Poetry - Valentine Flashcards
Who wrote Valentine
Carol Ann Duffy
Valentine context
Valentine form
“It promises light”
Indicates it will be an enriching and fulfilling relationship for both parties. This also conveys the optimism and hopefullness of lovers embarking on a new relationship.
“like the careful undressing of love”
This simile can be interpreted both as a reference to the sexual aspect of their relationship, and also the growth of their emotional bond which the peeling away of clothes and layers of personality may bring.
“careful”
This word suggests tenderness, affection, warmth and sensitivity between the lovers as they gradually allow external barriers to come down and expose their true selves to each other.
“It will blind you with tears”
The gift also bears a warning which conveys the idea that this relationship may occasionally cause pain and make you cry, just as getting too close to a chopped up onion can bring tears to your eyes.
“It will make your reflection a wobbling photo of grief”
This emphasises once more the vulnerability and the danger people expose themselves to when they submit wholly and completely to a romantic relationship and reminds us of its destructive potential.
Photo has connotations of memories
“I am trying to be truthful”
The writer uses the single emphatic statement to try and attempt to justify all that has been said so far, and continues to stress the desire for honesty within the relationship. Through this openness and frankness, the speaker is attempting to stress the significance of truthfulness and honesty in their relationship. Through the use of first person, the poet conveys the strength of feeling in the speaker in their desire for a relationship which is based on honesty.
“I give you an onion”
Having echoed the opening with a single line rejecting more stereotypical valentines gifts of a cute card and a kissogram, stanza six then goes on to stress the speaker’s insistence that the onion be excepted by their lover. The full stop signifies a pause as the speaker awaits the gift to be received.
“It’s fierce kiss will stay on your lips”
The lover is attempting to articulate not only the romantic, positive aspects of love but also it’s more negative, darker associations. There is also the continued allusion to the senses through the taste of the onion, which, just like some romantic relationships, is strong, unpleasant and difficult to erase. Similarly while the word choice of faithful has positive connotations of a trusting shared relationship, the word choice of possessive signals a change in the relationship as it suggests an element of jealousy, distrust, control and insecurity.
“Take it”
This imperative command shows how in stanza seven the speaker is becoming even more insistent.
“lethal”
The speaker then reminds us that traditional romantic relationships usually culminate in marriage that here is considered to be similar to a constricting death.
“Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring”
Duffy compares the creamy white rings of the onion with the precious metal platinum loops of a wedding ring which over time will, like the onion rings, shrink in size. Here the poet is inferring that marriage requires an adjustment which may in fact restrict a person both physically as well as emotionally, warning others of the consequences of following conventions which can be destructive, diminutive and even unnecessary when compared to free romantic love.
“Its scent will cling to your fingers, cling to your knife.”
The scent from this relationship has positive connotations of the pleasant smell of perfume, echoing back to the fierce kiss, and reiterating the fact that the memory of a deep relationship may last, even long after it has ended. However there is no doubt that even where powerful love is very difficult to forget, it may lead you into dangerous situations where the final outcome could be brutal and violent as suggested by the final word knife. A knife can slice through an onion just as honest language can incisively reveal the truth concerning a loving relationship.
