Valentine

Question 1

summary

Answer 1

love is painful and will always end in heartbreak
the reality of love is completely different from the stereotype
speaker presents their lover with a valentine in the form of an onion
speaker criticises traditional images of love

Question 2

time

Question 3

place

Question 4

relationships

Question 5

characteristics of poetic voice

Answer 5

direct and forceful
progressess to honest, sinsiter and intensified

Question 6

“fierce” “possessive and faithful” “lethal” “knife” “blind”
semantic field of pain

Answer 6

love is painful and will never always be joyful
love causes trauma even in the happiest of times
PV is controlling and coercive

Question 7

“fierce kiss”
“possessive and faithful”
pattern of oxymorons

Answer 7

shows the reality of love - there will always be highs and lows
PV wants to break down the stereotype of love

Question 8

comparison to other poems

Answer 8

Mean Time - both contain a painful account of love