Analyzing Aix Qing's Poem 'Fish Fossil'

In the poem, “Fish Fossil” by Aix Qing, the speaker is sympathetic towards the fossil. He is reminiscing the time where the fish, “leapt in the foam / And swam in the sea,” (4-5). The speaker admires the life the fish once lived. Then there is a shift at line 5 because the speaker begins to express a sorrowful tone. He tells the fish how, “ Unfortunately, a volcano’s eruption / or perhaps an earthquake / cost you your freedom,” (5-8). In this same stanza, the poet creates an allusion to the event at Pompeii where the entire city was buried under volcanic ash. This reference to a historical event, emphasizes the tragedy that took away the fish’s life. Throughout the rest of the poem the speaker continues to expand on the loss of freedom. The
speaker of the poem expresses their views of the inanimate object. It is explained to the fossil how even after millions of years later, “you still look alive,” (12). The fish, which is now a fossil, is preserved, but it does not mean that it is in its original state. Despite looking alive, the fossil is, “now silent, / without even a sigh,” (14). It does not matter if the fossil’s body is intact if, “you cannot move,” (16). Also, in lines 1 to 20 it is clear that there is apostrophe because the speaker of the poem is talking to the fossil. Not as lively as it was before, the fossil was not able to experience freedom to the full extent as its life was taken away.
Symbolism can be seen through the fossil as depicting the life of the lower class. Aix Qing expressed empathy towards the lower class throughout his life, and it can be seen in his writings. It can be inferred that the fossil represents the lower-class because of the shift at line 21, where the speaker of the poem stops talking to the fossil. The speaker of the poem states the obvious where, without motion, it is impossible to, “see the water of the sky, / You cannot hear the sound of the waves,” (19-20) or experience the other beauties of the world. This describes the lower class because they were often restricted and received little to no human rights. The lower-class is a true representation of no freedom or rights, since they were not able to live a life they longed for. This parallels the message Aix Qing is expressing which is, without freedom, there is no life or no point in living. No longer speaking directly to the fossil, it is shown that there is a lesson to be learned from its life. Challenges were faced in the story of this fossil, as can be seen in, “To live is to struggle / and advance in the struggle.” (25-26). However, despite these hardships “we should use our energy to the fullest.” (29). Death is an unpredictable event and a source of losing freedom, which is why the speaker says to live life to the fullest since “Without movement / There is no life,” (23-24). The poem ends on a more optimistic tone towards life, as the speaker of the poem encourages its readers with a positive message. Seen through symbolism of the titular object, freedom should not be taken for granted.