The Gun - Vicki Feaver

Question 1

What is The Gun about? (4 points)

Answer 1

The poem inverts most current liberal attitudes to the natural world - from hunting to the intrinsic value of wildlife

It is brutally unemotional and makes no moral judgments

It also juxtaposes two concepts normally thought of as opposites:
+ A house and kitchen with its associations of home, warmth and security
+ A gun with its association of violence and death

Adding sex to the mix results in an uncomfortable, disturbing poem about killing and the grim pleasure it engenders

Question 2

What is the structure of The Gun? (2 points)

Answer 2

5 irregular length stanzas with lines also of irregular length - no rhyme scheme, though occasional assonant rhyme

Enjambment is cleverly used to create a choppy, uneasy rhythm, with line endings at unexpected points, giving emphasis to words at the beginning and end of lines

Question 3

What is the language and imagery of The Gun? (3 points)

Answer 3

The voice is that of the protagonist’s partner who is fired up by possessing and using the gun

She uses straightforward, everyday language, though there is symbolic imagery - ‘grey shadow’

The tone is flat, understated and unemotional throughout, which makes the violence towards and killing of the animals all the more chilling