The Beggar Woman by William King and Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Essay Example

dumb. Although William King is from the upper class he doesn't like how the lower classes are treated and pressured into things just because they are disadvantaged. The purpose of the poem is to persuade the higher classes to treat the lower classes fairly. It also shows how selfish the upper classes are.

"The gentleman had scarce got time" This poem is in rhyming couplets, this is where a word at the end of every 2 lines rhymes e.g. "A gentleman in hunting road astray more out of choice then that he lost his way" King used this choice of rhyme scheme because it gave the poem more of a rhythm and made the poem sound more like a song; this was because poems used to be sung. Also, the entire poem is just one big stanza, this also contributed to being able to sing the poem easily and as one.

The language used in the Beggar woman is old-fashioned and not modern. It is used to create pictures and jokes. The words used are also very ironic and have a double meaning for e.g. the word "trade" is used to describe prostitution when it isn't a trade. He also uses this in a humorous way for e.g. 'Cries, sir, good buy isn't angry that we part, I trust the child to ye with all my heart,' This quote shows us a comical picture where the gentleman is left with a baby on his back. Words like 'courtship', where the gentleman doesn't need to persuade her, she has got very little choice but is trying to be polite so he can get his way and he doesn't

need her to fall in love with him all he wants is sex. This shows how selfish and irresponsible the upper classes are for their behavior.

William King doesn't use metaphors or similes to show imagery. This may be because the poem is aimed at middle-class people that may be without education therefore illiterate. The poem is set in the countryside. He uses clear description and vocabulary to create visual images in the reader's mind for e.g. 'The sheet she with dexterous Motion winds, Till firm knot the wandering fabric binds.' Through the vocabulary used and the descriptive words, you can get a picture of the beggar woman tying the baby as fast as she can around the rich man. The use of the word 'dexterous' suggests that this is taking place very fast. Throughout Beggar Woman there is a humorous tone that is sometimes ironic.

There is also a deceitful tone between the beggar woman and the gentleman as neither of them is honest. In the end, a vindictive tone is used when the woman tricks the squire. 'Mistress quoth he and what if we two should Retire a little way into the wood?... She still feared the coming of his company.

'In the two quotes above we can see that the two people are being deceitful. In the first quote, the gentleman is being kind calling her 'mistress' however this is only so that he can have his way with her. In the second quote, the beggar woman is also being dishonest as she claims she is concerned about him being caught however she is just tricking him.' But e'er you get another ain't amiss to

try a year or two how you'll keep this.

'This quote is taken from the last two lines of the poem where the tone is spiteful as the beggar woman has now tricked the squire. She shows him that he can't do things without suffering the consequences of his actions; there is also a serious message behind the humorous language used. The theme of the poem is to explore how the poor are treated. It shows the war between the upper classes against the lower ones. It also explores how the rich exploit the poor and get away with it without facing the consequences.

Valentine

Valentine was written by Carol Ann Duffy in the 20th century. She grew up in a working-class family and wrote poems for a living. She was also the first Poet Laureate to be chosen in the 21st century. Her poems may have been influenced by her opinions towards sexuality as she is a bisexual.

The two poets are from different periods of time and have different backgrounds and have different views on love but they both have the same purpose to write. They are both writing to entertain people and to show that love is not as simple as the society of their time thinks. It is also to persuade her audience that love needs to be truthful for e.g. "I am trying to be truthful." She wants people to see beyond the commercialism of love and to see the true roots and meaning of it.

"Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion." 'Take it, Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring, If you like' although she writes

the poem in an entertaining way it is not comical as William King's Beggar Woman. In the poem Valentine there are eight stanzas. The impression we get from the form of the stanzas is that it is half of a conversation and we can only hear the writer's voice. The poem doesn't rhyme but is a free-form poem that has an internal rhyming scheme.

This may have been used to help the flow of the poem. There are some lines that are short and have been made like that to stick out.'Take it, Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring, If you like' This quote suggests the use of an internal rhyming scheme. The rhythm has a natural feel to it like how a lover would naturally address their lover.

This also indicates that it is half a conversation. Valentine is written in Standard English however it is a simple language. It is a language that you would use in a conversation that furthermore suggests that the poem is like half a conversation. There are also some strong aggressive words used such as "Lethal" this word is like a massage to the reader. The word lethal shows us that love is risky and dangerous; it's never going to be straightforward. "Its scent will cling to your fingers, cling to your knife", this is showing that a dead relationship will always haunt you, it will always be in the back of your mind, you will never forget it.

Onion has a sharp, distinctive taste and smell and once tasted, is never forgotten. This is the same with a relationship that has ended; it could also refer to a

passionate kiss. Knives are used to cut onions and are capable of "causing" the wound that love makes-a broken heart. This upsets your expectations of love. It stops you from thinking that there's always a happy ending.

It shows you that love can be perfect, but one unexpected day it will turn and leave a 'scent' on you. Maybe the writer wants the reader to feel that love can scar, it might not ever go away, just like Valentine's Day. Valentine like a beggar woman uses sentences with two meanings such as "Like the careful undressing of love." These words can have two meanings as this quote can either mean unpeeling the layers of getting to know someone, what they are like on the inside or this quote could mean the undressing of clothes. Carol Ann Duffy unlike William King uses a lot of poetic devices to give the reader the image of the poem. She can use poetic devices because education had become compulsory that meant that most of her audience was literate.

She uses poetic devices such as metaphors and alliterations to allow the reader to see the image. 'I give you an onion... It will blind you with tears' this quote suggests the extended metaphor of an onion as Carol Ann Duffy uses this metaphor throughout the poem to describe love.

The poet also uses subsidiary metaphors to allow the reader to have a clear image as they are connected to the main image of the onion. Her use of symbolism creates a different approach to love which is not romantic or traditional but realistic and honest. The "brown paper" is the skin of the

onion and acts like a brown bag concealing the present rather than using fancy wrapping paper to disguise the object. Carol Ann Duffy also uses personification to show the passion of the kiss and the locality of the kiss. The tone in Carol Ann Duffy's poem is challenging as she challenges how we would like love to be. There is also a strong sense of her being very truthful and telling people what love really is.

"I am trying to be truthful" this quote suggests the tone of being 'truthful' by the word used in the quote. In Valentine the theme of love is explored and how true love should be. She looks at the non-romantic side of love instead she looks at all the different aspects of love that make a healthy true honest relationship. She wants to show the truth about love through this poem.

'I give you an onion... Not cute card or a kiss gram.' This quote shows the theme of a non-romantic love by telling the truth about love. She uses the metaphor of the onion to show us how love really is.  Carol Ann Duffy wants to tell us that love is not about getting someone a present or expensive chocolate but is about the understanding of the true meaning of love. She also shows us that there is a possibility of breaking up but there is also a possibility of taking your love to a new level.

She explores all the different aspects of love. Love is represented in The Beggar Woman differently from the way it is represented in the Valentine as The Beggar Woman only shows one side of

love, being that it only shows wanting something from someone rather than loving them. Carol Ann Duffy wants the people to understand the true meaning of love whereas William king is trying to show how the upper classes are exploiting the lower ones.