Bishop uses rhetorical questions in a thought-provoking way many times throughout her poetry. For example:
„„‘Is it right to be watching strangers in a play/ in this strangest of theatres?’ (‘Questions of Travel’)
Here, Bishop questions whether travel is ethical, and forces us to consider the social and cultural repercussions of travel.
„„‘Why the extraneous plant?’ (‘Filling Station’)
When Bishop starts asking questions in this poem, it is because they force her to reconsider her initial impression of the family that runs the filling station. This helps to show how wrong it is to judge a book by its cover.
„„‘Why should I be my aunt,/ or me, or anyone?’ (‘In the Waiting Room’)
This is a very deep, profoundly philosophical question, and the catalyst for Bishop’s transformation. Readers may also be reminded of similar moments in their lives.
ALLUSION Bishop was brought up as a Baptist and often uses biblical allusions in her poetry. For example:
„„‘glinting like little plowshares’ (‘The Bight’)
This line is from the Bible. It is about turning weapons into farming/fishing tools: ‘they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.’ This enables us to picture the shiny tails of the sharks and it also can be read as a criticism of the use of violence against the natural world.
„„‘The Prodigal’
This poem is a re- telling of the ‘Parable of the Prodigal Son’. Bishop related to it both because of her own alcoholism and the addiction that ran in her family.
„„‘to shut the cows and horses in the barn…safe and companionable as in the Ark.’ (The Prodigal)
This is a reference to Noah’s Ark, and suggests safety and escape.
