Analysis Of The Poem Originally

Analysis Of The Poem Originally
Analysis by theme – Carol Ann Duffy
CHILDHOOD
Notes from "Originally"
Repeatedly returns to the metaphor of childhood as a "country" – echoes of
L.P. Hartley's "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there. Notion of past being intimately associated with place, and that adulthood
is a journey away from it.
"All childhood is an emigration."/ "I want our own country". Fear of being in an alien place as a child reflected in the alienation of adult life.
"I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space and the right place" – Duffy reflects on moving house as a child, and the way she lost her first senses
of the world as the became accustomed to somewhere new.
"I stared at the eyes of a blind toy,...show more content...
The mistakes have not made him circumspect or reflective, he has just become increasingly frenzied. The headlines that round off this stanza are
demonstrations of the use of sex to sell papers. They refer to a "PANTIE ROMP" and a "RENT BOY". Later, we are told of other stories featuring
"DIPLOMAT IN BED", "BONKING" and a politician who is "A NIGHTCLUB TART".
The arrogance of the narrator seems unbearable when he claims that his work makes him "a sort of poet/ for our times". This betrays a lack of
understanding of what poetry is. He laments that it is becoming harder to shock his audience and must become increasingly lurid. He wishes to have
"been around when the Titanic sank" purely to write the headlines. He is bereft of compassion and entirely self–serving.
The narrator continues his idea of being a "poet" by confessing he wishes that "kids will know my headlines off by heart", as though they were poems
taught in schools. Finally, he reflects on "the poems of the decade": "Stuff 'em!" and "Gotcha!" In the 1980s these were defining headlines for key

cultural moments, but as per the hack's demand, they have been reduced entirely. Ironically, these have indeed become so well known that few people,
certainly of that generation, do not know what they are about. To some extent, by writing the poem, Duffy is complicit in perpetuating them in the
popular memory.
The final line works as a pun, combining the
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Carol Ann Duffy Valentine
Examine the way Carol Ann Duffy presents relationships in 'Valentine'. Refer to other poems about relationships in your answer.
This essay will be exploring the use of language and imagery in the poem 'Valentine' by Carol Ann Duffy to emphasise certain emotions within the
text. This poem refers to the dark side of love and relationships several times, for example; "Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips." This creates a
different atmosphere to the stereotypical love poems, which are known for their mention of red roses and satin hearts. Although the title gives us an
impression of a clichГ©–filled poem, as we continue reading, the poem seems like more of a warning than an encouragement to involve oneself in
relationships and commitment,...show more content...
The use of the detached word "Lethal" in the final stanza suggests that this is the core to the emotion of love, and the surface to the surrounding layers
is red roses and satin hearts.
We can compare 'Valentine' to 'Sonnet 18' written by William Shakespeare and 'Sonnet 43' byElizabeth Barrett Browning. Despite having to perhaps
read more deeply into 'Sonnet 18' to understand its purpose, we can see from the first line; "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" that it is of a
romantic genre. This line can also be linked to 'Romeo and Juliet' perhaps suggesting that Shakespeare has emotional attachments to the message he
is attempting to articulate, as he uses this motive in more than one of his pieces. Whilst the opening greets us with a warm welcome and the
perception that it will continue to express a contented vibe, a turning point of "But..." is introduced. It then goes on to use immortality as a
comparison to relationships, for example; "Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade." This mention of demise can also be associated with the
plot of 'Romeo and Juliet' supporting the point made earlier. Giving the inanimate object of "Death" a capital letter is a use of personification that
proposes the idea to the reader that death is living, and it is always something to be feared.
"Sonnet 43" also grabs the reader's attention with a question that is later answered. The use of the

