"Stupid Fish" by Arshia Sazi

During the past few classes, Professor Kapuściński and his students explored how different artists manipulate both words and images — sometimes even intentionally wrong — to produce abstractions of certain ideas and concepts in the audience’s mind. Therefore, in my 30-second animation, I used the principle of metaphor, a figure of speech where a word or phrase is applied to an object or action when not conventionally appropriate, to explain the disorienting and frustrating concept of falling in love. My piece, titled “Stupid Fish,” uses the metaphor to analogize the admirer to a mindless fish, because a lover who grows a certain fondness for another often cannot abstain from doing so, and thus are as intellectually inept as fish. Therefore, against its will, this fish “swims through love” and is “mindless” about the danger this vulnerable state puts it in. Eventually, a second metaphor describes the “fish” contemplating whether it will be struck by harps or bows, signifying whether the fish will be hit by the serenading bliss of love or the fatal attack of rejection (a dichotomy with Cupid’s bow is also present).

Because my poem (seen below) roughly followed the format of a Japanese haiku (6-7-5 syllables), I wanted to ensure the visual representation of words and images captured the essence of nature with the portrayal of the ocean and swimming fish. Additionally, the sudden scene of the fish being pierced by the bow with “STRUCK” flashing across the screen was meant to signify Kita, inspired by Matsuo Basho’s abrupt cutting to highlight meaning in his haikus. The implementation of Kita was meant to highlight how love subjects oneself to vulnerability, like a fish in open water.

[POEM]
Stupid fish swims through love
Mindless — am I struck by the
strings of harps or bows?

*Rough Haiku format*