There comes a time for many people when the gruffness and chaos of the real world becomes too much and they want a break from it all. Throughout the poem “Fishing on the Susquehanna in July,” Billy Collins is able to convey this desire to get away from the chaos of the real world and escape into a peaceful state of being. Through the use of metaphor, tone, and diction, the author is able to describe the narrator's desire for an experience that gives him peace and a sense of calm. As the reader progresses through the poem, it becomes apparent that the idea of ​​fishing on the Susquehanna is a metaphor for experiencing the larger things in life and trying to achieve a more physical and natural connection with the world, instead of living in surface and remain interested only in oneself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Collins' narrator is trapped in the throes of everyday life and needs to find a way to disconnect from the chaos of life and find a greater reason for living. The first stanza initiates the reader's understanding of how trapped the narrator is in his simplistic routine and the need for him to break free. The line "I've never fished on the Susquehanna or any other river, to be honest" emphasizes the lack of connection the narrator has had with the world outside of his personal life. The phrase “perfectly honest” suggests that the narrator is almost ashamed of the lack of exploration and freedom in his life and does not want to admit the fact that he has never experienced the world in a way greater than his individual life. This automatically allows the reader to sympathize with the narrator and root for him to achieve the level of serenity and sensation that he so intensely desires. Ultimately, it is not so much the fact of not having experienced fishing on the Susquehanna that he is ashamed of, but rather the regret of never having been exposed to the pleasures and serenity that fishing can bring in any form, or any river. The narrator goes on to explain how little he has experienced outside of his individual life. He states that "Not even in July nor in any other month have I had the pleasure, if it is a pleasure, of fishing on the Susquehanna." It is at this point that the narrator's tone becomes more sardonic and almost spiteful; he is envious that he has never been afforded the pleasures of living life more fully while seemingly so many others have. He questions the validity of people's claims about what it is like to fish on the river and, in an attempt to justify his lack of experience, questions whether fishing on the Susquehanna is truly a pleasure or not. Furthermore, the narrator finds himself leading a much less fruitful life than that of those fishing on the Susquehanna. The narrator describes his life as one in which he is "most likely to be found in a quiet room like this – a painting of a woman on the wall, a bowl of tangerines on the table"; a sad and seemingly lonely assessment. Along with that, these lines describe the narrator's inability to capture the essence of being on the Susquehanna and reflect it in his life, no matter how desperately he tries. The imagery in these two stanzas also conveys the idea that the narrator feels isolated; he sits alone in a room with only a simple bowl of oranges and a painting of a woman on the wall to accompany him. Although the narrator does not allude to a desire for companionship, his words suggest that he deeply desires to be a part of something that so many others have experienced. The narrator has placed himself in a bubble where he is exposed only toown problems and personal experiences and is closed to the vastness and possibilities of the outside. The reader can conclude from this statement that the narrator finds little joy in everyday life and has allowed himself to be closed off to the grandeur of the world. However, despite the narrator's inability to function outside of his own bubble, it is evident that he wishes he had the ability to do so and even attempts to "create the sensation of fishing on the Susquehanna." The word “production” has a very sterile and cold connotation and contributes to the lackluster way the narrator lives his life. The narrator is so desperate to experience the world outside himself, that he has tried to imitate it within his solitary bubble; an unsuccessful attempt. The poem progresses as does the narrator's desire for the pleasures that fishing on the Susquehanna is praised for bringing to the people who embrace it. The narrator believes that "there is no doubt that others have fished on the Susquehanna," suggesting that while he is stuck in the squalor of a dull life, others are embracing the splendors and freedoms of the Susquehanna. The narrator becomes envious of those who have seized the opportunity to embrace the rawness of the world. After discussing what he imagines it is like to travel along the river and be part of its beauty, the narrator resumes his discussion of how, despite his desires, how far he has come from achieving the pleasure and glory that fishing on the Susquehanna can bring. He admits that "the closest I ever came to fishing on the Susquehanna was an afternoon in a Philadelphia museum when I balanced a time egg in front of a painting"; a melancholic realization that describes how far the narrator is from reaching the river and the joys it can bring. The idea that the narrator was only able to balance a simple “egg of time” suggests that his ability to connect to the larger meaning of the world is minuscule. Along with this is the concept that his only connection was to a painting and not to the real world itself, it allows the reader to conclude that the narrator is far from achieving the sense of clarity and pleasure that fishing on the Susquehanna has to offer. offer. This awareness is so evident that even the narrator addresses it in the line: “it's something I'm unlikely to do, I remember saying to myself and the person next to me”. Of course, the narrator did not open himself to accepting the sensations of life and instead remained a sort of bland and uninteresting figure. The way the narrator addresses the artwork in the penultimate stanza contributes to the dullness of his life. The lines "Then I blinked and moved on to other American scenes of haystacks, water bleaching on rocks, even that of a brown hare that seemed so full of alertness that I imagined it leaping out of the frame" convey a feeling of monotony and silent life. The haystacks themselves evoke a feeling of dullness, as they are simply a light brown pile of dry grass. Likewise, the image of “water whitening on rocks” alludes to a very clichéd and simplistic interpretation of nature and the surrounding environment. These are very stereotypical images that provide a clue to the simplicity of the narrator's life and the reasoning for their zealous pursuit of some semblance of novelty and pleasure in their life. The only sense of salvation for the narrator comes from the final line of the poem. When the narrator concludes the poem by describing a photo of a hare, he exclaims, "even that of a brown hare that seemed so alert that I imagined it leaping out of the frame." This provides the reader with hope that the narrator's ability to imagine a proposition.