Valentine Flashcards
introduction
- this poem subverts traditional romantic imagery by offering an onion as a Valentine’s gift.
- through this unconventional metaphor, Duffy explores the complexities and realities of love, contrasting it with idealised notions of romance.
- the onion is a symbol, representing the layers, intensity and sometimes painful aspects of genuine love.
form
- form of a conceit whereby the symbol of love being offered by the persona is an unconventional onion.
- despite being a love poem, valentine doesn’t follow any of the conventions of traditional poetry -> presents love as unique
- not a sonnet, doesn’t use rhyming couplets - rejection of idealised, traditional love (cozy apologia) -> like being a part of the LGBTQ+ community -> wasn’t seen as traditional - not accepted in the 1990s
- free verse - form which mimics the rhythm of natural speech - freedom and not bound by convention- can express themselves however they want
stanza lengths
- irregular
structure
- end-stopped lines
- short, elliptical sentences
- irregular stanza length
- 7 stanzas
finish the quote: ‘cling to your…
..fingers, cling to your knife’
‘cling to your fingers, cling to your knife’
- repetition of ‘cling’
- love can be possessive and suffocating
‘i’ll give you an onion’
- repetition
- forceful -> demonstrates the negative aspects of love
‘Here.’
- line creates the impression that the poem’s persona is presenting the onion
- ’.’ -> silence -> break in poem
finish the quote: ‘not a cute card….
…or kissogram’
‘not a cute card or kissogram’
- ‘kissogram’ - 1980s
- emphasises the rejection of traditional ideas of love
- love in this poem is beyond typical or traditional
finish the quote: ‘as..
..we are’
‘as we are’
- repetition
- shows the insecurity/doubt in the relationship -> not eternal
finish the quote: ‘not a red..
..rose or a satin heart’
‘not a red rose or a satin heart’
- starts the poem with a negation - establishes a negative mood
- traditional romantic images rejected
finish the quote: ‘I give you…
…an onion’
‘onion’
- used as an extended metaphor for the complexities of love throughout the poem
- atypical, multi-layered, natural
- poem’s central conceit
finish the quote: ‘moon wrapped…
…in brown paper’
‘moon wrapped in brown paper’
- suggests the ‘onion’ and love is special and other-worldly
- duffy deliberately disrupts the traditionally romantic and eternal metaphor of a “moon” with the reference to prosaic “brown paper”
finish the quote: ‘it will blind you with tears…
…like a lover.’
‘like a lover’
- simile
- love can be painful and sad
finish the quote: ‘its fierce..
..kiss will stay on your lips’
‘its fierce kiss will stay on your lips’
- love can be aggressive or domineering
finish the quote: ‘platinum loops…
…shrink to a wedding ring’
‘platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring’
- first traditionally romantic image of the poem
- suggests that traditional ideals of love are lesser than the unconstrained love
‘Lethal.’
- love can be deadly and die easily too
- end stopped line - mimicking the severity of ‘lethal’
finish the quote: ‘cling..
..to your knife’
‘cling to your knife’
- hints at love’s potential for violence
- can leave people physically and emotionally wounded
- in loving someone, you are making yourself vulnerable
- Duffy writes many poems about unhappy relationships
- the word choices are sometimes surprising, offering an almost a cautionary note about the perils of love
title
- ‘Valentine’
- establishes the theme of love
- Valentine’s day has connotations of roses, flowers, hearts and chocolates- cliched images
- might expect the poem to be about traditional expectations of love - subverts our expectations
negation
- ‘not’
- adverb which shows a rejection of ideas that will follow - rejecting traditional romantic images
finish the quote: ‘it promises..
..light’
‘it promises light’
- duffy alluding to the positives of love
finish the quote: ‘careful undressing…
..of love’
‘careful undressing of love’
- sexual and emotional intimacy are both important and positive parts of love
- promotes light
finish the quote: ‘if..
..you like’
‘if’
shows that the persona is lacking confidence in the relationship - conditional - uncertain
‘blind’
‘tears’
‘grief’
- negative side of love
- can make you terribly sad - breaking from traditional love poetry - rejection
finish the quote: ‘I am trying…
..to be truthful’
‘i am trying to be truthful’
- defensive
- honesty and love do not always go hand in hand
- love can be secretive and deceptive - ‘promises’ - broken promise
‘not’
‘grief’
‘lethal’
- semantic field of negativity
- possessive relationship
finish the quote: ‘possessive and…
…faithful’
‘possessive’
- love can be controlling and insecure
‘Take it.’
- imperative
- love has become forceful and uncooperative - doesn’t want the persona’s love
- end-stopped lines giving the poem an abrupt tone, and suggesting the unpredictable nature of love
mood and tone
- initially loving and sincere - ‘I give you an onion.’
- later mood seems deranged and insistent - ‘lethal’ - showing a dark side to love
key quotations for love and relationships
“It will make your reflection/a wobbling photo of grief.”
“I am trying to be truthful.
Not a cute card or a kissogram.”
“It promises light/
like the careful undressing of love.”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS
“It will make your reflection/a wobbling photo of grief.”
“I am trying to be truthful.
Not a cute card or a kissogram.”
“It promises light/
like the careful undressing of love.”
The photograph metaphor implies that love is painfully transformative, and the beloved may no longer recognise themselves. The negative language suggested by the choice of the words ‘wobbling” and “grief” implies this change may cause hurt
The poem is written in free verse, allowing Duffy to create line breaks throughout. These sentences in the middle of the poem serve to underscore the speaker’s conviction that the onion truthfully embodies the nature of their love
Duffy contrasts unconventional imagery with a more sensual simile, suggesting love is unpredictable
key quotations for negative emotions
“It will blind you with tears
like a lover.”
“It promises light”
“It will blind you with tears”
“Lethal”.
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
“It will blind you with tears
like a lover.”
“It promises light”
“It will blind you with tears”
“Lethal”.
This simile again conveys the impression that love has the capacity to inflict profound pain
The poem lists the dangers of love, juxtaposing the promise of “light” with a threat of deceit and pain
The isolation of the elliptical single word gives it significant weight and emphasis, offering an abrupt stop and making this line more shocking to the reader. It is also juxtaposed with the more romantic imagery and reference to a “wedding ring” which precedes it
key quotations for cynicism
“Not a red rose”
“I am trying to be truthful”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR CYNICISM
“Not a red rose”
“I am trying to be truthful”
Duffy’s speaker rejects traditional, cliched symbols of love through alliteration
Using the first person, the speaker attempts to present a more authentic and realistic view of love, conveying a scepticism about the value and sincerity of traditional romantic gestures, which the speaker implies are superficial and fail to capture the true essence of love
