Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Kate Lee
Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn
What is the poem about?
‘Valentine’ is a poem by the former Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, and was published in her 1993 collection Mean Time. This poem subverts traditional romantic imagery by offering an onion as a Valentine’s gift. Through this unconventional metaphor, Duffy explores the complexities and realities of love, contrasting it with idealised notions of romance. The onion is a symbol, representing the layers, intensity and sometimes painful aspects of genuine love.
Language, structure and form revision | What happens in the poem? |
Language:
Form:
Structure:
| Stanzas One and Two:
Stanza Three:
Stanzas Four and Five:
Stanza Six:
Stanza Seven:
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Poems for comparison:
| |
Key words
Context: | Post-modern | Realism | Subversion | Materialism |
Themes: | Love and relationships | Negative emotions | Cynicism |
Poem analysis
'Valentine' by Carol Ann Duffy
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.
Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.
I am trying to be truthful.
Not a cute card or a kissogram.
I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.
Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring,
if you like.
Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.
Language
The onion is an extended metaphor for the complexities of love
Duffy deliberately disrupts the traditionally romantic and eternal metaphor of a “moon” with the reference to prosaic “brown paper”
This is juxtaposed with a more sensual simile: 'like the careful undressing of love'
With the use of adverb “Here”, the speaker offers the gift to their partner, compared with the more insistent imperative in the final stanza, “Take it.”; the subtle shift in tone could indicate a feeling of urgency or an intensification of their emotion
The repetition of “cling” adds a rhythmic feel to the disjointed poem making it memorable and emphasising the unexpected conclusion with the word “knife”
The word choices are sometimes surprising, offering an almost a cautionary note about the perils of love
Structure
The use of free verse, stanzas of different lengths and absence of rhyme scheme could represent the lack of stability in the speaker’s experience of love, but also the deliberately unconventional nature of this expression of love
Short, one- or two-word sentences powerfully intensify the speaker’s emotions, adding immediacy and drama
Duffy often ends sentences with end-stops, giving the poem an abrupt tone, and suggesting the unpredictable nature of love
Enjambment creates an authentic, naturalistic conversational style
Form
Free verse conveys the unconventional nature of the speaker’s love
Stanza and line lengths are frequently disrupted and changing, foregrounding the refreshingly unconventional, condensed voice of the speaker and the deliberately ‘unromantic’ style of this love poem
Overview of themes
Themes | Key quotations | Language, form and structure |
Love and relationships | “It will make your reflection/a wobbling photo of grief.” “I am trying to be truthful. Not a cute card or a kissogram.” “It promises light/ like the careful undressing of love.” | The photograph metaphor implies that love is painfully transformative, and the beloved may no longer recognise themselves. The negative language suggested by the choice of the words ‘wobbling” and “grief” implies this change may cause hurt The poem is written in free verse, allowing Duffy to create line breaks throughout. These sentences in the middle of the poem serve to underscore the speaker’s conviction that the onion truthfully embodies the nature of their love Duffy contrasts unconventional imagery with a more sensual simile, suggesting love is unpredictable |
Negative emotions | “It will blind you with tears like a lover.” “It promises light” “It will blind you with tears” “Lethal”. | This simile again conveys the impression that love has the capacity to inflict profound pain The poem lists the dangers of love, juxtaposing the promise of “light” with a threat of deceit and pain The isolation of the elliptical single word gives it significant weight and emphasis, offering an abrupt stop and making this line more shocking to the reader. It is also juxtaposed with the more romantic imagery and reference to a “wedding ring” which precedes it |
Cynicism | “Not a red rose” “I am trying to be truthful” | Duffy’s speaker rejects traditional, cliched symbols of love through alliteration Using the first person, the speaker attempts to present a more authentic and realistic view of love, conveying a scepticism about the value and sincerity of traditional romantic gestures, which the speaker implies are superficial and fail to capture the true essence of love |
Historical and literary context
Carol Ann Duffy, former Poet Laureate, often challenges traditional social constructs and stereotypes in her work
Her poem, 'Valentine', spurns established ideas of romance and suggests they are artificial:
The speaker in the poem stresses “I am trying to be truthful”
This is typical of the way Duffy’s poetry deals in realism
Duffy’s poetry offers realistic portrayals of relationships:
The poem 'Valentine' uses the extended metaphor of an onion to describe romantic love, extending this to the idea of cutting it with a knife
Her poems’ speakers often convey their thoughts with disdainful sarcasm or casual nonchalance:
In the poem 'Valentine', this is evident in the line “if you like.”
