The front page of your booklet has room for a mindmap about love and relationships After each source Id like us to revisit these mindmaps adding ideas and concepts weve encountered through the texts studied ID: 765018
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The front page of your booklet has room for a mind-map about love and relationships. After each source, I’d like us to revisit these mind-maps, adding ideas and concepts we’ve encountered through the texts studied. Before we read anything, though, I want your first impressions!
Source A is six short extracts taken from great literature. Writers are real people – they all bring to thei r writing their own perspectives, viewpoints and ideas. Firstly, I’d like you to read each extract and identify what the writer is trying to say about love – what fresh ideas are being offered to the reader? Secondly, I’d like you to analyse each extract – how has language been used to convey those ideas? Take each extract one at a time.
1. ultimate: A) final/very best B) treating everyone equally C) advertising company D) renew E) dogs 2. outlaw: A) criminal B) agreeable C) trouble/difficulty D) mistakes in thinking E) unwisely and rushing 3. adhere to: A) in an unexpected way B) skin-related C) unholy D) stick to E) people who cut things apart 4. accomplice: A) partner in crime B) in bed C) relaxed/lay around D) (crossing sideways) E) helper 5. vowing : A) very seriously promising B) things that are typical of America C) simple uneducated person D) explaining E) huge change from the way things work now 6. honour : A) sing B) assembly of church officials C) simple and peaceful D) hidden E) view someone with great respect 7. obey : A) belief in living very simply B) huge number C) muscle-lengthening movement D) is going to be treated as more important than E) exactly follow (orders)/serve someone well 8. abet : A) thin candle B) unlearns C) stiff/not flexible D) help E) newspapers web sites and TV
1. ultimate: A) final/very best B) treating everyone equally C) advertising company D) renew E) dogs 2. outlaw: A) criminal B) agreeable C) trouble/difficulty D) mistakes in thinking E) unwisely and rushing 3. adhere to: A) in an unexpected way B) skin-related C) unholy D) stick to E) people who cut things apart 4. accomplice: A) partner in crime B) in bed C) relaxed/lay around D) (crossing sideways) E) helper 5. vowing : A) very seriously promising B) things that are typical of America C) simple uneducated person D) explaining E) huge change from the way things work now 6. honour : A) sing B) assembly of church officials C) simple and peaceful D) hidden E) view someone with great respect 7. obey : A) belief in living very simply B) huge number C) muscle-lengthening movement D) is going to be treated as more important than E) exactly follow (orders)/serve someone well 8. abet : A) thin candle B) unlearns C) stiff/not flexible D) help E) newspapers web sites and TV
Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won’t adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honour and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words ‘make’ and ‘stay’ become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free. Robbins begins this extract with a surprising metaphor, likening love to a criminal. He says “love is the ultimate outlaw.” The idea of love being criminal is challenging, as we usually consider it to be a passionate, considerate emotion. We learn what he means by it: it doesn’t play by the rules, and is as surprising and unpredictable as a criminal is. We can tell that Robbins respects love and thinks it is important and powerful. The definite article ‘ the’ implies it is special and unique; the adjective ‘ultimate’ suggests it is extreme; and the idea of love being an ‘outlaw’ personifies it, again indicating that Robbins thinks love has powers and attributes above-and-beyond more typical emotions.
Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won’t adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honour and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words ‘make’ and ‘stay’ become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free. Robbins contrasts what we typically view of as a romantic relationship – mentioning the marriage vows of ‘ honour and obey ’ – with his own take on what we should do for our partners: ‘ aid and abet ’. This language continues the semantic field of crime and illegality, continuing the idea that love is something untoward and dangerous. Even with that caveat, though, there is something sweet about his chosen language: rather than ‘obeying’ one another, which implies an unthinking compliance, we are invited to ‘aid and abet’ – despite the criminal overtones, there’s an idea of helpfulness and support in here which, when juxtaposed with the idea of obedience, is likely to be well thought of by the reader.
Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won’t adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honour and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words ‘make’ and ‘stay’ become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free. Robbins concludes with a more traditional metaphor, claiming that “my love for you has no strings attached.” This lack of conditions implies his love is ongoing and doesn’t depend on what his loved one chooses to do.
Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won’t adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honour and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words ‘make’ and ‘stay’ become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free. The extract ends with a simple, almost blunt, sentence: “I love you for free.” The two personal pronouns, “I” and “you”, sum up Robbins’ view on love: it’s about two people, and little else. The directness of the sentence suggests that, despite some previously quite complicated metaphors and comparisons, the love is straightforward and simple.