Essay about Carol Ann Duffy's Mean Time
Carol Ann Duffy's Mean Time
Carol Ann Duffy's poem 'Mean Time' is about loss of love and the different ways in which time brings about change or loss of life itself. The poem is
very personal and autobiographical to Duffy's life as are most of her poems. 'Mean Time' is based on mourning your lost love and how regrets seem
meaningless when one day you get up and realise its not just time which has passed you by, but time has stolen your life too, and in the end it will
only be the mourning that you regret. The idea of time and how it is finite is one of the main themes in the poem.
The title 'Mean Time' could be emphasising a few points one of which is how time can be 'mean' when one needs a...show more content...
The stanza is ended by stating that it's 'our mistakes' she is recognising that her partner is not all to blame and they need to share mistakes, this shows
the first sign of putting her life back together.
The poem moves on and tells us how she wants just 'one hour' to be lifted so she 'would never have said' the words she did. This sets the tone for
the whole poem; regret and longing. It makes the reader feel that she has wasted enough time of her life on this one man, its time to move on.
However one moment she is regretting spending too much time mourning her lost love, now she is stepping over old territory again, which makes the
poem a bit clichГ©, so the sympathy for the woman is now lost.
One of the last important themes of 'Mean Time' is conveyed in the final stanza, this is how time is finite 'we will be dead' because death is rapidly
approaching everyone, which highlights the fact that mourning is pointless. This is where the reader can relate to Duffy because they can share their
'mistakes' too because the events in the poem can happen to all most anybody. I believe that Duffy's conclusion is do not let your heart take control of
your life, you need to no when to move on.
The language throughout is very calm and well organised which helps

Love And Love In Valentine By Carol Ann Duffy
Throughout the history, it has been evident that relationships are a vital part of human life. Particularly, our desire for love and the influence this has
on our lives has constantly been the subject of literature. Whilst relationships have remained the same; our views on relationships have changed
massively. In the poem 'Valentine', Carol Ann Duffy talks about the unorthodoxlove when she compares love to an onion. The use of strong imagery,
powerful diction, distinct form and structure and various poetic devices (such as extended metaphors), enables the poet to present her unique
perspective of love contrasting to the stereotypical way love is often thought about. Moreover, Duffy has used a range of verbs to highlight the apparent
difference...show more content...
This direct address by Duffy for her readers makes her appear bold and confident. Similar to the third stanza, the connotations of the onion are used
throughout this stanza without mentioning the onion. At this point, Duffy has progressed the relationship to the degree of marriage. She
highlights ironic similarities when she writes about how "it platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring", which makes little sense as "platinum" is a
very expensive metal while the "onion" is not precious or desirable at all. The verb "shrink" may symbolise some sort of entrapment. "If you like"
is almost like asking the recipient for his/her will and perhaps suggesting that the relationship could go in this direction but it is not necessary for
the things that will inevitably follow. As the end of the poem progresses, Duddy begins to suggest that failed relationships can be difficult to
overcome. She goes as far as to state that love may be "lethal" which implies that the loss of a lover can cause some part of a person to die or
perhaps more sinisterly that it may result in suicide. This also puts emphasis on danger and commitment in love and may refer to the increasing danger
of getting more deeply committed to a relationship. Therefore, the more one is committed, the harder (or more "lethal") the fall is, when it ends. The
"scent" of the onion is a symbol of the thoughts and emotions

