Eat Me

Question 1

What is this poem about?

Answer 1

The speaker in the poem is a women trapped in an abusive relationship

Question 2

How are themes of sexism, objectification and dehumanisation shown?

Answer 2

• Her partner can only see the speaker as a sexual object rather than a real person.
• The poem in about the absurdity of demanding that women conform to any ideas imposed on them by a man
• Objectification eats away at the speaker’s sense of self, unable to enjoy her own life, making her numb.

Question 3

How are themes of power, abuse and control shown?

Answer 3

• Extended metaphor for the way in which domestic abusers wear down their victim
• The man buys the speaker a birthday cake at the start of the poem but this is all to serve his own aim: to make her as fat as possible