The poem is considered an example of post-modernism as it deconstructs ideas that are seen as universal, such as the idea of a “red rose” to symbolise love:
Published in the 1990s, Duffy offers a critique of modern society’s superficiality and inherent consumerism
Duffy’s poetry often foregrounds marginalised or unheard voices or dramatises arguments, poignant conversations and moments of pain like in this poem
Comparing poems
Look at this exam-style question about ‘Valentine’:
‘Valentine’ is a poem about love and relationships. Choose one other poem from the anthology in which the poet also writes about love and relationships. Compare the way the poet presents love and relationships in your chosen poem with the way Carol Ann Duffy presents it in ‘Valentine. In your answer you should: ● compare the content and structure of the poems – what they are about and how they are organised ● compare how the writers create effects, using appropriate terminology where relevant compare the contexts of the poems, and how these may have influenced the ideas in them |
How you could approach this question:
Thesis / Essay introduction: Both ‘Valentine’ and ‘Cozy Apologia’ present ideas about love by revealing how it can affect lovers. However, in ‘Valentine’, the speaker warns against its dangers and unpredictability, whereas ‘Cozy Apologia’ explores the safety and certainty that love can bring in a changeable world. | |
Similarities | Differences |
Both poets explore deeply personal and private relationships, addressing partners directly and offering an intimate glimpse into the nature of love as they experience it | ‘Valentine’ presents negative feelings around love, portraying it as complex and potentially painful, whereas ‘Cozy Apologia’ presents how love can positively impact a life, depicting a warm and comforting relationship |
Both poets use ordinary, everyday objects to present their ideas about love. Duffy uses an onion as a metaphor to convey the layered nature of love, while Dove references everyday items such as a desk to illustrate the comfort and stability found in a loving relationship | In ‘Valentine’, love is presented as a complex and potentially destructive force. Conversely, in ‘Cozy Apologia’ the speaker celebrates love as a source of comfort and stability |
Both poems offer alternatives to societal expectations of love. ‘Valentine’ challenges the conventional symbols of romance. Similarly, ‘Cozy Apologia’ deviates from an idealised version of love and highlights the everyday comfort found in a committed relationship | ‘Valentine’ concludes with a cautionary message about love’s potential for pain. In contrast, ‘Cozy Apologia’ ends on a softer note and conveys the enduring memory and comfort the speaker finds in thinking about their loved one |
Thesis / Essay introduction: Both ‘Valentine’ and ‘The Manhunt’ present ideas about love through its complexities, focusing on the layers within human relationships and the effort required to build meaningful and lasting connections. While Duffy offers a version of love that feels tarnished by pain, Armitage’s poem suggests that love can become stronger despite the external challenges that lovers face, such as war. | |
Similarities | Differences |
Both poets use unconventional imagery through extended metaphors to explore the complexities of love, for example an onion and a frozen river | ‘Valentine’ offers no real hope for improving the experience of love for the speaker, whereas ‘The Manhunt’ highlights how genuine love can begin to heal even the most profound trauma |
Both poets explore deeply personal and private relationships, addressing partners directly and offering an intimate glimpse into the nature of love as they experience it | The tone in ‘Valentine’ is assertive and sometimes stark, whereas the tone in ‘The Manhunt’ is tender and delicate, reflecting the speakers' complex feelings of love |
Both poems focus on layers and uncovering something hidden to highlight the lengths we have to go to for true love | Valentine’ is written in free verse with differing line lengths and no rhyme scheme, reflecting an unconventional and unpredictable experience of love. ‘The Manhunt’ is written in couplet stanzas which shows that love can remain consistent even when it becomes difficult, which is further reflected through the change in rhyme scheme |
Predicted exam questions to prepare for:
Compare the way the poet presents love in your chosen poem with the way Carol Ann Duffy presents love in ‘Valentine’.
Compare the way the poet presents negative emotions in your chosen poem with the way Carol Ann Duffy presents love in ‘Valentine’.
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