The two Duffy poems I have chosen to compare the way she presents the speaker's relationship with the person she is speaking to are Havisham
and Elvis Twin Sister. Havisham is in a form of a monologue. Choose two Duffy Poems. Compare the way she presents the speaker's relationship
with the person she is speaking to (or about) Most of Carol Ann Duffy's poems are about love, but that does not always mean that they contain
positive connotations. Some contain positive where as quite a few of them have negative. The two Duffy poems I have chosen to compare the way
she presents the speaker's relationship with the person she is speaking to are 'Havisham' and 'Elvis' Twin Sister'. 'Havisham' is in a form of a
monologue. She...show more content...
However if one calls a women a spinster it is in derogatory term meaning it is very offensive. She also states 'ropes on the back of my hands I could
strangle with'. This quote has two metaphors, one of them meaning rope as in two strangle him or rope on the back of my hands meaning veins of
an old women. Miss Havisham is aware of her own stink because she does not ever change her clothes or wash. She stays in bed and screams in
denial. At other times she looks and asks herself "who did this" to her? She sometimes dreams almost tenderly or erotically of her lost lover, but
when she wakes the hatred and anger return. Thinking of how she "stabbed at the wedding cake" she now wants to work out her revenge on a
"male corpse", most probably that of her lover. The poem is written in four stanzas which are unrhymed. Many of the lines run on, and the effect is
like normal speech. The poet uses many adjectives of colour for example 'green', 'puce', 'white' and 'red' and lists parts of the body 'eyes', 'hands',
'tongue', 'mouth', 'ear' and 'face'. Sometimes the meaning is clear, but other lines are more open –and there are hints of violence in 'strangle', 'bite',
'bang' and "stabbed". It is not clear what exactly Miss Havisham would like to do on her "long slow honeymoon", but we can be sure that it is not
pleasant. Elvis Presley did not have a twin sister in

Comparing Valentine And To His Coy Mistress
Compare Carol Ann Duffy's Valentine to Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress In this assignment I will be comparing two love poems Carol Ann
Duffy's 'Valentine' to Andrew Marvell's 'To His Coy Mistress'. The poem 'Valentine' was written is the twentieth century and in it the speaker uses
onion as a metaphor to show her love. The poem 'To His Coy Mistress' was written in the seventeenth century and is about the poet trying to persuade
his Mistress to sleep with him. 'Valentine' by Carol Ann Duffy is very different to any other love poem as you would expect to read something
romantic, instead she writes about an onion. The poem is divided into four main stanzas and each stanza tells us something new about the relationship
...show more content...
She explains that she does not wish to be unkind. She is being realistic. 'I'm trying to be truthful.' Not a cute card or a kiss–o–gram' she does not
believe in giving commercial tokens of love like a card or a bunch of flowers. In the third stanza she gives the onion, 'I give you an onion'– She uses a
metaphor.' Its fierce kiss will stay on you lip' the bitter taste on an onion remains on a person's lips. The memory of a kiss can stay with one
forever. 'Possessive and faithful as we are, for as long as we are' She suggests that love affairs only last for the time that two people are interested in
each other or it could mean till they die. The fourth stanza carries on with the extended metaphor as she insists that he accepts her gift 'Take it'.
She compares the loops of an onion to a wedding ring and implies that marriage can deaden love and passion. Marriage is lethal in her opinion. In
the extended metaphor she expresses her feeling, sometimes people never recover from a broken romance. They will continue to experience
heartache, pain, bitterness. 'Its scent will cling to your fingertips, cling to your knife.' The repetition of the word 'cling' is effective. The word 'knife'
conveys the image of a wound. The poet has obviously been hurt in previous relationships. As we just saw above the title of the poem is 'Valentine's
and we first expect it to be a romantic poem but as we read on we see that it had

Discuss How Carol Ann Duffy Makes Effective Use Of Metaphor.
In 'Valentine', Carol Ann Duffy uses metaphors to illustrate and attempt to explain the complex subject of love. 'Valentine' is a very poignant,
meaningful poem which is on a very personal level with
C.A.D. It seems as if she is drawing on personal experiences.
The general tone of the poem appears to be one of bitterness and resentment. Forceful comments such as, '...Here..' and '...Take it...' suggest that she still
holds hidden anger towards the events from which she is drawing her memories.
The main metaphor that she uses is of course an onion. She uses an onion to compare the different aspects of love in a number of ways. In the first
instance of C.A.D's use of an...show more content...
It seems more likely that she is portraying what many other women, not unlike her, would feel. Maybe she is trying to dissuade women or even men
from feeling this or maybe she is merely making a statement.
In the second stanza, Carol Ann Duffy reverts to a more forceful and cynical way of approaching love. The opening of it, '...Here...' is especially
forceful and the second line compares love to an onion once more. She says that love '...will blind you with tears like a lover...'
She uses the effects of an onion to relate the effects of love.
Basically C.A.D is saying that love hurts. Although this is technically a clichГ©, I don't think that C.A.D means it as such–she seems to be saying that
anyone you may fall for will hurt you. In a way, she seems to be trying to deter people from falling in love.
Also, an onion brings tears to a person's eyes which could be compared to people crying when they feel down or hurt.
The onion is an ongoing theme throughout the poem. C.A.D states '... its fierce kiss will stay on your lips..'This time C.A.D uses the onion's taste to
help describe the feeling of love. C.A.D has used all her senses to make her comparisons. In this particular line she compares an onion's strong taste
which lingers in your mouth and a kiss which lingers on your lips and remains a memory. The lingering

