hey can anyone give me feedback on my essay

it is about the presentation of death in the poem the gun and Gussipe.

Both poems explore the psychological impact that death had on the persona of the poem. However, whilst Fever goes against the liberal notion that presents death as inhumane, however the speaker in Guippes critiques the actions of his uncles and doesn’t justify death like Fever does. Both personas in the poems are passive as they present the killing and death of others from an outsider's perspective.


Both poems explore the physiological impact that death has on the poetic voice. Ford illuminates how the uncle uses magical realism as a form of coping mechanism to cope with murder. The uncle dehumanises the women in order to relieve the guilt he experiences from his actions “said she was only a fish, and fish can’t speak”. The use of the noun “fish'' is used to objectify the women in order to justify his murder. The poet reflects on the normalisation of killing fish, but not women. This is further reinforced as the uncle tries to undermine the women’s existence “only” which suggests that her life is seen as less significant. Therefore, the use of the causeura slows down the pace of the poem to highlight the break between fact and fiction. This is further reinforced in the final stanza “thank God” which has connotations of relief as the uncle’s fantasy has enabled him to forget about the trauma he has experienced.This is further reflected in the irregularity of the poem structure which reflected the fragmentation of the uncle's mind which suggests the guilt has consumed him. Alternatively, this could reflect the oppression that women face in a patriarchal society as they are portrayed as social subordinates. Ergo, their lives are less significant because of their inferior status. This is also seen in “The gun” as the woman is “slicing, stirring and tasting” which reinforces traditional gender roles, as the women in both poems are portrayed as passive. Alternatively, the soft sibilance mimics the hissing of a snake from Garden of Eden. Therefore, this could suggest that the temptations caused by the snake has physiologically taken over the psyche of the couple. The strong plosive sounds highlight the significance the presence of the gun had on the couple. Alternatively, mimic the unpredictability of the gun, which is also reflected through the variation in line and stanza length. In addition, a Feudian interpretation would look at how the speaker is failing to control their “id” as the couple is acting out of their desire rather than logic. Therefore, both poems explore how death of others has permanently impacted the speakers mentally.

However, both poems have different outlooks on the consequences of murder. Whilst “The Gun” takes an idiosyncratic approach towards death. “Gusspie” explores how death was a necessity in order to survive. Fever illuminates how the gun which is typically associated with the instrument of death has impacted the psyche of the man. The gun has created a new dynamic to their relationship, “like when the sex was fresh”. The poet uses the simile to illuminate how death has paradoxically brought more life into the relationship. The use of the adjective “fresh” has connotations with vitality. This is further reinforced through the use of the verb “gleam” which has an elongated verb. This creates erotic undertones to illustrate the couple's unorthodox approach towards death. Ergo, the narrator reflects on how the gun has brought out the primitive side of a man, as it has metaphorically brought the death of the civilised aspect of a man. Alterivaltey, the gun could be interpreted as a phallic symbol as it adds pleasure to their relationship. However, the Ford explorer was necessary for survival in World War 2, as the corpses of the women was, “cooked and fed to troops/ they said it was a large fish”. This illuminates the lack of food available during the war, therefore they had to resort to extreme measures in order to survive. Therefore, this shows how the mermaids were seen as collateral damage in the war.


Both poems illustrate the destructive power of death. Fever compares the gun to “golden crocuses”. The flowers “ crocuses” are deceptive as they appear aesthetically pleasing, however they are toxic. This is further reinforced through the colour imagery “golden” which has connotations of royalty which could allude to the respect the couple place on guns as it has the ability to cause death and destruction. Therefore, the poet could be commenting on how the polished gun may look inciting at first, which proppells the users to engage to kill not only other people, but also a part of themselves. Similarly, the poet utilises a gresome image “was butchered on the dry and dusty ground” in order to evoke sympathy. The verb “ butchered” creates a horrific image as it implies the woman was killed ruthlessly. In addition, the ‘dry dusty ground’ may also be a metaphor for moral aridity that sets the tone for the rest of the poem. Therefore, both poems portray death in a negative light.

In conclusion, both poems illustrate a different perspective towards death and the impact it had on them mentally. Whilst fever shows how death has brought new life into their relationship, Ford explores how the death of the mermaid has deteriorated the uncle’s psyche as he is consumed with gu