re: the cannibalism metaphor
the cannibalism essay
When I first wrote the cannibalism metaphor, I struggled a lot because I wanted it to be a love letter to all my favorite pieces of cannibalism-metaphor-media, but I also don’t intend to write analytical essays over on my main account. Honestly, I’m not super happy with how the final draft turned out because it wasn’t what I set out to write, but I think I learned a lot during the process of writing it.
Hi! Welcome. Today’s On Writing is about:
i. the cannibalism citations
I posted a list of recommendations to go with my essay a few days before it went public, but I wish I’d gone more in depth about why each of those books/poems were important to me. And I wish I included more works. The original essay was a love letter to all the great cannibalism-metaphor centered media we have and one of my biggest values in life is giving credit where credit is due. So, here’s a (somewhat) comprehensive list of all my sources of inspiration:
from the original list:
Wolf OR-7 by Natalie Diaz
I confuse instinct for desire — isn’t bite also touch?
Bones and All dir. Luca Guadagnino, Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis
Very rarely do I like both a film adaptation and the original book equally and also in different ways. I think there’s a lot to explore in terms of what changed in the film versus the novel and there are arguments to be made for both in terms of which is more compelling. Personally, I like the ending of the film more than the novel and I like the way the book handled Maren’s parents more.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
I don’t want to give too much away, but there’s a reason this novel is first on my about page. Besides the plot, Murata’s voice is one of my favorites in how lullaby-like it can be.
Chasing Tails by bashi
I think there’s a lot of gray area in this manhwa that mirrors how the cannibalism metaphor can be interpreted in so many different ways. A little different than everything else genre-wise, but still one of my favorites.
Jennifer’s Body dir. Karyn Kusama
I mean, she's actually evil. Not high school evil.
featured in this article:
If you’re looking for an actual deep dive into how cannibalism is used in media, this is a great essay to read. (Is it weird to say I love the cannibalism metaphor and I also love I Hate The Cannibalism Metaphor?)
I think Love can be one of the most Overwhelming Emotions to exist
scorpion and frog by sadoeuphemist, gravelly shore by ssmarian, why are you haunted? by Joan’s Substack
Not cannibalism themed, but still some of my favorite poems.
…and a few more:
Getting Ready to Say I Love You to My Dad, It Rains by José Olivarez
i killed a plant once because i gave
it too much water. lord, i worry
that love is violence.
Some Kind of Love Poem by Grendel Menz
I wrote a poem about eating a girl bleu.
I’m sorry you read it in a way that made me out to be a romantic.
and
When I said,
“I have a lot of theories on bodies
— our bodies are meant to hold other bodies.”
I meant that we have canines for a reason.
ii. the cannibalism appendices
My original draft for this essay was heavily inspired by the styles of scorpion and frog, gravelly shore, and why are you haunted? Because there’s so many directions this metaphor can go, I really wanted to explore each route. I think I might adapt this further in the future, but in the end, I just didn’t find this route compelling (I feel like I’ve used that word a lot this essay) enough to turn it into something beyond a short semi-poem:
The core of the cannibalism metaphor is that you are alone. There is no second part to this story because this is not a story, just a metaphor for how the only who cannot see the blood that stains your face is you.
The core of the cannibalism metaphor is that you were born wrong. For all the world’s acceptance, there does not exist a love that can reach your shadow and maybe this is a needed sacrifice because there is only one you and seven billion not-you that you could hurt.