1. “The Gun” and “Eat Me”
To explore meanings and how they are presented through the writer’s methods within Vicki Feaver’s poem “The Gun”.
To compare this poem with “Eat Me”.
To be able to consider how we might approach and answer an examination question comparing these two poems.

2. Exam Question
Compare the ways in which poets explore taboos in “The Gun” by Vicki Feaver and one other poem of your choice from Poems of the Decade:An Anthology of the Forward Books of Poetry 2002–2011.
In your answer you should consider the following:
• the poets’ development of themes
• the poets’ use of language and imagery
• the use of other poetic techniques.
Compare with “Eat Me” page 3

3. What aspects of subject matter in “Eat Me” might be considered taboo?

4. “The Gun” Look at the statements on the following slides.
Exam tip:
Titles of poems should be in inverted commas and capitalised in your exam response (unless there are deliberate lower case letters in the title)
“The Gun”
Look at the statements on the following slides.
How do you feel about each statement?
Focus on your “gut instinct” personal feelings .

5. “Bringing a gun into a house changes it.”
Exam tip:
Ensure that quotations from poetry are set out as they are in the poem (eg note the movement to a new line here.
Ensure any capital letters and punctuation are exactly the same as they are in the poem

6. “A gun brings a house alive.”

7. “The Gun” Look at the statements on the following slides.
How do you feel about each statement
Focus on your “gut instinct” personal feelings
Now consider how we “should” feel about these statements

8. “A gun brings a house alive”
Copy this statement onto your notes page
Now read the poem What evidence to support this statement is presented in Feaver’s poem? Display quotations that support the statement around it. Are you now convinced by the statement? What is Feaver’s intention here?
Overall intention here is to make students engage with the idea of uncomfortable coverage of the gun issue. These becomes a taboo subject.
Exam tip: when referring to the writer, use their last name

9. What aspects of subject matter in “The Gun” might be considered taboo?

10. Group Work
Study the stanza that you have been assigned to. Analyse the following:
1. explore how sounds are created through poetic devices and language. How does this support subject matter and meaning? (Think about TECHNIQUE – EFFECT- MEANING)
2. Explore how structure within the stanza links to the subject matter. (Think about TECHNIQUE – EFFECT- MEANING)
4 groups, 1 longer stanza per group. Photograph notes and present to class

11. Comparison Work - Individual
Taboos (introduction to essay)
Gender roles
Violence
Domination and power
Unnatural V natural
Photograph each paragraph and share via powerpoint
Task: compare how the aspect of taboos assigned to you is presented in the two poems, using the bullet points in the task to support your analysis.
Write up as an analytical exam style paragraph (to be shared with the class).