Valentine, by Ann Duffy and First Love by John Clare :: English Literature

Valentine is by Ann Duffy. The first thing that caught my attention was the title â€Å"Valentine†. Usually when you would hear that word your head would be thinking hearts, love, romance, and choclates etc but not in this case. In this poem it describes love as an onion and this is the constant imagery. The poets aim was to use the onion as a symbol of love rather than the everyday, typical gifts. I think the poem might have been written by a male but adapted by a female poet. My reason for saying this is mainly because when you read the poem it sounds as though it’s a male word because it talks about giving gifts which is normally from the man. Never the less it has more deep and emotional feelings in it which makes it sound like a female words. However we will never know for sure. The language that the poet uses whether it’s a male or a female is very powerful and strong because even if don’t enjoy the poem you would still remember parts of it because its so blunt and straight to the point .The poem also uses at some point simile and metaphors which also makes it very affective. In this poem it also constantly compares love to an onion. It uses the same words that can describe love as well as an onion , doesn’t really use sweet and fragile words or phrases that you would normally expect in a love poem but in my opinion having a bit of a change is always a good thing. â€Å"Blind you with tears† The word blind and tears show the nature of love and how love can hurt which leaves you heartbroken and in rivers of tears. However in cooking wise the onion would blind you and make you cry when you cut it, so the poet bought these two things together and joined them up to make his or her point more interesting for the reader. The language makes me feel very moved at some points because its very emotional and descriptive .My favourite verse was the last one because it uses strong words but with passion and a deep full meaning. â€Å"Lethal† Its scent will cling to your fingers, Cling to your knife Lethal means dangerous and I think this would describe love best because in reality love is romantic however if you don’t play it right and don’t abide by the rules then it could turn into a very nasty game. This is why love shouldn’t be messed about in the first place as it not a game in real life it could mess a persons life forever.