In the poem, “Fish Fossil,” by Ai Qing, the speaker dramatizes the meaning of life, to live life to the fullest and do not let anything get in your way. In the title, the speaker uses the word “fossil” to symbolize past memories of his life. The entire poem is an allegory where every line portrays a deeper meaning to it rather than the words the speaker uses. The speaker begins the poem by referring to how energetic and successful he felt, “With such agility in your movements”(1). Also, as he was going through life, “You leapt in the foam / And swam in the sea.”(3-4), he felt his life was at a high point where everything was perfect. The speaker began the poem with a happy mood in lines 1-4, then he transitioned to a sad mood in lines 5-7.
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In lines 9-11, “After millions years / Members of a geological team / Found you in a layer of rock,” the speaker has been set back for so long, and has rediscovered his inner self. The speaker refers to himself as being alive once again, but he is not the same, “And you still look alive. / But you are now silent,”(12-13). There is the use of symbolism in lines 12-13, to show that after rebuilding his life, he is now “silent.” In lines 15-16, “Your scales and fins are whole / But you cannot move,” the speaker is saying he is still himself, but he cannot act the same as before. The speaker uses the words “scales” and “fins” to symbolize that his personality and mindset are still …show more content…
/ You cannot see the water or the sky,” the speaker is saying he has no control over his life and cannot see the bright side. The speaker uses the phrase “no reaction to the world” to symbolize that everything around him is happening so fast and he cannot keep up. The speaker looks back at his past as displayed in line 21, “Gazing at this fossil.” There is a transition from a serious mood to remembrance in line 21-22, “Gazing at this fossil, / Even a fool can learn a lot.” As the speaker looks back at his life, he remembers that he can “learn a lot” by looking at the events that changed him. In lines 23-24, “Without movement / There is no life,” the speaker portrays that he has moved on with life, leaving all the bad memories in the
In lines 9-11, “After millions years / Members of a geological team / Found you in a layer of rock,” the speaker has been set back for so long, and has rediscovered his inner self. The speaker refers to himself as being alive once again, but he is not the same, “And you still look alive. / But you are now silent,”(12-13). There is the use of symbolism in lines 12-13, to show that after rebuilding his life, he is now “silent.” In lines 15-16, “Your scales and fins are whole / But you cannot move,” the speaker is saying he is still himself, but he cannot act the same as before. The speaker uses the words “scales” and “fins” to symbolize that his personality and mindset are still …show more content…
/ You cannot see the water or the sky,” the speaker is saying he has no control over his life and cannot see the bright side. The speaker uses the phrase “no reaction to the world” to symbolize that everything around him is happening so fast and he cannot keep up. The speaker looks back at his past as displayed in line 21, “Gazing at this fossil.” There is a transition from a serious mood to remembrance in line 21-22, “Gazing at this fossil, / Even a fool can learn a lot.” As the speaker looks back at his life, he remembers that he can “learn a lot” by looking at the events that changed him. In lines 23-24, “Without movement / There is no life,” the speaker portrays that he has moved on with life, leaving all the bad memories in the