Methods for Exploring Destructive Relationships in 'The New Bride' and in 'Eat Me' Jasmine Burstow 12th Grade

In the unseen poem, ‘The New Bride’, the poem depicts the attitude of a deceased wife towards her ‘faithless husband’ who has moved on after her death. ‘Eat Me’ tells the story of a dysfunctional and controlling relationship which ultimately end with a reversal of power. The two poems both present destructive relationships, however they do so in different ways; Smith’s poem focuses on the idea of jealousy how it acts as a catalyst for destruction, whereas Agbabi’s poem centres around the idea of the physical control in the relationship and the harmful effects and outcomes that are caused from a lack of freedom.

Firstly, in ‘The New Bride’, the narrative voice of the poem helps to present the idea of a destructive relationship. The tone of the poem is an amalgamation of anger and bitterness, the element of condescension alluding to the jealousy the narrator feels; the contrast in the language of the poem heightens this as the reference to the husband as ‘darling’ suggests caring feelings, however, Smith’s choice to contrast this with the hostile label ‘bastard’ on the following stanza morphs the meaning and makes it patronising, suggesting anger. This contributes to the idea of a destructive relationship as it suggests the...