Valentine Recently we debated what love is when we studied ‘Nostalgia’ With Valentine’s Day in a few days, what is a great Valentine gift? How about this?

Conceit

Conceit Uses onion as a conceit (extended metaphor used as a comparison) – compares onion with the nature of love throughout the poem.

Questions on the line and image you have been given. Valentine 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. 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. Now try to answer the Questions on the line and image you have been given. These will be swapped. And enjoy some suitable music. 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrn2kvCex5k 2 . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myVzaR8cmDA 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI-6YPwHFEA 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZu69_ouc-U 5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEgX64n3T7g 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gq0sRCrcPg 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ORhEE9VVg

Interesting song lyrics Kate Earl (Cover) - Someone To Love Jefferson Airplane - Somebody To Love Seal – Whirlpool Shoot Him Down – Alice Francis Massive Attack – Paradise Circus Outkast – Happy Valentine’s Day Taylor Swift – Blank Space And when they come, they'll accept you just the way you are When the truth is found To be lies And all the joy Within you dies Especially when you think you've gone insane And all you get from love is lots of pain This man is a ticket for a heartache - I want to break him bone for bone, want to stab him all night long - with a needle.... Love is like a sin, my love, For the ones that feel it the most Could be an organ donor The way I give up my heart It'll leave you breathless Or with a nasty scar Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane

“Not a red rose or a satin heart” “Not a cute card or a kissogram” Why would Duffy not consider these to be appropriate Valentine’s Day gifts?

“I give you an onion” Why would Duffy consider an onion to be an appropriate Valentine’s Day gift?

“It is a moon wrapped in brown paper” Why does Duffy refer to an onion being a moon wrapped in brown paper? What could this suggest about the idea of love?

“It will blind you with tears like a lover” In what ways can an onion blind you with tears? In what ways can a lover do the same?

“Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips” How does the statement above reflect the reality of an onion and of love?

“Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring” What does this suggest about marriage? What different meanings are there for “platinum loops”?

Lethal. Its scent will cling to your fingers, Cling to your knife. What final pictures of love do these words paint?

“Not a red rose or a satin heart” “Not a cute card or a kissogram” “Not” Instantly challenges traditional view of love and Valentines and clichéd symbols of Valentine’s Day. No finite verb – sentence is incomplete for greater dramatic impact. Alliterative ‘red rose’ is clichéd Valentine’s present.

“Not a red rose or a satin heart” “Not a cute card or a kissogram” Anaphora – “not a…” perhaps suggests that Valentine’s Day is predictable and repetitive. These clichés are not truly representative of love. They are just tacky and commercialised. Almost thoughtless presents because they are stereotypical. Duffy mocking these presents. Contrast between expectations of love (fake) and reality.

“I give you an onion” Uses onion as a conceit (extended metaphor used as a comparison) – compares onion with the nature of love throughout the poem.

“I give you an onion” Declarative sentence. First person pronoun “I” shows this is an individual gift. Not materialistic or clichéd. Shows that love is a layered thing. Links to the smell/ taste lingering even after a break up. Links to the idea of crying in a relationship. Links to the appearance of the moon in the next line. An onion is natural, pure and not artificial.

“It is a moon wrapped in brown paper” Metaphor could suggest that the onion, . with imagination, can be a romantic symbol of a moonlit evening. Though moon can symbolise madness! Brown bag is opposite of glossy, colourful type of wrapping associated with Valentine’s Day, but perhaps true gifts do not need expensive wrapping? Both the spherical moon and the brown bag could link to the appearance and texture of the onion.

“It is a moon wrapped in brown paper” Wrapping could suggest that true love is hidden at first. We have to get to know someone to understand their beauty. The colour brown is dull and not exciting. But is the wrapping important? Does it make it special and secretive or is it what is inside that matters? Moonlight night as a classic date setting. Love is a beaming light ready to be unwrapped. The best gifts don’t always come in the best packaging.

“It will blind you with tears like a lover” Simile showing love and lovers can also bring pain and sadness, Or are they tears of joy? ‘Blind’ metaphorically conveys the confusion and complexity of love and the idea that when you are filled with emotion “love is blind". On an obvious, literal level, when you chop onions your automatic response is to cry.

“It will blind you with tears like a lover” Declarative sentence; this will happen (modal verb will) Like onions, it can cause tears. Could be because of: Jealousy Break ups Arguments Feeling trapped Joy Engagements Weddings ‘blind’ suggests you could become oblivious to its effects.

“Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips” Personification of kiss: juxtaposition between ‘fierce’ and ‘kiss’ suggests a tender gesture can still be violent. It reminds us of and contrasts with the ‘careful’ undressing earlier in the poem. The taste of an onion and the emotion of love are both powerful and last a long time, perhaps even when the relationship has ended. This is an idea which is explored in the final lines of the poem too.

“Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips” Lustful. Meaningful. Strong. Dangerous. Painful. Clings – you can’t get rid of it. Stay with you like a stain. Use of sibilants to convey danger. Fierce connotes horror and being scared.

“Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring” Platinum refers back to the colour of the moon and to a precious metal. The word ‘loop’ (rather than ‘ring’) may challenge the ring as symbol of eternity and instead suggest entrapment. This is further borne out by the word ‘shrink’, which implies that marriage is a diminutive action which restricts your freedom. In keeping with the extended metaphor, platinum loops could refer to the visual appearance of a sliced onion.

“Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring” Shrink means to get less and less. Wedding ring could be the end of love, final stage or the end of the relationship. Each layer is a different phase of love as you find out more and more about the person. Loops seems never ending [though consider the word choice, rather than ‘ring’] Inner layer is where you find a true soul mate. Once married, love isn’t the same as people stop trying.

Lethal. Its scent will cling to your fingers, Cling to your knife. “Lethal” is an emotive word sentence which could equate married life to death (figuratively i.e. of individuality)! Could suggest love is (emotionally, physically?) dangerous. The scent of an onion is a symbol of the thoughts and emotions; memories of love that remain once a relationship has ended. Perhaps true and meaningful honest love will outlast the relationship whereas false (‘Valentine's Day’) love will disappear quickly. Verb ‘cling’ suggests lack of freedom. ‘Knife’ connotes violence, sharpness, pain and links the love to danger. Alternatively, the persona could be cutting away false ideas of love. Or it could symbolise the ending of a relationship as all ties are severed.

Lethal. Its scent will cling to your fingers, Cling to your knife. Use of hyperbole. Personifies love. Cling: Unable to remove scar of love. Love will leave a mark on you. Love is hard to escape. Love can be dangerous – used like a knife. Metaphorically, love can kill you. Love is painful and hurts.

Stanzas 1 and 2 A physical gift is given, although seemingly not accepted by the lover as this is repeated later Personification of the moon: with imagination, the gift promises light (of the moon), figuratively representing goodness, truth and a deeper meaning – these are what the typical gifts of Valentine's Day lack 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. Suggests tenderness, affection, warmth and sensitivity between the lovers as they gradually allow external barriers to come down Simile: like an onion’s layers, the ever increasing depth of love discovered as you get deeper (emotionally) in a relationship, or a lover undressing (can be a positive, physical image). In context of the poem, the speaker will strip away any falsehoods about love and reveal the truth

Stanzas 3, 4 and 5 …how you appear in the mirror. How you see yourself One of a series of short sentence imperatives (like ‘Take it’) . ‘Here’ suggests the lover has not accepted the gift but it is offered without artificial ceremony or false wrapping. It could emphasise that a gift (of truths) is unavoidable …how you appear in the mirror. How you see yourself 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. Positive aspect of love but also can be painful to her lover as she opens up. Contrast to traditional (fake) Valentine’s Day gift. This line stands alone – isolated and therefore important Metaphor: Tears have blurred the photo – wobbling could be sadness or vulnerability. Grief links to the word ‘lethal’ at the end of the poem

Stanza 6 and 7 Parallelism: speaker continues to offer gift before revealing true nature of love 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. Are these good or bad qualities? Is this a contradiction/ juxtaposition? Possessive of each other but faithful and true? No guarantee that their love will last. Avoids cliché that love will be ".forever". First person plural pronoun "We" shows this is about the narrator and lover Onus is on reader to decide for themselves. Warning that love brings chance of rejection and failure Repetition of ‘cling’ reiterating suffocating nature of love

Form and structure: Present tense – dramatic monologue. The narrator is speaking to her lover, but he does not reply. Distinctly one-sided dialogue (with many imperatives – commands) which expresses the perspective of the narrator and perhaps invites the reader to enter the debate. Critique of the clichéd commercial form that the modern Valentine's Day has become and of the dishonest presentation of love. Important ideas have been deliberately highlighted by isolating them in the form of one line stanzas. Each stanza is very short, and several are only one line long. This form echoes the form of an onion itself, and the layers that go to make it up. While ostensibly a poem on the theme of love, Duffy deliberately avoids the use of language or imagery that we associate with this type of poetry. Instead, the words are often stark and monosyllabic to allow her to present her ideas clearly and unambiguously. Uses onion as conceit (extended metaphor used as a comparison) – compares onion with nature of love.

What do think are key themes? Your ideas… Romantic love Marriage Truth Danger What is the poem’s main message? An onion more honestly describes the state of love, both the positives and (potentially dangerous) negatives. Your ideas…

Multiple choice quiz

Useful tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMyAGCoAq8I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLG-F0MCC4I http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zwpnn39/revision/1 http://blogs.swa-jkt.com/swa/10318/files/2014/06/Valentine-Poem-Analysis1.pdf