Throughout the history, it has been evident that relationships are a vital part of human life. Particularly, our desire for love and the influence this has
on our lives has constantly been the subject of literature. Whilst relationships have remained the same; our views on relationships have changed
massively. In the poem 'Valentine', Carol Ann Duffy talks about the unorthodoxlove when she compares love to an onion. The use of strong imagery,
powerful diction, distinct form and structure and various poetic devices (such as extended metaphors), enables the poet to present her unique
perspective of love contrasting to the stereotypical way love is often thought about. Moreover, Duffy has used a range of verbs to highlight the apparent
difference between the young and old relationships....show more content...
Furthermore, the sentence structure is inverted which directs the readers' attention towards "Not", which is then followed by the quintessential
symbols of love, "red rose" and "satin heart", demonstrating Duffy's disapproval of modern presents. The readers are made aware of the fact that one
does not require superficial and clichГ© gifts to demonstrate his/her love but requires gestures such as honesty and loyalty, which was a case in the
older relationships. This disapproval may also allude towards the unrealistic and less meaningful relationships nowadays. This structure is repeated
prior to the start of stanzas to emphasise the need to avoid the exchange of such hollow and typical symbols of Valentine's Day. This rejection also
emphasises the idea that such representations of love have become less meaningful and lack the simplicity of genuine

Consider the treatment of love in Carol Ann Duffy's 'Valentine'.
Carol Ann Duffy's 'Valentine' ultimately depicts a highly cynical attitude towards love and conventional gestures of affection. The poem uses
traditional images of valentine as a starting point, before showing how an onion is much more true to the nature of love. An extended metaphor of the
onion is then used to depict Duffy's underlying implication that love can be destructive on many different levels.
One of the main ways in which Duffy conveys this message is through structural devices. The structural progression of the poem is very ordered and
logical; firstly defying traditional images of love, and then developing the stanzas by offering statements to justify this...show more content...
It can therefore be seen that romanticised images of love using eloquent imagery and metaphors are used to depict how love is exactly the opposite;
harsh and blinding.
Furthermore, Duffy also uses personification of the onion in order to accentuate its overwhelming power; much like love itself. The line "Its fierce
kiss will stay on your lips/possessive and faithful" depicts literally the strong taste of the onion, as well as exposing how difficult love is to forget or
obliterate its effects. Here the pungency of taste is being compared to the sheer intensity of love; another point where the comparison of love to an
onion is being made explicit. In addition to this personification, other literary techniques are used in order to inject life into the text. In the second stanza
, the onomatopoeic word "wobbling" helps add dramatic effect to the image of the wobbling vision, and creates a clearer visual image for readers.
Similarly, Duffy also uses paradoxical images to accentuate the effectiveness of the images illustrated. The taste of the onion is described as
"possessive and faithful;" both are terms which are asserted in the experience of love, despite one being faithful and one, paradoxically,

