Duffy Presentation of Love and Romance in Valentine

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 clichà ©s and expresses how she thinks that love should be represented by†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœIt 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 insignifican t gifts to something more dramatic and powerful. I think that she is trying to show how love should be valued above clichà ©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 relatesShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesWorkers More Sati sfying Jobs?) †¢ New Case Incident (Crafting a Better Job) †¢ Updated Case Incident (Long Hours, Hundreds of E-Mails, and No Sleep: Does This Sound Like a Satisfying Job?) Chapter 4: Emotions and Moods †¢ Entirely new Opening Vignette (Love at Work: Taboo No More?) †¢ New feature: glOBalization! †¢ New Myth or Science? (â€Å"We Are Better Judges of When Others Are Happy Than When They Are Sad†) †¢ Revised introduction to the topic †¢ Review of research on moods and employee attachment †¢ New section