EAT ME Flashcards
regular structure
rigid, regular structure - ten tercet stanzas
represents the strict regime and order imposed on the woman by the feeder
consonance on each corresponding line
every first line of each stanza has the ‘k’ sound, each third line has the ‘t’ sound
these strong, repeated stanzas highlight the order and control ideas presented throughout the poem
each last line is end-stopped
routine of consistency and order - life of the woman
broken on final stanza because there is two end stopped line - emphasises a finality, the end of the man and the relationship = dramatic, and uneasy as rhythm is interrupted
alliteration - weight
‘bigger the better’
‘broad belly wobble’
multiplied sounds emphasises the idea of weight, - even sounds wobbly - reinforced by the repetition of ‘fat’ throughout the poem
possessive language and objectification
‘his Jacuzzi’
emotive for the reader - clearly mistreatment, she is human. makes the murder of the feeder at the end a different experience as she is freed from the oppression and being used
water imagery
‘shipwreck’
‘beached whale’
‘tidal wave of flesh’
could emphasise weight with sheer volume of the oceans and waves being compared to her flesh
could also represent a hidden power unappreciated by the man - who is ‘drowned’ after this underestimation
‘i like big girls, soft girls’
objectification in this line shows how much the man is using the woman for his pleasure, not for hers. 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
‘my only pleasure the rush of fast food’
unhealthy - toxic / addictive nature of the relationship
‘rush’ - no pleasure for the woman, all focused on the man getting his quick fix
‘there was nothing left in the house to eat’
ambiguous and sinister final line
the woman will now have to provide for herself
POWER
fundamental in the ‘feeder’ relationship
objectification, possession, manipulation
power of men
GENDER
man overpowering woman - this is reversed at the end
body imagery focused solely on the woman - a typical attitude of society
TRANSGRESSION AND TABOO
‘feeder’ relationship has sexual connotations, and that within this relationship someone could have so much power over the other
grotesque discussion of the female body often avoided
unashamed use of the word ‘fat’
‘when I hit thirty, he brought me a cake… a candle for each stone in weight’
celebration of the weight gain as if it is an achievement
initially thought of as a thirty year old birthday cake - when we realise it is instead for thirty stone in weight, this emphasises how unusual the concept is
‘watch me swell like forbidden fruit’
biblical connotations - eve tempts adam, blame on her for being thrown from bliss
I was his Jacuzzi
but he was my cook
two sides to the story
for him, she is a temptation, a luxury
for her, he is a necessity, the master, the provider
