Valentine Flashcards
Commonality - Change
Changes our understanding of love from stereotypical to real, through her choice of gift.
Commonality - Love
Challenges stereotypical gifts, notions of love and challenges our perceptions of love being ‘perfect’.
Commonality - Relationships
Reality of relationships, different aspects (positive & negative) explored through the extended metaphor of the onion.
Commonality - Conflict (inner and external)
Inner conflict regarding the positive and negative aspects of love.
Questions what is real love?
NOT a red rose or a satin HEART
w/c - not - suggests complete rejection of ‘red rose’ and ‘satin heart’ which are traditional symbols of Valentine’s Day.
S.S - word order (syntax) - by placing ‘Not’ at the beginning of the sentence (and the poem) emphasises her rejction.
w/c - heart is usually a symbol of love, but here it is seen as something trashy and vulgar.
I give you an ONION. It is a MOON wrapped in brown paper. It promises LIGHT LIKE THE CAREFUL UNDRESSING OF LOVE.
NV - I - the speaker addresses her lover directly.
w/c - onion - the comparison to an onion is unexpected and establishes a humorous tone.
extended metaphor - symbolises relationships is established. The first image is a positive one. The brown paper refers to the outer layer of an onion.
contrast - moon - is a grand romantic symbol, this contrasts with the dull, boring brown paper.
w/c - light - the moon’s light represents love, romance and truth.
simile - sensual and alludes to the intimacy shared between the couple.
w/c - careful - suggests we must be gentle when dealing with matters of love.
HERE. It will BLIND you with tears, LIKE A LOVER. It will make your reflection a WOBBLING photo of grief.
NV - here - the tone of the NV is blunt and direct, as established through the w/c of ‘here’.
Short Sentence - emphasises the blunt address of the lover. This sounds like a command.
w/c - blind - a play on the phrase ‘love is blind’.
simile - like a lover - suggests a lover can ‘blind you with tears’ suggests pain and unhappiness. Duffy is considering all aspects of a relationship not just the positive ones proving that the poem is not traditional.
w/c - wobbling - connotations of unsteadiness, suggests love can make a person emotionally unstable.
w/c - all have negative connotations and suggests pain and hurt. The tone is changing from happy and hopeful to sad and unhappy.
I am TRYING to be truthful.
w/c - trying - suggests that it is hard to be truthful/the lover doesn’t want to hear the truth.
NV - there is a sincerity to this line, as if the speaker is begging us not to judge them.
Not a Cute Card or a kissogram.
repetition - of the first line
alliteration - establishes a scathing tone.
w/c - more symbols associated with Valentine’s Day.
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.
repetition - emphasises its importance.
w/c - fierce kiss - suggesting passion and fidelity.
transferred epithel - fierce kiss - the kisser is kissing fiercely but the ‘its’ can refer to both the onion and love, suggests the taste of the onion is also like a kiss.
extended metaphor - stay on your lips - just as the taste of an onion will linger in your mouth so too will a kiss from your lover which can be hard to forget.
w/c - possessive - connotations of jealousy, suggests a love that has gone wrong.
enjambment - creates suprise, love may not last.
w/c - as long as - suggests that their relationship may not last.
TAKE IT. Its plantinum loops SHRINK to a wedding ring, if you like.
SS - blunt tone emphasised by the short sentence.
NV - the tone is forceful and somewhat sinister. This is a command.
Contrast - with the first line of the stanza. Now the speaker seems uncertain, as if she is pleading with her lover. The power balance within the relationship has shifted.
w/c - shrink - connotations of being too small, suggests the relationship has become claustrophobic, feels trapped within the relationship.
LETHAL. Its scent will CLING to your fingers, CLING to your KNIFE.
w/c - lethal - the intensity of the relationship may lead to it’s destruction.
SS - blunt one word sentence emphasises the danger.
w/c - cling - has connotations of something you might want to get rid of suggesting love can stay with you even if you don’t want it to.
repetition - cling - emphasises how difficult unwanted love can be to get rid of.
w/c - knife - final word emphasises the danger of love.
An onion is light underneath a darker outer skin.
What is it saying about relationships?
As a relationship unfolds, different aspects of a person are revealed.
Onions make a person’s eyes water.
What does this say about a realtionship?
Relationships can hurt you and make you cry.
Raw onions leave a strong taste on your lips
What does this say about relationships?
The memories of a relationship are hard to forget.