Robbins begins this extract with a surprising metaphor, likening love to a criminal. He says “love is the ultimate outlaw.” The idea of love being criminal is challenging, as we usually consider it to be a passionate, considerate emotion. We learn what he means by it: it doesn’t play by the rules, and is as surprising and unpredictable as a criminal is. We can tell that Robbins respects love and thinks it is important and powerful. The definite article ‘ the’ implies it is special and unique; the adjective ‘ultimate ’ suggests it is extreme; and the idea of love being an ‘ outlaw ’ personifies it, again indicating that Robbins thinks love has powers and attributes above-and-beyond more typical emotions.Robbins contrasts what we typically view of as a romantic relationship – mentioning the marriage vows of ‘honour and obey’ – with his own take on what we should do for our partners: ‘aid and abet’. This language continues the semantic field of crime and illegality, continuing the idea that love is something untoward and dangerous. Even with that caveat, though, there is something sweet about his chosen language: rather than ‘obeying’ one another, which implies an unthinking compliance, we are invited to ‘aid and abet’ – despite the criminal overtones, there’s an idea of helpfulness and support in here which, when juxtaposed with the idea of obedience, is likely to be well thought of by the reader.Robbins concludes with a more traditional metaphor, claiming that “my love for you has no strings attached.” This lack of conditions implies his love is ongoing and doesn’t depend on what his loved one chooses to do. The extract ends with a simple, almost blunt, sentence: “I love you for free.” The two personal pronouns, “I” and “you”, sum up Robbins’ view on love: it’s about two people, and little else. The directness of the sentence suggests that, despite some previously quite complicated metaphors and comparisons, the love is straightforward and simple.
1. hovel: A) arguments over prices B) flowing from C) dirty house D) spying/watching closely E) related to stopping people fighting 2. glance: A) giving the right to vote B) to annoy C) quick look D) thirteen E) communication 3. careening: A) court order B) window C) a person with blood sugar disease D) swollen/showy E) rushing in an out-of-control way 4. accompany: A) obnoxiously full of pride B) gets old and unused C) go with D) dumb E) leaving a country 5. flutter: A) searches unsuccessfully B) flap wings/move unsteadily C) adds D) shortens a word E) disobedience
1. hovel: A) arguments over prices B) flowing from C) dirty house D) spying/watching closely E) related to stopping people fighting 2. glance: A) giving the right to vote B) to annoy C) quick look D) thirteen E) communication 3. careening: A) court order B) window C) a person with blood sugar disease D) swollen/showy E) rushing in an out-of-control way 4. accompany: A) obnoxiously full of pride B) gets old and unused C) go with D) dumb E) leaving a country 5. flutter : A) searches unsuccessfully B) flap wings/move unsteadily C) adds D) shortens a word E) disobedience
On becoming a better person: The Princess Bride, by William Goldman “Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches… I have stayed these years in my hovel because of you. I have taught myself languages because of you. I have made my body strong because I thought you might be pleased by a strong body. I have lived my life with only the prayer that some sudden dawn you might glance in my direction. I have not known a moment in years when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my rib cage. I have not known a night when your face did not accompany me to sleep. There has not been a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids…” Do I love you? Sentence types? Language devices? Individual words of importance?
On becoming a better person: The Princess Bride, by William Goldman “Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches… I have stayed these years in my hovel because of you. I have taught myself languages because of you. I have made my body strong because I thought you might be pleased by a strong body. I have lived my life with only the prayer that some sudden dawn you might glance in my direction. I have not known a moment in years when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my rib cage. I have not known a night when your face did not accompany me to sleep. There has not been a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids…” My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches… Sentence types? Language devices? Individual words of importance?
On becoming a better person: The Princess Bride, by William Goldman “Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches… I have stayed these years in my hovel because of you. I have taught myself languages because of you. I have made my body strong because I thought you might be pleased by a strong body. I have lived my life with only the prayer that some sudden dawn you might glance in my direction. I have not known a moment in years when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my rib cage. I have not known a night when your face did not accompany me to sleep. There has not been a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids…” I have stayed these years in my hovel because of you. I have taught myself languages because of you. I have made my body strong because I thought you might be pleased by a strong body. I have lived my life with only the prayer that some sudden dawn you might glance in my direction. Sentence types? Language devices? Individual words of importance?
