aquarium,” and “their minds like gills and let me in.”
{I} Imagery:
Throught the poem, the author uses imagery containing fishes. For example, the poem begins with, “I noticed the students sitting there as neatly as fish in a can.” The author also uses imagery containing water in lines such as, “Slowly, it felt like water was filling the room/Though I barely noticed it/Until the water was up to/my ears/ and then I heard the noises/of fish in an aquarium.”
{F} Figurative Language:
The poem is an extended metaphor for the power of teachers and the way they educate their students. In this poem, the students actually turn into fishes. This an be seen in the lines, “Slowly, it felt like water was filling the room/Though I barely noticed it/Until the water was up to/my ears/ and then I heard the noises/of fish in an aquarium.” By reading a poem to the class, the teacher and student felt as if they were in a different world.
{T} Tone:
The tone of the poem was supernatural and magical as the students felt as if they were actual fishes swimming in the ocean. This can be seen in the line, “Together we swam around the room/ like thirty tails whacking words.”
{T} Theme:
The theme of the poem is that poetry has the ability to make the reader and listeners feel like they are in a different world. The poem makes them feel like they are actually in the story, and are able to feel the events occurring. In the poem, the teacher and their student were transformed into fishes swimming in the deep ocean.
Conclusion:
My concluding thoughts of the poem remain the same as my initial reaction. The poem is an extended metaphor for the power of teachers and the way they educate their students. The poem uses imagery of fish and water to portray the idea that poetry has the ability to send the reader and listener into a whole new world.
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