‘Valentine’ and ‘Stealing’, By Carol-Ann Duffy
FOR IDEAS ONLY, DO NOT COPY
In ‘Valentine’ and ‘Stealing’, Carol-Ann Duffy uses an extended metaphor which helps the reader relate to what the poet is trying to get across, and to understand what the feelings are of the narrator.
Both poems also focus on the thoughts and emotions of the ‘speaker’, both are structured as conversational pieces, meaning you could just use it to talk to someone, and could imagine the reactions of the person they’re talking to. Duffy also never reveals the sex or identity of either person.
In ‘Valentine’ she uses an onion to explain love, going from the idea that it’s really romantic, to how it’s lethal.
“It’s a moon wrapped in brown paper” for an example. Duffy was using a moon because it’s nearly always associated with romance in films and movies.
The “brown paper” is the skin of the onion, meaning that she’s being careful to mention all of the aspects of the onion, and the fact that it’s a gift, because, traditionally, you wrap gifts up.
In ‘Stealing’, Duffy uses a snowman to describe the thief’s emotions, relating to how they are both cold inside.
“A mate/with a mind as cold as the slice of ice/within my own brain.”
The thief thinks that the snowman suits them, because the snowman reflects what he thinks about himself. It means that the thief feels numb an cold inside, that they can’t feel anything, or think they can’t as this is proven later on in the poem.
Both the poems are conversations, though to different people. ‘Valentine’ is to the speaker’s other half, who is anonymous to the reader. The ‘Stealing’ guy seems to be talking to everyone he thinks will listen to him.
‘Valentine’ and ‘Stealing’ both have tones that change throughout the poem.
For an example, ‘Valentine’ starts out that love is happy, that it is great, and sounds like the first part of the poem should be read in a light romantic tone, but reveals more about the poets feelings as we learn about he relationship, and how it’s “possessive and faithful”. “Possessive” is a word which makes the relationship sound like it traps Duffy, away from the world. Possessiveness is usually a bad thing in a relationship, as it means that either the man or the woman is too adamant about their other half talking or spending time with anyone else, when “faithful” is something most relationships long for, or make people happy with their lives because both in a are faithful.
In all poems the theme of Disappointment in love is seen throughout. Duffy focuses on the pain, despair and acrimony that love can bring, whereas Larkin focuses on the dissatisfaction before, during, and after a romantic relationship. Both Duffy and Larkin differ in tone. Duffy takes a more aggressive and dark stance to portray what love can do to a person after a disappointing love life. Duffy also uses this sinister and aggressive stance to try and convey sympathy for the persona from the audience in ‘Never Go Back’ and ‘Havisham’ Whereas Larkin conveys his discontent in love through his nonchalant and dismissive tone, but still concealing the pain that has been brought by love in ‘Wild Oats’ and ‘Talking in bed’.
Both poems are set in the past, and both fathers are manual labourers, which the poets admired as a child. Both poems indicate intense change in their fathers lives, that affected the poet in a drastic way. Role reversal between father and son is evident, and a change of emotion is present. These are some of the re-occurring themes in both poems. Both poems in effect deal with the loss of a loved one; whether it be physically or mentally.
Presentation of Family Relationships in Carol Anne Duffy's Poem Before You Were Mine and in One Poem by Simon Armitage
The speaker’s rocky encounter with her ex-lover is captured through personification, diction, and tone. Overall, the poem recaps the inner conflicts that the speak endures while speaking to her ex-lover. She ponders through stages of the past and present. Memories of how they were together and the present and how she feels about him. Never once did she broadcast her emotions towards him, demonstrating the strong facade on the outside, but the crumbling structure on the inside.
...ing my gut” indicating the mixed up link between the persona and the snowman. This indicates the snowman is symbolising not only the cold in the speakers life but his loneliness, but when he smashes up the snowman, “booted him. Again. Again” the use of truncated sentences and repetition emphasises this action. Here the persona is taking on the role of extortionists, attempting to destroy part of them self. The self destructive behaviour shows the insecure and self loathing persona. The allocation of a profound persona to an individual allows the reader to empathise with the hardships experienced.
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