Summary
Summary Poem Analysis: Eat Me
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Detailed analysis of the poem ‘Eat Me’ by Patience Agbabi (4 pages of notes). Designed for A Level Edexcel English ‘Poems of the Decade’.
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Eat Me (Patience Agbabi)Summary
Form – dramatic monologue from the woman’s perspective (do not get a full idea of the
male perspective). Structured into 10 regular stanzas with 3 lines each – mimetic of the
monotonous routine of feeding, no variation or escape. (30 lines = 30 stones at the start,
and her resultant powerlessness?)
Imagery – lots of imagery is used to describe the woman’s body, presents it as an object
used for male pleasure (temptation e.g. forbidden fruit, desperate and needy e.g.
breadfruit, description of her body e.g. judder like a juggernaut). Also used to highlight
the danger of this lust and excess (tidal wave of flesh).
Rhyme/rhythm – words at the ends of lines in each stanza half-rhyme/vowel sounds –
regularity also creates a sense of regime. Bouncy, almost twee, rhythmic effect
complements the unnervingly factual tone.
Tone – tone is unnervingly matter of fact, frank and conversational, as though she is
informally speaking directly to the reader – normalised, factual tone is more disturbing
and potent than if it had been angered or hyperbolic. Underlying resentment and emotion
suggested (e.g. the ‘too fat’ stanza). Man’s voice in italics (perhaps a sinister and
possessive tone implied). Initially is passive to the man, but regains her autonomy (shift in
pronouns and active verbs), leading to disturbing ending
Title (and later “EAT ME” on the cake)
• Initially link to Alice in Wonderland – as a children’s story has happy and innocent
connotations (also present in the cake at the start of the poem), think their
relationship is innocuous and normal.
• Alice in Wonderland as a surreal/warped tale, idea of eating the cake leading to an
explosion in size mirrors the poem
• Takes a darker tone when it is written on the cake which celebrates (and also adds
to) her weight gain – see the phrase for what it is as an imperative, forcing her to
eat and get fatter. Reader feels uncomfortable at this, disturbing.
• ‘Eat me’ is also an American sexual phrase
• Could reflect her addiction to food as a result of the feeding – all food says ‘eat
me’ to her, inability to stop and leave him
• Title takes on irony at the end when the woman eats her feeder
Form
Structured into 10 regular stanzas with 3 lines each – mimetic of the monotonous routine
of feeding, continuous with no variation or escape. (30 lines could mirror her 30 stones at
the start of the poem, and her powerlessness as a result of this excess weight?) The words
at the ends of lines in each stanza half-rhyme/use the same vowel sounds
(cake/made/weight, pink/did/it, walk/broad/-naut, like/-side/-lite, cook/food/fruit
etc.) – regularity also creates a sense of regime, rhythmic effect also complements the
unnervingly factual tone.
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