The Diet carol ann duffy Lorena Lorenzo

The diet worked like a dream The diet worked like a dream. No sugar, salt, dairy, fat, protein, starch or alcohol. By the end of week one, she was half a stone shy of ten and shrinking, skipping breakfast, lunch, dinner, thinner; a fortnight in, she was eight stone; by the end of the month, she was skin and bone. 7 She starved on, stayed in, stared in the mirror, svelter, slimmer. The last apple aged in the fruit bowl, untouched. The skimmed milk soured in the fridge, unsupped. Her skeleton preened under its tight flesh dress. She was all eyes, all cheekbones, had guns for hips. Not a stitch in the wardrobe fitted. 14

What passed her lips. Air, water What passed her lips? Air, water. She was Anorexia's true daughter, a slip of a girl, a shadow, dwindling away. One day, the width of a stick, she started to grow smaller - child-sized, doll- sized, the height of a thimble. She sat at her open window and the wind blew her away. 21 Seed small, she was out and about, looking for home. An empty beer bottle rolled in the gutter. She crawled in, got drunk on the dregs, started to sing, down, out, nobody's love. Tiny others joined in. They raved all night. She woke alone, head splitting, mouth dry, hungry and cold, and made for the light. 28

She found she could fly on the wind, could breathe, if it rained, underwater. That night, she went to a hotel bar that she knew and floated into the barman's eye. She slept for hours, left at dawn in a blink, in a wink, drifted away on a breeze. Minute, she could suit herself from here on in, go where she pleased. 35 She stayed near people, lay in the tent of a nostril like a germ, dwelled in the caves of an ear. She lived in a tear, swam clear, moved south to a mouth, kipped in the chap of a lip. She loved flesh and blood, wallowed in mud under fingernails, dossed in a fold of fat on a waist. 42

But when she squatted the tip of a tongue, she was gulped, swallowed, sent down the hatch in a river of wine, bottoms up, cheers, fetched up in a stomach just before lunch. She crouched in the lining, hearing the avalanche munch of food, then it was carrots, peas, courgettes, potatoes, gravy and meat. 49 Then it was sweet. Then it was stilton, roquefort, weisslacker-kase, gex; it was smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, hot boiled ham, plum flan, frogs' legs. She knew where she was all right, clambered onto the greasy breast of a goose, opened wide, then chomped and chewed and gorged; inside the Fat Woman now, 56 trying to get out.

The Diet- Mark up The diet worked like a dream. No sugar, salt, dairy, fat, protein, starch or alcohol. By the end of week one, [she was half a stone] // shy of ten and [shrinking, * skipping* breakfast, lunch, dinner,* thinner;*] a fortnight in, she was // eight stone;* [by the end of the month, she was skin // and bone.*] 7 [She starved* on, stayed* in, stared* in // the mirror, svelter,* slimmer*]. [The last apple // aged in the fruit bowl, untouched. The skimmed milk // soured in the fridge, unsupped] [Her skeleton preened // under its tight flesh dress. She was all eyes, all cheekbones, had guns for hips.] Not a stitch // in the wardrobe fitted. 14 Mark Up Key: Listing Enjambment (//) Diction Hyperbole Enumeration (__) Metaphor Rhyme* Alliteration [Imagery]

[What passed her lips. Air, water. ] She was Anorexia's true daughter, [What passed her lips? Air, water.*] She was Anorexia's true daughter,*[ a slip // of a girl, a shadow, dwindling away.] One day, [the width of a stick,] she [started to grow smaller – // child-sized,* doll-sized,* the height of a thimble.] She sat at her open window [and the wind // blew her away. ] 21 Seed small, [she was out* and about*, looking for home.] An empty beer bottle rolled // in the gutter. She crawled in*, got drunk on the dregs, started to sing*, down, out, nobody's love. Tiny others // joined in. They raved all night. She woke alone*, head splitting, mouth dry, hungry and cold*, and made // for the light. 28