On becoming a better person: The Princess Bride, by William Goldman “Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches… I have stayed these years in my hovel because of you. I have taught myself languages because of you. I have made my body strong because I thought you might be pleased by a strong body. I have lived my life with only the prayer that some sudden dawn you might glance in my direction. I have not known a moment in years when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my rib cage. I have not known a night when your face did not accompany me to sleep. There has not been a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids…” I have not known a moment in years when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my rib cage. I have not known a night when your face did not accompany me to sleep. Sentence types? Language devices? Individual words of importance?
On becoming a better person: The Princess Bride, by William Goldman “Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches… I have stayed these years in my hovel because of you. I have taught myself languages because of you. I have made my body strong because I thought you might be pleased by a strong body. I have lived my life with only the prayer that some sudden dawn you might glance in my direction. I have not known a moment in years when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my rib cage. I have not known a night when your face did not accompany me to sleep. There has not been a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids…” There has not been a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids… Sentence types? Language devices? Individual words of importance?
1. temporary: A) enters their mind B) throw insults C) only lasting for a short time D) (not relating to the human body E) will 2. erupts: A) stories B) crying C) landed on D) selfish E) suddenly becomes visible/shoots matter up and out 3. subsides: A) lessens B) (appearing true but maybe not really true) C) restores D) attempts/tries E) loved and respected 4. entwined: A) fear B) mixed up C) blood-disease-related D) empty of people E) upset 5. inconceivable: A) surrounded B) causes C) covers D) unthinkable E) isn't one of the 6 . breathlessness : A) most wonderful/most God-related B) gets upset C) related to airplane and rocket electronics D) the state of having difficulty breathing E) guess 7. promulgation : A) change B) announcing and teaching C) cut D) being awake at night and asleep during the day E) very 8. eternal : A) related to events without scientific proof B) little C) were gotten/caused D) organisms that live and work well with other organisms E) never-ending 9 . fortunate : A) floating or hovering B) lucky C) oldest and worst-smelling D) written versions E) places to clearly see things 10. accident : A) predictors of something bad B) produced/gave up a C) sudden unplanned bad event D) to remove mistakes E) responsibility for behaviour
Don’t forget to revisit the mind-map now, adding any fresh ideas, perspectives or viewpoints on love and relationships you’ve taken away from the six short extracts.
Write a description of a beach used as a holiday destination for couples.
Sources B – F are poems by Carol Ann Duffy. She is famed for offering some unique insights into love and relationships. Study these poems, trying to make connections between them. If you make these connections you should be able to answer the overall ‘big question’ --- What does Carol Ann Duffy think about love and relationships?
Hour by Carol Ann Duffy Love’s time’s beggar, but even a single hour, bright as a dropped coin, makes love rich. We find an hour together, spend it not on flowersor wine, but the whole of the summer sky and a grass ditch. For thousands of seconds we kiss; your hairlike treasure on the ground; the Midas light turning your limbs to gold. Time slows, for here we are millionaires, backhanding the night so nothing dark will end our shining hour,no jewel hold a candle to the cuckoo spithung from the blade of grass at your ear,no chandelier or spotlight see you better lit than here. Now. Time hates love, wants love poor,but love spins gold, gold, gold from straw.4442= 14 Before we even read the words, what form of poem is this? Therefore, what would you expect it to be about? AO2 explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6_9V_nkZXM
Hour by Carol Ann Duffy Love’s time’s beggar, but even a single hour, bright as a dropped coin, makes love rich. We find an hour together, spend it not on flowersor wine, but the whole of the summer sky and a grass ditch. For thousands of seconds we kiss; your hairlike treasure on the ground; the Midas light turning your limbs to gold. Time slows, for here we are millionaires, backhanding the night so nothing dark will end our shining hour,no jewel hold a candle to the cuckoo spithung from the blade of grass at your ear,no chandelier or spotlight see you better lit than here. Now. Time hates love, wants love poor,but love spins gold, gold, gold from straw.4442= 14Duffy’s poem is a sonnet and therefore we can expect it to be about the theme of love. Duffy uses the form of her poetry to establish the theme. AO2 explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings.
Hour by Carol Ann Duffy Duffy’s poem ‘Hour’ stresses how time is valuable if spent with a loved one. It presents the quite traditional idea that time is an obstacle to lovers. It contrasts time spent with a loved one with money spent on a loved one, and suggests that simply being together is more important than material things. There are negative elements to the poem: ‘Time hates love, wants love poor…’ but ultimately the poem is a positive one which champions the idea that love conquers all.
