Eat Me Flashcards
Eat Me
Title conveys a sexual element of food consumption - really ambiguous and suggests the idea that the man is mentally devouring her spirit as well as destroying her body
“He brought me a cake” , “Home-made” , “Each stone in weight”
The first two lines have a juxtaposition and dynamic of care, thought, kindness & nurture which is quickly overturned by the shocking and grotesque imagery of the third line
“The icing was white but the letters were pink”
Colour symbolism - ‘white’ represents innocence but could also represent their marriage but ‘pink’ symbolises femininity, almost mocking the woman as she’ll simply be pleased by pretty coloured icing
“EAT ME. And I ate, did what I was told. Didn’t even taste it”
Communicates control and dominance through an imperative/command. The idea that she didn’t even taste it indicates complete compliance to the man’s instructions, she mechanically eats with no enjoyment
“My broad belly wobble”
The use of visual imagery and sound imagery combined with alliteration emphasises how overweight she is, making the reader worried as it’s obvious her weight isn’t healthy
“Round the bed”
Relationship about power, leading to sexual thrill for the man
“I like big girls, soft girls, girls I can burrow inside”
There’s a sole focus on the man’s pleasures. The noun ‘girls’ can be seen as showing how vulnerable and almost childlike she is due to how dependent she is on him. ‘Burrow inside’ sounds animalistic, portraying a sense of danger but signifying how grotesque and rabid the man’s fetish is
“I was his Jacuzzi”
The use of possessive language such as ‘his’ further objectify her and emphasise the mistreatment she faces. There’s also connotations of pleasure and enjoyment
“To watch me swell like forbidden fruit”
Biblical allusion suggests taboo/transgressive nature of relationship - not socially acceptable
“His desert island after shipwreck” , “A beached whale” , “Tidal wave of flesh”
Semantic field of water conveying her helplessness and how powerless she is. ‘Tidal wave of flesh’ maybe foreshadowing the reversal of power
“Too fat” x4
Anaphoric repetition - emphatic of her powerlessness, awareness of situation in the 7th stanza, creating a forceful/resentful tone. Emphasising her weight and how it defines all aspects of her existence
“The day I hit thirty-nine, I allowed him….”
A clear Volta - she’s finally taking control and violence is foreshadowed through ‘hit’.
“Poured olive oil down my throat”
Olive oil usually used for cooking, this shows how he’s turning her into his own meal, metaphorically and sexually. The idea of pouring it ‘down my throat’ makes it sound very forced and uncomfortable to her, again linking to imbalance of power in the relationship
“His mouth slightly open, his eyes bulging with greed”
Irony and dark humour - even in death, he is defined by his greed and it’s shaped by his life. Also links to seven deadly sins in which there’s punishment for gluttony.
“His mouth slightly open, his eyes bulging with greed.” + “There was nothing left in the house to eat.”
Last two lines both end with a full stop signifying the death of the man making it more dramatic, bringing a sense of unease for reader as there’s relief for the women escaping the toxic relationship but the unease due to the method. The last line is also ambiguous and sinister - a strong sense of uncertainty.
Structure
ABAB rhyme scheme indicating claustrophobia and a tercet structure
Key Themes
Consequences of abuse, relationships, power, control, emotional harm and gender
Form
Dramatic Monologue
Summary
A food fetish and the relationship between feeder and feedee - toxic
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What is the title an intertextual reference to?
Alice in Wonderland - foreshadowing the tone of the poem - infantalising the victim