[She found she could fly on the wind, could breathe, if it rained, underwater.] That night, she went to a hotel bar that [she knew and floated into // the barman's eye. She slept for hours,] left at dawn // in a blink,* in a wink,* [drifted away on a breeze.] Minute, she could suit herself from here on in, go // where she pleased. 35 [She stayed near people, lay in the tent of a nostril like a germ, dwelled // in the caves of an ear.] [She lived in a tear,* swam // clear,* moved south* to a mouth,* kipped in the chap // of a lip. She loved flesh and blood, wallowed // in mud under fingernails, dossed in a fold of fat // on a waist. ] 42

[But when she squatted the tip of a tongue, she was gulped, swallowed, sent down the hatch // in a river of wine, bottoms up, cheers, fetched up // in a stomach just before lunch. She crouched // in the lining, hearing the avalanche munch of food, then it was carrots, peas, courgettes, potatoes, gravy and meat. ] 49 [Then it was sweet. Then it was stilton,* roquefort, weisslacker-kase, gex; it was smoked salmon* // with scrambled eggs, hot boiled ham, plum flan, frogs‘ // legs. She knew where she was all right, clambered // onto the greasy breast of a goose, opened wide, then // chomped and chewed and gorged; inside the Fat // Woman now, 56 trying to get out. ]

The Diet- Form 8 stanzas 7 lines 7-12 syllables per stanza Except last line of stanzas, 2-5 syllables 30 cases of enjambment No end rhyme Free verse Rhyme scheme Third person

The Diet- Literal Meaning Teen or young woman Decided to not eat She loses a lot of weight Trying to adapt to society Loses control of diet Loses control of herself and deregulates diet

The Diet- Figurative Meaning Insecurity within women Struggling to keep her identity Loses herself in the process of the diet Tone : Disappointed Society and the girl

“Nobody’s love.” (line 25) Diction & Metaphors Diction Girl losing weight “Shrinking” (line 4) “Thinner” (line 5) “Slimmer” (line 9) “..A slip of a girl..” (lines 16-17) “Fly” (line 29) “Floated” (line 31) “Dregs” (line 24) “Nobody’s love.” (line 25) Girl losing her identity “half a stone” (line 3) “Skeleton” (line 11) “A shadow” (line 17) “Dwindling away.” (line 17) “…height of a thimble.” (line 19) “Seed small” (line 22)

Diction & Metaphors Metaphors “…preened under its tight flesh dress.” (lines 10-11) “had guns for hips” (line 11) “…the width of a stick” (line 18) “..started to grow smaller- child-sized, doll-sized” (lines 18-19) “…drifted away on a breeze.” (line 33) “…lay in the tent of a nostril like a germ” (line 37)

Imagery Visual Imagery “…by the end of the month, she was skin and bone.” (lines 6-7) “She starved on, stayed in, stared in the mirror, svelter” (lines 8-9) “She was all eyes, all cheekbones” (lines 11-12) “…she was out and about, looking for home.” (lines 22-23) “She stayed near people.” (line 36) “…gulped, swallowed, sent down the hatch in a river of wine.” (lines 44-45) “…the avalanche munch of food” (line 47) Gustatory Imagery “…Roquefort, weisslacker-kase, gex” (line 51) “…greasy breast of a goose.” (line 54)

Enjambment Enjambment She stayed near people, lay in the tent of a nostril like a germ, dwelled// in the caves of an ear. She lived in a tear, swam // clear, moved south to a mouth, kipped in the chap // 6th Stanza of a lip. She loved flesh and blood, wallowed // in mud under fingernails, dossed in a fold of fat // on a waist. Then it was sweet. Then it was stilton, roquefort, weisslacker-kase, gex; it was smoked salmon // with scrambled eggs, hot boiled ham, plum flan, frogs‘ // legs. She knew where she was all right, clambered // 8th Stanza onto the greasy breast of a goose, opened wide, then // chomped and chewed and gorged; inside the Fat // Woman now, trying to get out.

Discussion Questions How does this poem relate to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey? Would the poem have been more effective showing its the main idea if it had been written in first person?

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