Valentine Day Essay
A Valentine's Day I Will Never Forget
When you think of sweethearts exchanging candy, cards, and other sweet nothings, what day immediately develops in your mind? Would this be
Valentine's Day? Probably. I have had a special Valentine's Day occur every year for the past 5 years, mywedding anniversary. It makes me recall the
most memorable Valentine's Day I have ever had, which was the day of my wedding, along with the night preceding the nuptials.
All brides are nervous before their wedding. Though mine was going to be small and untraditional, I was no exception. I believe I had a very good
reason to be nervous; the influenza bug had infected my fiancГ©e! I believed for a slight moment that he was faking or just had pre–wedding jitters.
His black slacks, maroon colored shirt and black velvet blazer was all he had to do in order to complete his attire.
We arrived at the county clerk's office a half hour before closing and I still was not completely ready. Since I drove, due to myhusband not having a
driver's license, I had yet to finish putting on my make–up. As I was nervously smoking a cigarette, and trying to apply my make up in my truck's
rearview mirror, I cried out to my soon to be husband, "The bouquet is still not put together!"
He stated, "Let me have the bag I'll handle it." I hesitantly handed over the bag of floral and ribbon, then continued on applying my make–up. My soon
to be husband finished the bouquet arrangement, I believe it had come out more beautiful than I could have done myself. This just added another
positive mark on my checklist of why I was about to seal our commitment to each other. Now ready, we were both guided toward a small room within
the county clerk's office; just big enough for an altar, podium, and five chairs for witnesses. As we entered, there stood this little old man and hiswife.
The little old man gestured for us to stand in front of the altar as he introduced himself and his wife. I remember something he said regarding how
long they had been married, I don't recall the exact number, but I believe it was in the golden era of 50 years or more. This gave me hope and
reassurance that we were doing the right thing. Our other witnesses were our mutual friend

Carol Anne Duffy presents love and romance in a unique way that differentiates valentine from any other love poem. Throughout this poem carol
expresses love though the original metaphor of an onion. This essay analyses how she does this so effectively and how she presents a range of ideas
about love and romance.
The idea of using an onion to represent your love for someone may be laughed at. However, the onion could metaphorically speaking represent the
many layers of love or how love is bitter sweet. Duffy shows how an onion could mean a lot more than invaluable gifts such as 'a rose or a satin
heart'. She shows how these ordinary gifts are just stereotypes or clichГ©s and expresses how she thinks that love should be represented by...show more
content...
'It will make your reflection a wobbling photo of grief.' This line refers to the idea of the onion skin being shiny and reflective but when you see
your reflection on the surface of the onion it appears distorted, unsteady and incomplete. Duffy presents these ideas as a warning against romance.
Her approach to romance and love is very direct and honest. This is shown in the lines 'I am trying to be truthful. Not a cute card or a kissogram. I
give you an onion.' This line compares insignificant gifts to something more dramatic and powerful. I think that she is trying to show how love should
be valued above clichГ©s and that even giving an onion is a more meaningful gesture.
The following lines: 'its fierce kiss will stay on your lips, possessive and faithful as we re, for as long as we are. Take it.' Duffy suggests that love
like an onion, it leaves a bitter after taste that lingers for a long time. It seems that Duffy believes that once you have had a taste of it you will
remember it forever because it is that powerful. The 'kiss' suggests passion but the 'fierce' suggests that is a violent, urgent, desperate, and clinging
sensation. She presents this as a metaphor for love in such a way that makes it seem disturbing and an altogether unpleasant experience. The line "for
as long as we are" seems more realistic as it is very honest in the sense that the narrator has accepted that the relationship probably won't last forever.
This also relates

