Valentine (carol Ann Duffy) Flashcards
“Not a red rose or a satin heart.”
• abrupt negation instantly rejects romantic norms
• asyndetic listing = compresses clichés into flat, hollow symbols
• plosive alliteration = biting, dismissive tone
• opens with anti-romantic defiance; undermines reader’s expectation
• sarcasm exposes love’s reduction to predictable tokens
- concrete nouns - tangible objects - romantic materialism
Duffy portrays love as deeper than traditional gestures and cynical of societal expectations.
“I give you an onion.”
• blunt declarative = emotional honesty, no pretence
• extended metaphor = onion = layered, sharp, causes tears → symbol of emotional complexity
• rejection of idealised gifts → love grounded in realism
• anti-poetic tone → jarring shift challenges reader’s comfort
• creates intimacy through authenticity, not illusion
Duffy presents love as raw, truthful and emotionally confronting—not decorative.
“It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.”
• metaphor blends romantic image (“moon”) with mundane (“brown paper”) → beauty hidden beneath ordinariness
• visual imagery = contrasts fantasy vs reality
• “wrapped” = concealed emotion, need for trust to access intimacy
• suggests love isn’t shiny but has depth beneath plainness
• reclaims romance through simplicity
Duffy shows that real love lies beneath the surface, not in grand appearances.
“Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips, / possessive and faithful”
• oxymoron “fierce kiss” = blends intimacy + aggression → love leaves mark
• sibilance “stay…lips…possessive” = lingering, unsettling sound mirrors emotional residue
• lexical field of control → “possessive” = obsession; “faithful” = loyalty → duality of love
• enjambment = emotional overflow, lack of boundaries
• love = intense, long-lasting, difficult to forget
Duffy explores how love can be passionate and loyal but also overwhelming and possessive.
“As we are, / for as long as we are.”
• anaphora “as…as” = cyclical structure mirrors love’s uncertainty
• avoids romantic permanence → embraces present-tense realism
• caesura disrupts flow = moment of emotional pause/reflection
• conditional tone = love is valuable even if temporary
• mature, honest acceptance of emotional fragility
Duffy portrays love as fluid and temporary, but still worth valuing in its moment.
“Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring, / if you like.”
• metaphor = “loops” to “wedding-ring” → natural progression of commitment
• verb “shrink” = reduction, constraint → marriage seen as limiting
• precious metal (“platinum”) = value + weight, but tone feels ambivalent
• dismissive phrase “if you like” = undermines tradition, offers choice
• critiques idea that marriage defines or validates love
Duffy questions whether formal commitment enhances love or reduces its emotional freedom.
“Lethal.”
• one-word declarative = stark tonal shift, jarring finality
• semantic field of danger = contrasts romantic expectation
• isolation of line = visual + emotional impact, like a warning
• suggests undercurrent of violence/control in intense love
• ends metaphorical warmth → love now edged with threat
Duffy presents love as something powerful enough to harm or destroy when taken to extremes.
“Its scent will cling to your fingers,”
sensory imagery = emotional memory that lingers
• verb “cling” = inescapable, love leaves psychological trace
• alliteration “cling…fingers” = soft, intimate → contrasts with later violence
• evokes both comfort and discomfort → dual nature of love
• foreshadows darker conclusion
Duffy suggests love leaves a lasting imprint—physical and emotional—that cannot be easily shaken.
“cling to your knife.”
• repetition of “cling” = obsessive, suffocating attachment
• juxtaposition = intimacy (“fingers”) vs violence (“knife”) → emotional shift
• metaphor = love as something that can wound, betray, or even kill
• shocking closing image = evokes emotional self-destruction
• subverts typical romantic endings with brutal honesty
Duffy shows that love, when corrupted or misused, has the power to destroy.
Title: Valentine
ironic — sets up expectation of romantic cliché
• deliberate contrast with content → title = traditional, poem = anti-traditional
• undermines consumerism + false sentimentality
• creates tension between convention + truth
• redefines what a “valentine” gift should symbolise
Duffy uses the title to mislead the reader, then challenges romantic expectations with brutal emotional honesty.
Structure & Form
free verse = no rhyme/rhythm → mirrors love’s unpredictability
• irregular stanza lengths = emotional instability + tonal shifts
• enjambment = overflowing thoughts, natural voice
• isolated lines (“I give you an onion.” / “Lethal.”) = impact + emotional weight
• direct address = intimacy + confrontation
Duffy rejects poetic conventions to reflect love’s rawness, complexity, and personal truth.
Context
written 1993, postmodern → reaction against sentimental poetry
• Duffy = feminist poet, challenges gender roles + societal norms
• critic of materialism in relationships
• first female Poet Laureate (UK) → known for honest, contemporary themes
• reflects shift in modern attitudes to love + truth in poetry
Duffy uses personal voice to expose the intensity and contradictions of love, especially from a female perspective.
Themes
Love (honest, painful, not idealised)
• Rejection of cliché/consumerism
• Possession + emotional control
• Danger in intimacy
• Emotional realism vs fantasy
• Gender + power in relationships