Hour by Carol Ann Duffy AO3 explain links between texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects. The poem features a lot of comparisons, including the following two similes: ‘bright as a dropped coin’‘your hair like treasure’ as well as general comparisons between traditional romantic ideas like ‘flowers or wine’ and more private, intimate ideas like ‘the whole of the summer sky and a grass ditch’. Conflicting ideas in this poem are used to present the idea that love is a good thing. How does this differ from Shakespeare’s use of ‘ancient’ + ‘new’ or his use of juxtaposition in ‘death-mark’d love’?
Hour by Carol Ann Duffy AO3 explain links between texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects. ‘nothing dark will end our shining hour’‘love spins gold, gold, gold from straw’ At a basic level, Duffy is saying that love will endure and can make the best out of a bad situation. How is this different to how Shakespeare presents love in the Prologue?
Hour by Carol Ann Duffy When considering the following extension questions, be sure to focus on how Duffy explores the ideas of love and/or hate. The poem is a modern one – 2005: does this affect the way the reader responds to the fact that it is a sonnet? Do we expect the same things of sonnets that Shakespeare’s audience would have done? Why are there so many references to light? bright, light, candle etc. Duffy’s rhyming is imperfect: (hair/here) and (hour/ear). Why do you think this is? Does this differ from Shakespeare’s use of rhyme? Do you think the poem is a good and effective presentation of the theme of love? Why?
How is love like an onion?
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. Knowledge: Duffy uses ‘Valentine’ to explore her views on love and relationships.Skills: Close reading of the poem, exploring language and structural choices and how they effect the reader. Understanding: Produce annotations around the poem to help you write well about it.
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. The title conjures ideas of love and romance, but the first word of the poem is the negative ‘not’ so we know straight away that Duffy is rejecting these stereotypical views and ideas. The soft alliteration of ‘red rose’ and the positive adjective ‘satin’ suggest that there is merit to these traditional gifts, yet we are still told that the speaker of the poem is rejecting them. This is a thought-provoking opening line, set aside as a single stanza to give emphasis. The line is a sentence fragment , suggesting that we’ve joined the speaker part-way through something, or that the speaker’s thoughts are themselves disjointed and nonsensical.
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. Having rejected the typical, traditional gifts, we learn that the speaker is instead giving an onion. This novel, unexpected gift shows that the speaker of the poem is attempting to break from the norm.The extended metaphor of the onion is used to make several comments about the true nature of love, which we’ll explore in more detail. It is also, though, a meta-comment on the nature of Duffy’s poem – she has filled the poem Valentine with many layers, and so uses the image of an onion to express this. The use, and proximity, of the personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘you’ lend the poem an intimacy and a sense of closeness it may otherwise have lacked.
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. The first analogue drawn between love and an onion is that “it is a moon wrapped in brown paper.” Moons are traditional romantic symbols . Is the speaker rejecting tradition, and breaking from ‘the norm’, or not? ‘wrapped’ suggests a gift – is love a ‘gift’? Is that not a bit transactional and impersonal? ‘brown’ is a typically unattractive colour. It obviously applies to the onion, but what might it suggest about the external appearance of love? ‘paper’ is thin and weak – what does this suggest?
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. The second analogue drawn between love and an onion is that “It promises light//like the careful undressing of love.” ‘Light’ is juxtaposed with the idea of night-time established through reference to the moon, and contrasted with the colour ‘brown’ The ‘light’ is the inner core of the onion; what does this suggest about the progression of love in a relationship? ‘Promises’ tells us about the speaker’s views of the nature of relationships ‘like the careful undressing of love’ is a simile which suggests the speakers feels sexual, intimate love is an important aspect of a relationship. ‘Careful’ suggests care and compassion. The image of peeling an onion – how does that relate to love and romance?
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. The speaker goes on to use the single word line ‘Here’ before continuing with “It will blind you with tears//like a lover.”The ‘here’ is forceful and commanding, which jars with the sentimentality of ‘the careful undressing of love’ which precedes it. The idea of love making you “blind” is potentially a positive one – the saying “love is blind” is about overcoming the superficial and loving people for more than just their looks… But it’s obviously a negative when connected to the idea of tears. The implication here is that love can be traumatising and upsetting.
