Practical criticism: "You fit into me"


Today I will develop an analysis of a poem called "you fit into me" by the canadian writer Margaret Atwood, following questions based on the new criticism movement.


You fit into me
like a hook into an eye
a fish hook
an open eye.


1-What is the relationship between the tittle and the rest of the poem?
Under my point of view, the only relation between this two is that the tittle tells us that someone fits into another, while in the rest of the poem it will be explained how and the real meaning about "fitting into another".


2-What words, if any, need to be defined?
hook-and-eye:  A clothes fastener consisting of a small blunt metal hook that is inserted in a corresponding loop or eyelet.


3-What relations do you see among any words in the poem?
There is a relation  between eye and hook because first it is presented as a clothing system, but then it will change to a fishing hook, and a real eye, in order to change our idea of what we think it is being told.


4-What are the various connotative meaning of the words in the poem? Do you see various shades of meaning help establish relationships or patterns in the text?
The author plays with the meaning of the words eye and hook, in order to, as I said before, change the whole meaning or idea that is being told. First we read that they fit like a hook-and-eye, so we think that they are made for each other, but then it changes to a real hook and a human eye, and this both fitting together means pain and suffering.


5-What symbols, images or figures of speech are used? What is the relationship between them?

The whole poem is an irony because it changes the meaning in the to last verses by changing the way of using the words hook and eye. By this, the author is telling us that love is not just happiness, it is also pain.

6.- What elements of rhyme, meter or pattern can you discuss?

It is a free verse poem. It means that it doesn't have any rhyme and the amount of syllables in each verse are diferent.

7.- What is the tone of the poem?
Pain and disappointment

8.- From what point of view is the content of the poem being told?

From a person that had a love relation with somebody, but this ended on a very painful situation for him.

9.- What tensions, ambiguities or paradoxes arise within the poem?

There is an ambiguity in the fact that the poem says :" you fit me like a hook and eye".

We can think that it means the clothing system, but the true meaning is that it is about a fishing hook fitting into a human eye.

10.- What do you believe the chief paradox or irony is in the text?

To show the disappointment that the person had on love and how painful this was to him.

11.- How do all of the elements of the poem support and develop the primary paradox or irony?

This are there in order to develop the best the main idea and the feelings shown in the poem. I also believe that the hook-and-eye ambiguity helps to explain the person's point of view on love and his experience.