Valentine

• Not a red rose or a satin heart


  Negative word "not" indicates rejection of traditional symbols of love.

  Love is too deep to be represented by these symbols.
• I give you an onion


  Minor sentence - direct, focused.

  Simple statement - powerful, no sense of wavering or uncertainty. Stress the insistence of the speaker, the concept seems absurd
• It is a moon wrapped in brown paper


  Metaphor - moon has romantic connotations,

  Brown paper can be compared to the outside of an onion. Reminds us of a present being wrapped up. Suggests that real romantic gifts do not need to have fancy wrapping. The moon reminds of loving to the moon and back, priceless love, love that cannot be claimed nor stolen
• Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,


  The lover is attempting to articulate not only the romantic, positive aspects of love but its more negative, darker associations.

  Allusion to the senses, strong, unpleasant, difficult to erase. Passionate an possessive in one line
• I'm trying to be truthful


  The line is placed in the middle of the poem, the heart and aim of this poem is convey the truth, almost like a swallowed line
• Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring,


  "Shrink" suggests claustrophobic, restrictive nature of the relationship.refers to the onion of the imagery and shows how it is like handcuffs
• Lethal. It's scent will cling to your fingers,


  -Use of minor sentence "lethal" reflects how abrupt and painful love can be.

  -repetition of verb "cling" is negative and suggests annoyance and frustration. Suggests that love is ongoing and lasts forever.

  -the adj "lethal" has connotations of death and pain - perhaps love can be harmful and damaging. The past experiences will not disappear, it will exist to try and remain, poisonous
• Context

  Written in 1993, increase of divorce, Duffy was gay

  Thatcher banned lgbtq+

  Increase consumerism
• Structure

  irregular stanza and rhyme structure, lines in verses of 4.5.6, the onion is used as a poetic conceit