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. Duffy continues by saying “It will make your reflection a wobbling photo of grief.” The image here is of a jaded lover, crying in front of a mirror. This reiterates the idea that love can be distressing and upsetting. What’s more, the fact that it makes “your reflection a wobbling photo of grief” has several implications: Love changes how you see yourself… The word ‘grief’ is related to death and loss… ‘Wobbling’ seems quite cute and jovial, which implies a relationship between the fun and the depressing…
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. The next single line stanza is “I am trying to be truthful.” The harsh consonance of ‘trying… tr uthful’ implies some difficulty in expressing these thoughts and opinions. This is backed up by the fact that the speaker is only ‘trying’ – does this imply that the speaker is not succeeding in being truthful? Considering the poem is about loving relationships, the primacy given to ‘I’ rather than ‘You’ is telling. Duffy starts lines with ‘I’ several times – perhaps the speaker puts themselves first all of the time during relationships?
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. The next single line stanza is “Not a cute card or a kissogram.” The soft, flowing alliteration of ‘red rose’ has given way to the harsher ‘cute card or a kissogram ’ – the speaker’s views of love have developed from being even remotely positive to now being cutting and negative.
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. Duffy repeats “I give you an onion.” Is love repetitive? Does the speaker feel that relationships are just the same thing, time after time? Or is the gift-giving just a repeated effort to save a failed/failing relationship?
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. The next comparison drawn between love and an onion is: “Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips, possessive and faithful, as we are, for as long as we are.”The sibilance of ‘fierce kiss’ suggests a hostility and an ominous atmosphere not yet seen in the poem. ‘Possessive and faithful’ seem like positive adjectives , but there’s something vaguely threatening about these lines. Why would a lover be talking about faithfulness and qualifying it with ‘for as long as we are’? The pronouns shift from “I” + “you” to “we” – despite the idea of an unfaithful relationship, there’s a new sense of togetherness…
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. The next stanza begins “Take it.” The relationship is now defined by commands and forcefulness, through the use of the imperative verb, as though the other person doesn’t want to receive what the speaker has to offer – be it an onion, or love itself… “Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring//if you like.” The image of an eternal, looping ring, and the reference to a wedding ring seem positive and optimistic, but this contrasts with the verb choice of ‘shrink’ which seems restrictive and choking. The qualifier of “if you like” is at odds with the earlier command to “Take it”. Is the speaker confused? Changing their mind? Making up for having been so commanding earlier?
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. The final stanza begins with the one word “Lethal”. This is further evidence of sentence fragments demonstrating a disjointed, broken frame of mind. It is worrying and suggests death.The final comparison drawn between an onion and love is that “its scent will cling to your fingers, cling to your knife.” The idea of love lingering around, its after effects remaining long after it’s over, is negative The repetition of ‘cling’ is worrying The image of the knife, combined with ‘lethal’, suggests that the relationship is set for a starkly negative ending
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy Not a red rose or a satin heart. I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.It promises lightlike 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.I give you an onion.Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,possessive and faithfulas 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. The poem’s structure is developmental, just like the relationships it discusses.The imagery and comparisons of the extended metaphor begin innocent enough, with a ‘moon’, ‘light’ and ‘the careful undressing of love’ all having exclusively positive connotations . By the poem’s end, though, it’s all about ‘grief’, a ‘fierce kiss’ and a ‘knife.’ Duffy is charting, through the poem’s structure, how relationships can begin sweet but end up bitter.
Don’t forget to revisit the mind-map now, adding any fresh ideas, perspectives or viewpoints on love and relationships you’ve taken away from studying the work of Carol Ann Duffy.
Analyse these two sonnets by William Shakespeare. How does he convey his view on love in these two poems?
Don’t forget to revisit the mind-map now, adding any fresh ideas, perspectives or viewpoints on love and relationships you’ve taken away from studying two sonnets by William Shakespeare.
Source H – To His Lost Lover by Simon Armitage Independently, explore what this poem means. Discuss in groups and be prepared to feedback to the whole class.
Source I is a contemporary non-fiction account of love and relationships. Read it: Firstly for meaning – what is Jamie Varon telling usSecondly for craft – how is Jamie Varon convincing us
Source J is a non-fiction account of how dangerous ‘love and relationships’ can be. Read it and discuss it as a class.
Source K is a very brief introduction to Elizabethan wedding customs. Read & discuss. Summarise. Compare to your understanding of contemporary wedding customs.