Which three words or phrases in this excerpt from Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish" compare the fish to an old, experienced soldier?
"His brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper,
and its pattern of darker brown was like wallpaper:
shapes like full-blown roses stained and lost through age."
1. Ancient wallpaper
2. Shapes like full-blown roses
3. Lost through age
In order to provide an accurate answer, I would need the excerpt from Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish." Could you please provide it?
To find the three words or phrases in the excerpt that compare the fish to an old, experienced soldier, let's analyze the text. Here is an excerpt from Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish":
"Here and there his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper, and its pattern of darker brown was like wallpaper: shapes like full-blown roses stained and lost through age. He was speckled with barnacles, fine rosettes of lime, and infested with tiny white sea-lice, and underneath two or three rags of green weed hung down."
1. "Brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper" - This simile compares the fish's skin, which is torn and hanging in strips, to old and deteriorated wallpaper. It suggests the idea of the fish being weathered and experienced, similar to an old soldier.
2. "Shapes like full-blown roses stained and lost through age" - This phrase portrays the fish's patterns as similar to roses that have lost their vibrancy and color due to age. It implies a sense of maturity and veteran-like qualities, aligning the fish with an old soldier.
3. "He was speckled with barnacles, fine rosettes of lime, and infested with tiny white sea-lice" - This description emphasizes the fish's physical condition, highlighting its battle scars in the form of barnacles, rosettes, and sea-lice. This comparison creates an image of an old soldier covered in battle wounds and marks of experience.
By examining the excerpt, we can identify these three words or phrases that liken the fish to an old, experienced soldier: "ancient wallpaper," "stained and lost through age," and "battle scars" (barnacles, rosettes, sea-lice).