Stanza 4

Question 1

‘It’s fierce kiss will stay on your lips’

Answer 1

Just as the taste of an onion stays on your mouth for a long time and lingers and is difficult to take away, Duffy is suggesting that a relationship with someone will always be in your memory and the impact of it lasts for a long time. Also suggests a more negative idea that a negative relationship can deeply affect us for a long time afterwards and be unpleasant.

Question 2

‘Possessive and faithful’

Answer 2

‘Faithful’ has positive connotations of fidelity, commitment and loyalty to a lover. However ‘possessive’ has more sinister connotations of control, distrust and insecurity. She balances both good and bad sides of a relationship by putting them in the same phrase.

Question 3

‘For as long as we are’

Answer 3

She is acknowledging the reality that relationships may not last forever, showing her honesty.