Valentine By Carol Ann Duffy Analysis Essay Example

true character and motives under the superficial veneer of romantic vows. Duffy goes further to develop the idea of acceptance by the line "Here".

She requests her lover to accept the gift, with a condition that if he opens up, it can also cause tears or grief. When a person receives a gift it always gives gladness, however, the gift inside may not be up to their expectation. It can, at times, cause disappointment. This is similar to love as it can either immerse you into pain or joy. She then goes on to state how 'it will blind you with tears like a lover. It will make your reflection a wobbling photo of grief.'

Here she refers to the stinging, burning properties of onions, using a technique that causes readers to almost see the words on the page through tear-filled eyes by use of language such as 'blind,' 'tears,' 'reflection' and 'wobbling.' These words all evoke memories of trying to view images through the water. She likens stinging hurts caused by insensitive loves to the blurred vision and sore eyes caused by crying and emotional pain. The personified words 'Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips' refer to the idea that even if you leave your lover and go with someone else, the thought of your old partner will always linger around your mind. She then goes on to mention the concept of 'marriage'.

She suggests that the bright white core of the onion is like a wedding ring: 'Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring'. Nevertheless, marriage is just an option; we know this as she follows the statement with the line 'if you

like'. If the love doesn't end with marriage, after having had all the 'fun' (physical relationship) it becomes 'lethal'. As stated in the fifth stanza, even if you leave your partner and go with someone else, the 'scent' or the 'thought' of him or her, will always be engraved in our mind.

When you touch or have physical relation with the second partner, you will always get the smell of your previous partner. His or her thoughts will be like a thorn in your flesh, just like the smell of onion which will cling to our fingers or knife even after washing. The tone of the poem is at times pessimistic; however, Duffy uses to this demonstrate the true nature of love, which is very obvious in the line "I am trying to be truthful". The central image of the poem is 'onion' which is a metaphorical expression/extended metaphor, which is found in the words: 'I give you an onion'; 'it will blind you with tears'. "Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips" is the personification given to onion.

The repetition of the 't' sound throughout the poem strengthens the feeling of honesty. We also find the usage of consonance in the lines "Scent will cling to your fingers". The 'n' sound is found twice in 'onion' and its use in the last stanza is a constant reminder of the onion as a new valentine symbol/metaphor. "Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips," the 's' sound imitates the sound of a kiss and is an example of onomatopoeia. I personally think that in this poem Duffys plain-speaking talks to the reader about the true realities

of love, she is showing that relationships are both fun and painful, I think this is due to the object which she is using, as an onion raw is sharp and has an acidic taste however once cooked the onion becomes sweet and soft - she is describing the two feeling of love and explaining what an honest relationship is. I also think that the way in which Duffy ends her anti-romantic poem she is reminding the reader of the violent/dangerous associations of onions and lovers rows - of sharp knives, sliced fingers, the scent and perseverance of a 'fierce kiss' of taste, all of which she compares to some of the less attractive qualities of love such as possession or lack of faithfulness.

She is ending the poem on negative points leaving a pessimistic view of Valentine's Day in the reader's mind.