The Theme Of Love In Valentine By Carol Ann Duffy
Being in love is like an amalgamation of different yet powerful emotions exploding every second. It tends to heighten ones perception, hence,
perceiving the world through a larger lens. It can cause a deep sense of grief at times but it can also make one feel a certain kind of content. The very
exclusive one where the abundance of joy cannot be defined. Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy explores the many sides tolove. The entire poem is an
extended metaphor that criticizes the stereotypical idea of love. Duffy uses an onion, a very unusual object as a symbol to represent a gift for one's
admirer. The poet reveals the positive aspects of the speaker's attitude to love through the use of powerful imagery (similes, metaphors, repetition),
prominent...show more content...
Duffy utilizes a plethora of different words ranging from positive to negative. She carefully picks them to warn the reader what your about to read isn't
an ordinary love poem. The words 'careful' and 'light' introduced in the first stanza express delicacy and innocence. Love could explode at anytime yet
remain stable. Duffy inserts direct, straightforward words such as 'here' and 'take it' to catch the reader's attention. These words are ended with a
period giving an austere tone. The use of negative words such as 'blind, 'tears' and 'grief' illustrate an image of sorrow and misery creating an
element of danger. Something quite uncommon for a poem entitled 'valentine'. Here Duffy takes the reader to the unpleasant side of love that is
often ignored in most love poems. She is conveying the true reality of being in love and not just the fantasized version of it. In the second half of
the poem, Duffy chooses to use a more bold set of words such as 'fierce', 'possessive', 'lethal' and 'faithful' which contradict the words 'kiss', 'stay' and
'lips' which is more subtle and distinctive. The repetition of the word 'cling' towards the end of the poem emphasizes that once your love is vanished
the 'scent' the memory will still live on, leaving an impression in your life, a permanent tattoo imprinted in your

The two poems "Sonnet 130" and "Valentine" present similar ideas about love, though they are written centuries apart. Sonnet 130 (written by
William Shakespeare) is like a love poem turned on its head. Instead of describing her in a positive light, he criticise her physical features. He
describes the flaws of her body, her smell, even the sound of her voice. Then, at the end, he changes his tune and tells us about his real and complete
love for her. Valentine (written by Carol Ann Duffy) describes a gift for a lover; such as you would give on Valentine's Day. It is a rather unusual
present – an onion. The poem explains why it is a powerful gift of love, much more than the clichГ©d roses or box of chocolates. The onion becomes
a metaphor for love, and so the poem is about love as well as Valentine gifts.
Both of the poems are quite cynical about the old–fashioned presentation of love. The moods of the poems portray a dark but realistic version of love
and they try to tell you that you shouldn't go over–the–top with love and be all lovey–dovey. They both feel the physical features are not what you
should be judged on, but the characteristics and actual person itself. They are both truthful and as a result can be quite critical and harsh in tone.
Valentine shows this when Carol Ann Duffy says that the onion is a "wobbling photo of grief," she is being very blunt and trying to tell us that when
you open up the onion, it will make it cry. This is like a metaphor for the juice,

Carol Ann Duffy Essay
Carol Ann Duffy
Carol Ann Duffy was born in Glasgow on 23rd. December 1965 .she is widely commended as Britain's leading female poet. She has studied
philosophy at Liverpool University.
Her mother was Mary Black, an Irish. And her father was called Frank
Duffy. She has four younger brothers.
She attended St Austin Roman Catholic Primary School, Stafford from
1962 to 1967, after which she attended St Joseph's convent school,
Stafford. She was encouraged in poetry by her teacher June Scriven.
She decided that she was going to be a poet at the age of 14.
At the age of 16 she met a 39–year–old Liverpool poet Adrian Henri and they started going out together.
When she was 18, She had her first pamphlet of poems,...show more content...
В· She received the Eric Gregory Award in 1984.
В· She received the 1988 Somerset Maugham Award from the Society of Authors for Selling Manhattan.
В· She received the Dylan Thomas Award in 1989 for The Other Country, and she also received a second Scottish Arts Council Book Award.
В· She was the poetry critic for The Guardian from 1988 to 1989.
В· She won the Cholmondeley Award in 1992.

