Welcome to "Eat Me" by Patience Agbabi
In these notes, we will explore one of the most striking poems in the Poems of the Decade anthology. "Eat Me" is a dark, provocative, and ultimately empowering poem about a complex relationship involving "feederism" (a subculture where one partner encourages the other to eat and gain weight). Don’t worry if the subject matter feels a bit intense at first—it is designed to make you think about power, control, and the human body.
For your Pearson Edexcel International A Level (Unit 1 Section A), you need to focus on how Agbabi uses language and structure to create meaning (AO1 and AO2) and how this poem compares to others in the collection (AO4). Remember, you don't need to worry about historical context or different critics' opinions for this specific section!
Quick Tip: Think of this poem as a story of a "victim" who finds a very dark way to take back her power.
1. Form and Structure: The Skeleton of the Poem
The way a poem looks on the page is often a clue to its meaning. In "Eat Me," the structure is very rigid, which reflects the controlled life the speaker leads.
Stanza Structure: The Power of Three
The poem is written in 10 stanzas, each consisting of three lines (known as tercets).
- The Significance: Having 30 lines in total might represent the "thirty cakes" mentioned in the first stanza or the speaker's weight/age.
- The Effect: The repetitive, consistent shape of the stanzas suggests a routine. Just as the speaker is "fed" on a schedule, the poem follows a strict, almost mechanical pattern.
Rhyme and Rhythm: Unsettling Harmony
Agbabi uses a clever rhyme scheme: aba, cdc, and so on. However, she often uses half-rhyme (words that sound similar but don't perfectly match, like "flesh" and "flush").
- Why do this? Perfect rhymes often feel happy or light. Half-rhymes feel "off" or uncomfortable, mirroring the unhealthy nature of the relationship described.
The Ending: A Final Shift
The final line stands alone in its impact: "There was nothing left to eat." This is a short, monosyllabic (words with one syllable) sentence that brings the "story" of the poem to a chilling, definitive halt.
Key Takeaway: The rigid tercet structure represents the domestic prison the speaker lives in, while the half-rhymes create a sense of unease.
2. Language Choice and Voice
Patience Agbabi uses language that is very physical and "sensory"—you can almost taste and feel the descriptions.
The Language of Consumption
The poem is packed with words related to food: "cake," "sugar," "fat," "larder," "olive oil."
- Analogy: Imagine a baker who is obsessed with their creation. The husband treats the speaker like an object he is "making" rather than a human being.
- Objectification: The husband sees her as "his" project. He uses possessive pronouns like "my" to show he thinks he owns her body.
The Shift in Voice
Notice how the "voice" changes throughout the poem:
1. Passive: At the start, things are done to her ("He fed me," "He made me").
2. Active: By the end, she is the one taking action. The language shifts from her being a "body" to her being a force of nature.
Alliteration and Sound
Agbabi uses alliteration (repeated starting sounds) and consonance (repeated consonant sounds) to make the weight of the speaker feel real.
- Look for "b" and "p" sounds (plosives). Words like "big," "built," "bread," and "belly" sound heavy and "thick" when you say them aloud, emphasizing the speaker's physical size.
Key Takeaway: The language moves from the husband’s "feeding" of the speaker to the speaker "consuming" the husband in a final act of rebellion.
3. Key Imagery and Motifs
Images are the "pictures" a poet paints with words. Here are the three most important ones in "Eat Me":
The Body as a Landscape
The husband describes the speaker using geographical terms: "my desert island," "my whale."
- The Meaning: This shows how he has lost sight of her as a person. She has become a "place" for him to explore or a "trophy" to look at. He calls her his "tidal wave," which is ironic because a tidal wave is a destructive force—something he realizes too late!
Water and Fluidity
There is a lot of "wet" imagery: "ocean," "shipwreck," "drowned," "flowed."
- The Meaning: This suggests that the speaker’s fat is like an unstoppable sea. Eventually, this "sea" overflows and "drowns" the man who tried to control it.
Forbidden Fruit
The mention of "forbidden fruit" in the seventh stanza is a metaphor. It suggests that their relationship is based on a dark, "sinful" secret that is outside of what society considers normal.
Key Takeaway: The imagery of the ocean and natural disasters foreshadows the speaker's eventual victory over her husband.
4. Comparison: Connecting to Other Poems (AO4)
In your exam, you will have to compare "Eat Me" to another poem from the Poems of the Decade anthology. Here are some great "match-ups":
1. "The Gun" (Vicki Feaver)
- Connection: Both poems explore power dynamics and violence within a domestic (home) setting.
- Contrast: In "The Gun," the power comes from an object; in "Eat Me," the power comes from the speaker's own body.
2. "The Deliverer" (Tishani Doshi)
- Connection: Both poems look at the suffering of women and the way society or men treat female bodies as objects.
- Contrast: "The Deliverer" is about the lack of value placed on female life, whereas "Eat Me" is about a woman reclaiming her value through a dark act.
3. "The Map Woman" (Carol Ann Duffy)
- Connection: Both poems use the body as a metaphor for identity and history.
- Contrast: Duffy’s speaker is trying to escape her past; Agbabi’s speaker is trapped in her physical present until the very end.
Key Takeaway: Focus on themes of Gender, Power, and The Body when comparing "Eat Me" to other poems.
Summary Checklist: Are You Ready?
Before you move on, make sure you can answer these three questions:
1. Why does Agbabi use 10 tercets? (Hint: It relates to the ideas of control and routine).
2. How does the speaker's voice change? (Hint: Look at the difference between "He fed me" and the final line).
3. What is a "plosive" sound and why is it used here? (Hint: "B" and "P" sounds make the poem feel heavy and physical).
Don't worry if this poem feels a bit "gross" or shocking—that is exactly what Agbabi intended! She wants to challenge our ideas about what is "normal" in a relationship and show how power can be flipped on its head.