The Gun - Vicki Feaver
Stanza Quotation Theme Analysis Device
/Line
Title ‘gun’ Can be linked to Chainsaw Versus
the Pampas Grass. Concept of
‘mechanised doom’
1 Visually looks like a gun.
Monosyllables add drama
2/1 ‘You’ Personal. You are in charge of the
narrative
2/1 ‘kitchen’ Ambiguous room as it has
connotations of warmth and light
but also death for the murdered
animals
2/2 ‘stretched out like Hunting imagery. Interesting
something dead’ ambiguity as the ‘gun’ looks dead,
even though it does the killing
2/3 ‘polished wood The gun is fetishised in the first
stock’ stanza. ‘Polished’ implies that care
has been given.
2/4 ‘over the edge’ Foreshadows something sinister to
happen
2/5 ‘long metal barrel’ Phallic imagery
2/6 ‘grey shadow’ Weak shadow - Death is Imagery
approaching. Grim Reaper
2/7 ‘green-checked Colour imagery - associated with
cloth’ nature and being alive. Juxtaposed
with ‘grey’ of previous line. Could
also be about rot
3/1 ‘at first’ Colloquial tone to suggest that it
‘just’ isn’t important - like someone who
starts an addiction.
3/2 ‘perforating’ Onomatopoeia like in Chainsaw
Versus the Pampas Grass.
3/3 ‘orange’ Similar colour imagery in Chainsaw
Versus the Pampas Grass. Contrast
between nature (tree) and man-
made (orange)
3/3-4 ‘dangling...from Lynching
trees’
3/ 5-6 ‘rabbit shot clean Paraprosdokian stanza.
through the head’ Enjambment shows the rabbit
being killed and shows how one
small thing leads to another. The
short sentence adds to dramatic
Stanza Quotation Theme Analysis Device
/Line
Title ‘gun’ Can be linked to Chainsaw Versus
the Pampas Grass. Concept of
‘mechanised doom’
1 Visually looks like a gun.
Monosyllables add drama
2/1 ‘You’ Personal. You are in charge of the
narrative
2/1 ‘kitchen’ Ambiguous room as it has
connotations of warmth and light
but also death for the murdered
animals
2/2 ‘stretched out like Hunting imagery. Interesting
something dead’ ambiguity as the ‘gun’ looks dead,
even though it does the killing
2/3 ‘polished wood The gun is fetishised in the first
stock’ stanza. ‘Polished’ implies that care
has been given.
2/4 ‘over the edge’ Foreshadows something sinister to
happen
2/5 ‘long metal barrel’ Phallic imagery
2/6 ‘grey shadow’ Weak shadow - Death is Imagery
approaching. Grim Reaper
2/7 ‘green-checked Colour imagery - associated with
cloth’ nature and being alive. Juxtaposed
with ‘grey’ of previous line. Could
also be about rot
3/1 ‘at first’ Colloquial tone to suggest that it
‘just’ isn’t important - like someone who
starts an addiction.
3/2 ‘perforating’ Onomatopoeia like in Chainsaw
Versus the Pampas Grass.
3/3 ‘orange’ Similar colour imagery in Chainsaw
Versus the Pampas Grass. Contrast
between nature (tree) and man-
made (orange)
3/3-4 ‘dangling...from Lynching
trees’
3/ 5-6 ‘rabbit shot clean Paraprosdokian stanza.
through the head’ Enjambment shows the rabbit
being killed and shows how one
small thing leads to another. The
short sentence adds to dramatic
