the Gun by Vicki Feaver — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

the Gun Bringing a gun into a house changes it. You lay it on the kitchen table, stretched out like something dead itself: the grainy polished wood stock jutting over the edge, the long metal barrel casting a grey shadow on the green-checked cloth. At first it's just practice: perforating tins dangling on orange string from trees in the garden. Then a rabbit shot clean through the head. Soon the fridge fills with creatures that have run and flown. Your hands reek of gun oil and entrails. You trample fur and feathers. There's a spring in your step; your eyes glean like when sex was fresh. A gun brings a house alive. I join in the cooking: jointing and slicing, stirring and tasting— excited as if the King of Death had arrived to feast, stalking out of winter woods, his black mouth sprouting golden crocuses.

Translation (English)

Bringing a gun into a home changes everything. You place it on the kitchen table, laid out like something lifeless: the polished wooden stock sticking out over the edge, the long metal barrel casting a shadow on the checkered tablecloth. At first, it's just for practice: shooting at cans hanging from trees in the garden. Then a rabbit is shot right through the head. Soon the fridge is full of animals that used to run and fly. Your hands smell of gun oil and guts. You walk over fur and feathers. There's a bounce in your step; your eyes shine like when sex was new. A gun makes a house feel alive. I help with the cooking: cutting and slicing, stirring and tasting— excited as if Death himself had come to dine, emerging from the winter woods, his dark mouth filled with golden flowers.

About the Poet

Vicki Feaver (Contemporary)

Vicki Feaver is a contemporary British poet known for her vivid imagery and exploration of themes such as domesticity and power. Her work often delves into the complexities of human emotions and relationships.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Free verse
When Written: Published in the 21st century
Background: The poem reflects on the transformative and unsettling presence of a gun in a domestic setting, exploring themes of power, violence, and the change in domestic dynamics. It is inspired by the poet's personal experience of having a gun brought into her home.

Sources: https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/vicki-feaver/the-gun, https://poetryarchive.org/poem/gun/, https://genius.com/Vicki-feaver-the-gun-annotated, https://poemanalysis.com/vicki-feaver/the-gun/, https://www.southernrockiesnatureblog.com/2012/01/gun-by-vicki-feaver.html

Detailed Explanation

The poem 'The Gun' by Vicki Feaver explores the profound impact of introducing a gun into a domestic space. The opening lines immediately establish the transformative power of the gun, suggesting that its presence changes the dynamics of the household. The imagery of the gun laid out on the kitchen table evokes a sense of death and foreboding. As the poem progresses, it describes the evolution from using the gun for practice to hunting, which fills the fridge with dead animals. This shift symbolizes a deeper change in the household's atmosphere, where violence becomes normalized. The poem captures the thrill and danger associated with the gun, as the speaker describes the excitement akin to a fresh sexual experience. The final stanza introduces a macabre twist, likening the domestic scene to a feast for the 'King of Death,' highlighting the unsettling blend of life and death. Through vivid imagery and metaphor, Feaver critiques the allure and destructive power of firearms in everyday life.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
jutting	sticking out	extending outward beyond the main body	jut-ting
perforating	piercing	making holes in something	per-for-ay-ting
entrails	guts	internal organs, especially when removed	en-trails
reek	smell strongly	emit a strong, unpleasant odor	reek
glean	shine	to gather information bit by bit	glean
jointing	cutting into pieces	dividing meat into parts	joint-ing
stalking	creeping	moving stealthily	stalk-ing
crocuses	flowers	small spring flowers	cro-cus-es