Eating Together
I know my friend is going, though she still sits there across from me in the restaurant, and leans over the table to dip her bread in the oil on my plate; I know how thick her hair used to be, and what it takes for her to discard her man’s cap partway through our meal, to look straight at the young waiter and smile when he asks how we are liking it. She eats as though starving—chicken, dolmata, the buttery flakes of filo-- and what’s killing her eats, too. I watch her lift a glistening black olive and peel the meat from the pit, watch her fine long fingers, and her face, puffy from medication. She lowers her eyes to the food, pretending not to know what I know. She’s going. And we go on eating. In the poem, “Eating Together”, Kim Addonizio doesn’t dance around the main point of the poem, but doesn’t come outright and say it. She uses the narrator’s thoughts to communicate to the readers, while her body language remains the same throughout the poem. The use of an everyday setting (a living room, street, a field) is a common theme in much of Addonizio’s poetry. In this one, it’s a Greek restaurant. The simplicity of the location makes this poem seem like real life. Actually, this situation could have happened to Addonizio and she wrote about her feelings. The unspoken agreement between the narrator and her friend sets the tone of the poem because even though neither one speaks, the readers know exactly what’s being presented. “I know my friend is going, though she still sits there” (lines 1-2) offer the readers the first clue about the narrator’s sick friend. The next, larger clue is “I know how thick her hair used to be, and what it takes for her to discard her man’s cap partway through our meal,” (lines 5-8). “Her face, puffy from medication” (lines 18-19) gives the reader another clue as to she has cancer or another debilitating condition. “She eats as though starving—chicken, dolmata, the buttery flakes of filo- and what’s killing her eats, too” (Lines 11-15) give the reader the biggest clue to what is going on. This line cements that her friend has cancer, and the narrator is concerned. Lines 19-21 state, “She lowers her eyes to the food, pretending not to know what I know.” The unspoken agreement between the narrator and her friend is present here. From personal experience, when you’re really sick and you want to hang out with friends, you don’t want to talk about your illness. All you want to do is normal things like, watch movies or eat at restaurants and talk. I think that Addonizio described this potentially awkward situation perfectly. “ She’s going. And we go on eating.” (Lines 21-22). The final lines are poignant and heartbreaking, but perfect for ending the poem.
2 Comments
Candice Clay
3/8/2017 07:38:48 am
You did a really good job analyzing this poem! Specifically, I liked the way you directly referenced the text. Also, thank you for providing a copy of the poem. I would like to hear more of your specific thoughts on the poem, and not just what it means. You nailed what it meant spot on though.
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Kristian
3/8/2017 08:03:42 am
I thought that you did a great job on your analysis. I like the quoted lines but you could have went farther with the real life aspect.
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SarahI'm an AP English student and high school senior who loves everything about lemons and Grey's Anatomy. This is my blog to talk about literature and everything English. Archives
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