Figurative Language
Structure
Word Choice
Stance
Valentine
by Carol Ann Duffy
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.
Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.
I am trying to be truthful.
Not a cute card or a kissogram.
I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.
Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.
Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.
Word Choice
Figurative Language
Connotations of hearts/flowers/romance
– we all like the idea that someone loves
us and cares enough to show it through
giving us gifts
Valentine
by Carol Ann Duffy
Structure
Stance
The title of the poem suggests
that it will deal with fairly
conventional notions of love.
Word Choice
Figurative Language
Valentine
by Carol Ann Duffy
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.
Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.
I am trying to be truthful.
Structure
‘Valentine’ is written in free verse,
seemingly unstructured, rather than
any conventional form or pattern,
in keeping with idea that love should
not be constricted by marriage or
possessiveness.
Not a cute card or a kissogram.
I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.
Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.
Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.
Stance
Stance
• ‘Valentine’ pragmatically portrays love that is initially mutual, passionate,
but shows it can be ruined in time by infidelity or destroyed by
possessiveness which becomes dangerous, “Lethal” to relationships.
• ‘Valentine’ suggests that relationships can bring unhappiness, in some
cases due to a partner being unfaithful; or danger, in as a result of a
partner’s extreme possessiveness, thereby requiring someone to be cut out
of another’s life.
• In ‘Valentine’, it is shown that couples can lose fidelity and ultimately
relationships.
• In ‘Valentine’, possessiveness and infidelity can destroy relationships.
“Lethal” and “knife” suggest violent, wounding, hurtful ends to
relationships.
• ‘Valentine’ suggests intense emotional pain, wounding caused by break up
of relationship.
• ‘Valentine’ suggests that relationships eventually bring “grief”, are not
permanent: fidelity lasts only up to a point, leading to break ups which
leave former partners alone
Stanza 1
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
Word Choice
Figurative Language
“Not a red rose or a satin heart.”
‘Not a red rose or a satin heart.’
- Symbols commonly associated
with Valentine’s Day, but here they
are presented as clichés to be
immediately dismissed
-
Structure
First line is verb-less
Negative assertion
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
“Not a red rose or a satin heart.”
- Short single-sentence stanza
conveys the speaker’s defiance
Stance
Stanza 2
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.
Figurative Language
‘It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.’ –
metaphor: moon is a conventional symbol of
love – suggests romance; ‘brown paper’ – no
fancy wrappings to disguise the object –
truth/honesty. This is very believable.
Word Choice
‘promises/light’ – Positive – words linked with
pleasant/enjoyable aspects of love; ‘promises’
also suggests assurance – a guarantee that the
relationship will prosper.
‘It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.’ – Love has
many layers – deeper emotion may be felt as you
peel away the layers. The simile suggests a
physical relationship. Word choice of ‘careful’
suggests tenderness/ affection/warmth/
sensitivity. All of above are reasonable
suggestions to make.
Stance
- Onion is an unconventional gift offered.
- Positive aspect of love - optimism at the
beginning of a relationship – love has many
layers.
- Positive aspect of love - optimism at the
beginning of a relationship
Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.
Word Choice
Figurative Language
It will blind you with tears – simile.
truth/honesty – suggests love can cause distress;
Word choice suggests pain and grief. Believable
– in relationships, one partner can often be cruel/
hurtful. Tears of joy & sadness.
“It will make your reflection/
A wobbling photo of grief” – Extended
metaphor – ‘wobbling photo of grief’ – pain/tears/
distress can be caused by relationships/
truth/honesty; word choice suggests pain and
heartache. I am certain that this is the case –
relationships are not always completely
agreeable.
Stance
Structure
Here
Commands - tone is forceful/aggressive – there is no
room for compromise, the speaker is irritated/angered by
their partner’s rejection of the gift; each command is on a
line on its own – reinforcement - The short, direct
statement show the speaker’s insistence, indicating that
they are desperate for the lover to accept the gift and
understand their feelings. Duffy’s use of the first person
narrative helps to communicate strong feelings to the
reader, as the reader can imagine a real person speaking
and offering the gift of love – of an onion – to a lover.
Speaker is insisting that lover will accept gift
of an onion. the speaker is almost
challenging the person she is talking to,
keeping the emotion controlled yet strongly
connected with love:
The onion represents a relationship
which may occasionally cause you pain as well as
joy.
The onion is like a mirror – but the
image may be distorted.
I am trying to be truthful.
Figurative Language
Word Choice
Structure
Stance
“I am trying to be truthful.”
Central line – brevity helps to support this very
direct statement; attitude of speaker before this
line is mainly positive/gentle; after, more brutal,
threatening. Very personal – note use of first
person ‘I’.
