Fit into Me

Hello everyone, my name is . The poem that I selected to read and discuss is called “You fit into me” written by a famous Canadian writer, Margaret Atwood. She is best known for her prose fiction and for her feminist perspective. “You fit into me” is the first poem in her book Power Politics which was published in 1971. As one reads “You fit into me” more the more meaning emerges. Just as a picture is said to be worth a thousand words, a few good lines of verse can pack as much emotional content as a whole paragraph of an ordinary prose. It can be found on page 13 in the fourth edition and page 16 in the third edition.

you fit into me

like a hook into an eye

a fish hook

an open eye

– Margaret Atwood

Although, the poem is relatively short but it is extremely dense. It has enormous amount of power and emotions hidden within its written language. This poem creates irony through its strong shift away from its suggestive title. The poet uses vivid imagery, metaphors to convey the pain and suffering of the relationship as seen in lines 3, and 4. Atwood’s title and first lines are similar to most romantic love poetry in that it expresses a couple’s love through symbolism: “you fit into me / like a hook into an eye” (1-2), where hook-eye is a type of a fastener, indicating that the relationship between the speaker and his/her audience is secure and intimate. The fitting of the hook into the eye also suggests to the reader that the relationship is between lovers not friends or family.