Eat Me

Question 1

Summarise ‘Eat Me’

Answer 1

• tells the story of an incredibly unhealthy relationship based around control, one-sided lust, and food
• takes the reader through the life of an unnamed female speaker who is constantly being fed by her partner
• he wants nothing more than for her to grow as large as possible

Question 2

What are the themes and messages of ‘Eat Me’ ?

Answer 2

• Power/ control
• Abuse
• Sexual objectification/ dehumanisation
• Transgression and Taboo
• Gender

Question 3

What can be set about the form and structure of this poem?

Answer 3

• Ten stanza poem each stanza in tercet form (reflective of the ritualistic feeding schedule and abuse)
• Half-rhyme and use of consonance and assonance
• Dramatic monologue
• Use of enjambment (forces to read the next line quickly)
• use of K, D, T sounds in the last word of each line (reflects the control over the speaker)
  -End-stopped line (idea of routine and consistency)
  -End-stopped lines in the final stanza (show the finality of death)

Question 4

How does the title ‘Eat Me’ emphasis the theme of the poem?

Answer 4

Imperative quality the instruction calls out to her showing her to be a submissive character. Allusion to Alice in Wonderland the ‘Eat me’ cake made Alice enormous

Question 5

‘When I hit thirty he bought me a…’

Answer 5

‘cake three layers of icing home made’
Contrast drawn between the violence of the word ‘hit’ and its connections to domestic violence and the warm and comforting feeling ‘home made’ evokes. This could mirror the contradictory and destructive nature of domestic abuse.
The fact that the cake is ‘home made’ shows how desperate the man is for her to get bigger as he makes food for her himself.

Question 6

‘Then he asked me to get up and…’

Answer 6

‘walk round the bed so he could watch my broad belly wobble’
Alliteration reaffirms the idea of obesity and being overweight, and even gives a ‘wobbly’ nature to the sound. This is further emphasised through the repetition of ‘fat’ throughout the poem, helping to ensure that this idea is never far from the reader’s thoughts, particularly in the seventh stanza. The forceful yet resentful tone of this stanza is particularly noticeable because of the way that the pace is increased

Question 7

‘Hips judder…’

Answer 7

‘like a juggernaut’
This is a reference to a Hindu festival where a huge chariot is paraded through the streets and worshipers were crushed underneath, this could foreshadow the abusers end as he is crushed by the female speaker

Question 8

‘Bigger the better’ and…
(alliteration)

Answer 8

‘broad belly wobble’
The pronoun ‘he’ gives a mysterious inconspicuous feel to the character as we never actually find out his name. This could mirror the secretive nature of abuse.
The teasing tone of the sentence shows the degradation and objectification of his partner for sexual gratification.

Question 9

‘I like big girls…’

Answer 9

‘soft girls’
The objectification in this line shows how much the man is using the woman for his pleasure, not for hers as it shows the unspecific nature of desire. The only focus is on what he wants and likes, without any regard for the woman.
The repetition of “girls” can also be seen as patronising the woman, and can also be seen as showing her vulnerability by likening her more to a child than to an adult.

Question 10

‘Multiple’, ‘Masses’ and…

Answer 10

‘bigger’
Semantic field of gigantic objects- this hyperbole further demonstrates the objectification.

Question 11

‘I was his…

Answer 11

‘jacuzzi’
The use of possessive language, such as “his” or even further objectification through the likening to objects, such as “his jacuzzi”. This would help to make the descriptions much more emotive for a reader who would recognise the strong objectification and mistreatment, therefore developing much more sympathy for the narrator.

Question 12

‘My only pleasure the…

Answer 12

rush of fast food’
By emphasising the “rush”, it is clear that any pleasure the woman receives is short lived, with all the focus being on the man and with her needs not fully catered for. The alliteration of “fast food” helps to show how unhealthy this relationship is, both in terms of the physical food being eaten and the mental appreciation between the two. Some may also interpret the line as representing an unhealthy addiction, both to the food and to the relationship.

Question 13

His pleasure to watch me…

Answer 13

swell like forbidden fruit’
Simile could be taken literally fruit is forbidden as it doesn’t increase size. ‘Forbidden fruit’ is a biblical allusion which foreshadows death.

Question 14

‘Shipwreck’, ‘beached…

Answer 14

whale’ , ‘tidal wave’
Semantic field of the sea. This evokes the feeling of something large, helpless and abandoned.

Question 15

‘too fat to leave, too fat to buy a pint of…

Answer 15

full-fat milk, too fat to use fat as an emotional shield’
The adverb too shows the excessive of weight and the repetition reinforces the the frustration of being vulnerable.
‘too fat to leave’ shows how she might feel as if she can’t leave the relationship as she is too fat for anyone else to love her

Question 16

‘Chubby, cuddly…

Answer 16

‘big built’
These are euphemisms for fat- this could be an incite into the language used by society because of the negative connotations of being fat.

Question 17

The day I hit…

Answer 17

thirty nine’
Double meaning, links back to the first line we assumed this was an age but now we are sure that this is a weight measurement.

Question 18

‘His flesh, my flesh…

Answer 18

flowed’
This is a syntactic parallelism which evokes the sense of intimacy and the reliance on sex.

Question 19

‘Soon you’ll be…”

Answer 19

…forty, he whispered”
The ambiguity of the sexual connotations of whispering but also the danger and the secrecy of abuse.

Question 20

‘I rolled and he drowned…

Answer 20

…in my flesh. I drowned his dying sentence out.”
Continuous sea imagery as the speaker takes control.

Question 21

‘how could i not…
and
there was nothing in the house…

Answer 21

roll over on top
left to eat
‘Eat Me’ ends on an ambiguous, and arguably sinister, line. There is a strong sense of uncertainty, as the feeder has now made the ultimate sacrifice of himself in order to feed the woman, most likely through the idea of consumption rather than actual cannibalism. It also marks the point at which the woman now has to provide for herself, and raises questions for the reader such as whether she will now be able to have a healthy relationship or lifestyle without being overfed.

Question 22

What are some of the overall messages?

Answer 22

• the death of the abuser symbolises the death of judgement in society surrounding body image
  -the idea of a man overpowering a woman in order to continue with his control over her, however this is reversed by the end of the poem suggesting a change in the power dynamic
  -The discussion of the idea of body imagery is solely based on the female rather than the male, which can be seen as reflecting the stereotypical societal attitude towards this subject.
• The sexual nature of their relationship is a taboo subject which could reflect societal discomfort with topics of this nature.