Poetry Response 2

Nick Osbahr

You Fit Into Me by Margaret Atwood

At first glance, the poem seems to be just an image of a needle hooking inside a human eye, an image any horror movie lover would love. But after a few more reads, the poem becomes something completely different. You Fit Into Me is a poem about finding the one piece that gives you a purpose, a usefulness.

Atwood begins her extended metaphor with a simple phrase, “ you fit into me”, that everyone can relate to. We as human beings all have some person who we know that they will not be out of our lives. She uses this as a basis for her metaphor, but continues the poem with a simile. Atwood continues  with  “like a hook into an eye” creating some disturbing images for most of the people who read this today. Atwood is actually using this analogy with a  hook and an eye to push the idea of usefulness.The hook and eye is actually the type of closure on certain clothing items, primarily on women's clothing. The purpose of the eye and hook is to close the item, keeping them connected. She uses this as a vessel to continue here extended metaphor that finding the right one helps you fulfill your purpose, whatever that might be.

Atwood finishes her poem with a two line stanza. She writes “a fish hook/ an open eye” to finish her extended metaphor. This seems to be out of place, but in actually it fits right in. Atwood uses another example of two independent object that when connected become something useful, and they can finally fulfill their purpose, in this case catch fish from a fishing line.

Atwood creates this beautiful metaphor of finding your other piece to become 

something useful with just a few words. She creates an idea that , as human,  should be 

known to all. Atwood created  this wonderful idea that could change things if people knew, 

because love is universal.