Valentine

• “Not a red rose or a satin heart”


  • The poem starts with the word 'not', a negative, which is ironic because from the title we expect it to be a love poem and therefore begin positively
  • Straight away the poem challenges cliche ideas of love and valentines, as Duffy asserts that she is not giving her partner a 'typical' gift
• "It promises light"


  • Despite an onion being a very unconventional gift for a loved one, this line shows that Duffy wants the recipient to understand that it is given with care
  • Shows how an unlikely gift or thing can still be positive and make someone happy - shows optimism for embarking on a new relationship with someone
• "It will blind you with tears / Like a lover "


  • Duffy returns back to using a more sullen tone, reminding her lover that relationships can and will still hurt you
  • Simile comparing love and the onion shows that love can sting and make us emotional (onions make people ‘cry’)
• "I am trying to be truthful"


  • Duffy trying to be 'truthful' again shows that expressions of love can come in unconventional ways, it can seem blunt or curt
  • Love is often something shrouded with expectations and ideals, however this poem exposes the real, sometimes ugly, truth behind real relationships
• "Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,

  possessive and faithful"


  • 'possessive' has very negative connotations of control and power, whereas 'faithful' has good connotations of loyalty and truth - both of these being used in the same line to describe this relationship shows the conflicting nature of love and how there are always good and bad traits within a partner
  • 'stay on your lips' shows that love is strong and dominant, and both the good and bad aspects of a relationship will stay with you
• "Its scent will cling to your fingers,

  cling to your knife"


  • Duffy mixes harsh, unusual ideas within a poem about valentines, comparing love to the scent of an onion, which is usually seen as a bad, unpleasant thing, however here she is referring to its strength, showing that love is potent and resonates