A gift for a lover, such as you would give on Valentine's Day
The poem explains why an onion is a powerful gift of love, much more than the clichéd roses or box of chocolates</b>
The onion becomes a metaphor for love, and so the poem is about love as well as Valentine gifts
The "wedding-ring" shows she intends to marry this man – this makes her seem very forward and almost obsessive
Duffy creates an unusual but memorable metaphor to symbolise her love – "an onion", "wrapped in brownpaper"
An onion has a strong, sharp and acidic taste, giving flavour and depth to a meal. The comparison with the onion suggests her love is very distinctive and cannot be ignored – perhaps overwhelming for some?
The "moon" metaphor is also an interesting comparison
Whilst the moon is associated with love it is also linked with mystery. "It promiseslight" could suggest that her love might be attractive at first, but may bring darkness later
The use of pronoun "we" suggests she sees them as a couple already
This hints at a badexperience with love in Duffy's past – she knows the pain of lost love. Did an ex-lover cheat on her?
On the surface the title suggests that the poem will be a simple expression of love. However, just like an onion, there are many different layers to the poem, surprising the reader as we 'unpeel' the meanings