В· She won the Whitbread Award, the Forward Poetry Prize, and a Scottish Arts Council Book Award for her Mean Time collection of poems, in 1993.
В· In 1994 her writing was included in the school syllabus for England and Wales.
В· In 1995 she received the Lannan Award (USA), which allowed her to teach at Wake Forest University, North Carolina.
В· She was awarded the OBE award in 1995.
В· In 1999 she was widely regarded as a leading contender for an exciting new "people's" Poet Laureate.
В· She received the 2001 NESTA Award.
В· On 31st. December 2001, she was awarded a CBE for services to literature.
Since 1983 Carol Ann Duffy has been poetry editor of AMBIT.
Her daughter, Ella, was born in 1995.
She later moved to Manchester in 1996 where she took a part–time lecturing job at Manchester

Why Does Carol Ann Duffy Present Love
How does Duffy present love in 'Valentine' and one other poem you have studied?
In the poems 'Valentine' and 'Adultery' love is presented in very different ways. In 'Valentine' it describes a gift for a lover, such as you would give on
Valentines Day. However, the gift is an onion. The poem describes why it is a powerful gift oflove, rather than roses or chocolates. The onion becomes
a metaphor for love. In 'Adultery' Duffy writes about the sense of danger and excitement of an adulterer, through the eyes of the person who is betrayed.
The title 'Valentine' creates certain expectations, which Duffy doesn't satisfy. The idea of Valentine is love and the onion is not a very good way of
showing it. Valentine gifts show how important the person...show more content...
The moon affects the tide and all water on earth. Since most of humans and the earth is water, it means it also has an effect on our emotions too.
The onion is ugly at first, with a dark brown colour, but when this layer is undressed it is a white, shiny ball like a moon, and the moon portrays
love. Duffy then adds "it promises light" which means it will give hope and promises a good relationship or a wedding ring.
The poem 'Valentine' has a very different sort of love to the one of the poem 'Adultery'. The opening stanza of the poem starts "Wear glasses in
disguise" this shows he/she was using the glasses in form of disguise to try to hide from something, as sunglasses in the rain are pointless. In the
second stanza Duffy says, "Money tucked in palms" referring the possibility of the wife using a prostitute, "the hand shake crackles" this refers to them
shaking firmly and cautiously so that no one sees.
The imagery in the first stanza is distinguished for the way it uses the image of "what was unhurt" and "as though through a bruise" really conveys
the damage caused by betrayal. If we are bruised the undamaged tissue is still visible. The line "guilt. A sick, green tint" refers to the new view
possible through the dark glasses, which is distorted; 'sick' means an unpleasant betrayal, while 'green' means

Love in Carol Ann Duffy's Valentine
"Love" in Carol Ann Duffy's Valentine Many people usually see "love" only one side especially when they deeply fall in love with someone. There
are a lot of poems that respond the feeling of these falling in love people about how beautiful love is. It is true that love is beautiful. On the other hand,
for me sometimes love is also painful. I really like the sentence that "love is color–blind" because this sentence can show not only the positive side of
love but also the negative side of love. So does Carol Ann Duffy's Valentine. On Valentine's day, many people will neatly prepare the present such as a
red rose, a cute card, or something that extremely beautiful and worthwhile for their beloved couples but Carol Ann Duffy thinks that...show more
content...
Love has both sides itself. It can fulfill your hope or make you upset. Hence, Carol Ann Duffy's Valentine is the poem that builds the realistic portray
of love to make the reader be aware of love because love is not always beautiful, sometimes it is

Carol Ann Duffy Rubbish At Adultery
The three poems I am studying are 'Valentine ' by Carol Ann Duffy, 'Rubbish at adultery ' by Sophie Hannah and 'Absence ' by Elizabeth Jennings.
The three poems are each portraying different level of love relationships, to express their feelings, whether it is trueness, yearning or bitter. The
first poem I am going to study is 'Valentine ' by Carol Ann Duffy. In 'Valentine ' Duffy introduces the reader to her own symbol of love, the onion,
which is unusual because the onion is a very tremble, malodorous, bitter and unromantic entity. Duffy throughout the poem uses the onion as a
metaphor for love and develops it in different ways to demonstrate parallels between the onion and love. In 'Valentine ' there is contradiction if
Duffy is expressing feelings from a female perspective because usually a woman will receive a "red rose"," satin heart" and a "cute card" or
"kissogram", therefore the persona probably conveys feelings from a male perspective. Which is a twist by Duffy, a persona who often had a feminist
perspective. In addition Duffy once more has written a poem subject to controversy because there is negative attitude, a debate in the poem that normal
valentines are not as honest this is evident on line eleven as a single line " I am trying to be truthful". For example first and twelfth line is structured as
single lines for attention and both embark on negative adverb "not" which indicates a rejection of traditional love. Both lines continues with