Central idea of the poem is the
central line/stanza
Not a cute card or a kissogram.
Word Choice
Figurative Language
“Not a cute card or a kissogram.”
“cute card.”
- Symbols commonly associated with Valentine’s
- Alliteration – the harshness of these
repeated consonants strengthen the
speaker’s defiance against accepting the
conventional images of romance.
Day, but here they are presented as clichés to be
immediately dismissed / dismisses conventional
symbols of love; note that the word ‘not’ starts
each sentence so that there can be no doubt that
the persona does not wish to show their feelings
through overly sentimental conventional symbols.
Repetition of similarly structured line reinforces
speaker’s sincerity/desire to be truthful/candid.
Entirely convincing – Valentines –
materialistic/superficial – many people look for a
different way to express devotion and the persona
has done exactly that.
“kissogram”
- Connotations: tacky, outdated, crass and
repellent.
Structure
Stance
- Short single-sentence stanza
conveys the speaker’s defiance
Negated symbolism is repeated.
I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.
Word Choice
Figurative Language
“fierce kiss will stay on your lips.”
-Taste of the onion is strong and difficult to erase
just like memory of a passionate relationship lasts
after the relationship itself has ended. While this
metaphor is truthful and sincere, the tone is
forceful/aggressive. The word ‘fierce’ has
connotations of anger/brutality/violence. Too often
we read about domestic disharmony and I am
persuaded by Duffy that this could happen.
“possessive and faithful.”
- ‘possessive’ suggests an element of jealousy,
even control – persona’s tone becomes forceful.
Many instances in Literature and the Media –
therefore convincing argument.
“faithful / as we are”
- ‘Faithful’ suggests loyalty/devotion/ constancy of
the lovers. This is what most people want to have
in their relationships, therefore the whole idea of
such fidelity is very believable. We – the I has
been transformed / subsumed into the pair.
“you/your”
Structure
- ‘2nd person direct addresses strengthen the
reality that the persona is addressing a lover
“I give you an onion.”
“fierce”
- Extended metaphor repeated to emphasis
the poet’s comparison between love and the
onion.
-angry, dominating, passionate; vivid and
energised.
Stance
Powerful love is very difficult to forget
as is a brutal/violent relationship; it is
difficult to focus on other things.
Longevity – the strength and power of
a relationship is long-lasting.
Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.
Figurative Language
“platinum loops shrink” (-ve) Comparison
between the rings of an onion and a wedding ring;
platinum – precious metal – wedding rings often
made of this; yet ‘shrinks’ may suggest that the
relationship may restrict you in some way or is
about to end. Believable – marriage is not just
about the wedding day – it requires an adjustment
to a relationship which may in fact restrict you
both emotionally and physically.
Word Choice
“shrink” connotes constriction, a lack of
freedom; over time, the lustre of the
relationship diminishes
(+ve) Comparison between the rings of an onion
and a wedding ring; platinum – precious metal –
wedding rings often made of this; commitment/
steadfastness/ devotion/ faithfulness of the person
offering the unconventional Valentine gift implied
in this metaphor. Very convincing – almost anyone
can be won over with the promise of marriage and
all that it implies.
Structure
Take it
Commands - tone is forceful/aggressive – there is no
room for compromise, the speaker is irritated/angered by
their partner’s rejection of the gift; each command is on a
line on its own – reinforcement - The short, direct
statement show the speaker’s insistence, indicating that
they are desperate for the lover to accept the gift and
understand their feelings.
Stance
The longer a relationship lasts,
it will become more serious and may lead
to marriage.
This commitment may be construed as constricting,
and that the initial vitality of a relationship will –
over time –degrade.
Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.
Word Choice
Figurative Language
“cling”
- Negative connotations of overly
possessive/overly attached (repetition)
“Lethal”
- Word choice has connotations of danger ––
violence – even death; the speaker resorts to
threat because they realise that their partner is
unwilling to accept the gift aggressive/threatening tone of speaker.
“scent”
- has feral connotations, lingering primordial smell
that has a haunting affect
“knife”
Structure
Final stanza offers a climax to the rising
intensity of the poet’s attitude and a
completely negative view of powerful love.
Line 1. Minor (verbless) sentence – one
word line – aggressive tone – suggests
brutality/violence.
- Smell of the onion is strong and difficult to erase
– just like memory of a deep relationship may last
after the relationship itself has ended; Duffy’s
word choice (‘knife’) indicates that the speaker
threatens violence in the final line. Very believable
– realistically this could happen when one partner
is rebuffed i.e. feels that the other has rejected or
slighted them.
Stance
Powerful love is very difficult to forget
and may lead you into dangerous
situations where the final outcome may
be brutal/ violent.