Valentine Flashcards
Context
Feminist poem
modern perspective on love poetry
onion is a conseat
valentine is usually conventional love yet this is not
Structure
free verse with a first person narrator. Each stanza is very short, and several are only one line long. This form echoes the layers of an onion itself.
Language and Imagery
The poem is a first person narrative, addressed to a second person ‘you’.
Ironically fits with a traditional love poem
We don’t know who the “you” - suggests the univerality
Tone
unsettling love poem tone
Not a Red ro…
Not a Red rose or satin heart
‘Valentine’ implies that this is a traditional romantic poem. However, the negative opening word shows otherwise
speaker isn’t traditional
Duffy seems to have abandoned the poetic devices normally associated with love poems - breaking what is normal
I give you…
I give you an onion
Minor sentence - direct, focused.
Simple statement - powerful, no sense of wavering or uncertainty.
Onion is used as a conseat throughout poem
It will make your reflection
a wobb…
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.
teary-eyed lover in front of a mirror - suggesting the insecurity that relationships can bring.
‘wobbling photo’ is an oxymoron, since photos do not move. It is also a device known as hypallage, a transferred epithet, in which the ‘wobbling’ is the result of the emotions of the observer of the photo,
I am tryi…
I am trying to be truthful.
realistic view of love
pivotal transition line
alliteration in “trying”, “to” and “truthful” does suggest that the poet is battling to maintain the open relationship
possessive an…
possessive and faithful
hinting the complexity of love. ‘Faithful’ is positive, an echo of the wedding vows
‘possessive’ is less so linking to how Even mature relationships can involve negatives
Its platinum loo…
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
‘platinum’ rather than gold, the former being the most expensive metal, symbolizing the high value she places on the relationship.
shrink could suggest love might diminish or might be confined and restricted
Its scent will c…
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
shows the love — or the damage — will still be there whatever choice is made
rhythmic with assonant vowels in ‘cling’ and ‘fingers’. The effect is to make this penultimate line memorable
suggests relationship changes one forever
cling to y…
cling to your knife.
suggests that love is dangerous
short and emphatic - sinister note
A loving relationship is far from easy - poem ends on this.
