valentine Flashcards
“not a red rose or a satin heart”
the structure of the first line rejects the conventional symbols of love
negative opening
“i give you an onion”
shocking as it is an everyday vegetable
“onion” has connotations of smelly and they dont look nice
“moon wrapped in a brown paper”
“moon” associated with romance
the onion is like the moon because it is round and without the skin it is white, the shape and colour are identical
“brown paper” dull, ordinary wrapping paper
“wrapped” suggesting a present, gift and excitement
contrast of moon and onion
“it promises light”
believes they are going to get light
“light” positive, goodness, magic
“like the careful undressing of love”
“undressing of love” lustful stage of a relationship, comparing to peeling an onion
“careful undressing” suggesting taking time, lots of attention and sensual language
“here”
minor sentence
creates a forceful tone
“it will blind you with tears like a lover”
simile, imagery
she is crying so much so she cant see
onions also make you cry
“it will make your reflection a wobbling photo of grief”
image
“wobbling” connotations of unstable emphasising how upset she is
“photos” from relationships can cause sadness and memories
“grief” relationship has died/ended
“i am trying to be truthful”
the speaker wants to be honest about what relationships are really like
alliteration of ‘t’
trying to show the reality of love
“not a cute card or a kissogram”
structure emphasises shock at the start but now, later on the reader agrees
“cute” doesnt have any substance and not meaningful
“kissogram” shallow, no meaning
dismissive of traditional gifts and symbols of love
“i give you an onion”
not shocked anymore, questioning if love is really symbolised by an onion
paying more attention
“its fierce kiss will stay on your lips”
“fierce kiss” negative connotations of strong
“fierce” is brutal and angry whereas “kiss” is really gentle and soft, really emphasising the power that love has as it is staying on your lips, just as the taste of an onion lingers in you mouth for ages.
“stay on your lips” emphasises that it lingers, a kiss stays in memory
“possessive and faithful”
“possessive” has connotations of control and someone being suffocated it is negative
“faithful” has positive connotations of commitment and wanting to be with someone forever
if your with someone and you both agree that you want to see anyone else there is a fine line between being controlling
“as we are, for as long as we are”
shes accepting that their relationship will not be forever but she is really happy with her love and she doesnt want to control them
“take it”
really good representation of the love
imperative command
forceful tone
