Valentine - Quotations Flashcards
1
Q
“Not a red rose it a satin heart”
A
- First line subverts traditional ideas of love
“Not” - Inserts a negative opening
“red rose” and “satin heart”
- Traditional symbols of love
2
Q
“I give you an onion”
“It is a moon wrapped in brown paper”
A
- Presenting a gift more truthfully representative of love
- “Moon” - allusion to traditional romance
- “brown paper” - lecture/ colour of onion
- Real romance doesn’t need fancy wrapping
3
Q
“It promises light”
“Like the careful undressing of love”
A
- refers to the sexual aspect of a relationship, growth of an emotional bond as clothes/ layers of personality are peeled away.
- “careful” - tender affection
4
Q
“Here”
“It will blind you with tears”
“Like a lover”
A
- imperative command, conveys forceful nature of the speaker
- a relationship will cause pain and make you cry just as chopped onion can bring tears to your eyes
- love can bring pain and distress as well as joy and passion
5
Q
“It will make your reflection a wobbling photo of grief”
“Not a cute card or kissogram”
A
- when you submit yourself to a relationship you make yourself vulnerable, this could be destructive
- echoing the first line of the poem
- change in tone from gentle to more brutal/ threatening
6
Q
“I give you an onion.”
“It’s fierce kiss will stay on your lips”
A
- full stop signifies a pause as the speaker awaits their gift to be received
- “fierce” - negative, darker aspects of love shown through connotations of this word choice
7
Q
“Possessive and faithful”
“Take it”
“It’s platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring”
A
- “faithful” - trusting, positive
- “possessive” - suggests an element of jealousy, distrust, control, insecurity
- becoming more insistent
- Traditional romance leads to marriage
- “shrink” - makes this seem restrictive, have to adjust as a person, following conventions can be destructive
8
Q
“Lethal”
“Its scent will cling to your fingers”
“cling to your knife”
A
- idea of imminent death to individuality
- idea that the memory of a deep relationship has ended
- powerful love can lead you into dangerous situations, outcome could be brutal and violent, a relationship can bring pain and suffering