An Analysis Of The Onion, By Taha Duffy
THE VALENTINE–Taha Ghadially
The onion becomes a metaphor for love, and so the poem is about love as well as Valentine gifts.
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
Duffy starts the poem on an honest and somber note. The gift would not be a red rose or a satin heart. It would be something far more relevant.
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light like the careful undressing of love.
It will be an onion. An onion is an unconventional symbol of love. IT seems the far opposite. But Duffy then compares the onion to the moon that
seems far more romantic. The 'brown paper' is the dirty brown skin of the onion. It has to be peeled to get to the white layer. She says, "like the
careful undressing of love". This shows...show more content...
The scent of an onion can stay for quite a bit of time just like a haunting memory of a lover. The knife brings things to an abrupt end and just like
earlier when we were saw the onion compared to the moon... we are now seeing the dark side of it.
This entire poem is a metaphor and each different stanza shows how brightly love begins and then it falls to violence and mistrust. This depicts how
possessive love can be dangerous.
TONE
Confident– Carolyn Duffy has written the poem with a lot of confidence. Throughout the poem there us a lot of commanding sentences like
"Take it", "I give you an onion," Etc.
Cynical– 'Lethal, cling to your knife.
I also thought the author was passionate, possessive and blunt.
FORM
The poem is written in free. Each stanza is very short, and several are only one line long. It is irregular just like the gift she gives which is not
traditional and stereotype but something else.
The lines are varied in length and this helps to stress on important words like lethal. Some of the lines are short and abruptly end with full stops
showing that the writer will not put up with arguments. This fits in perfectly with the commanding tone of the

What techniques has Carol Ann Duffy used in her poetry to make old stories and fables relevant to modern audiences? Comment on upon the use of
language, imagery and structure. 'Mrs. Faust' is written in the casual, contemporary style which suits its setting and adds fittingly to the collection of
'The Worlds Wife'. In this collection most poems explore the feminist principles or the modern state of them. This poem however, introduces a new
issue to the collection; the materialistic nature of middle class couples. Duffy transforms the 'Faust Myth', a protagonist of a classic German legend,
into her own and uses a range of techniques in order to portray the dilemmas in modern society. By portraying these issues, Duffy is able to mimic
Faust surfed the internet for like–minded Bo Peep', once again the pace is extremely fast, reflecting how his power in the world is growing; the
quicker the pace the more powerful he seems to be. However even though his power seems to grow his respect for society's morals seem vanish.
Fighting and cloning sheep could be deemed respectable in society however surfing the internet for 'like–minded Bo Peep', implying half witted young
girls, would be deemed as taboo in society. Duffy uses imagery in order to indicate particular issues that damage society. Duffy uses sexual imagery
to add humour as well as to pinpoint the issues. 'The world spread its legs', in this quote the term 'Spread its legs' is a sexual reference associated
with women. This suggests that Faust's understands the world to be a way to 'spread' his success. Also, to Faust, the world is just another female to
devour and another pleasurable object in which he can explore, that is always 'open' for him. This raises the issue of feminism, another concern that
modern society tackles and another strong theme that is linked to many of Duffy's poems. By Faust being a powerful man in society and seeing
females and the world as a mere object to use to his advantage, this quote suggests that this is how most men see the world to be, an object that is
below their being, one that they are free to control as this is the impression society gives. The poem is filled with images that contrast both men

Analysis Of The Poem Originally

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Analysis Of The Poem Originally