Valentine Carol Ann Duffy Poem Analysis

1.    Theme: what themes do you notice in the poem? Explain how the themes contribute to your understanding of the poem

The main theme present in the poem Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy is love. The metaphorical reference to the onion further reinforces the fact that love is complicated and that you must be patient with love or you will end up being heart broken. The theme contributed to my understanding to the poem because using a metaphor helped me visualize love with an object. I was able to visualize how peeling an onion and the consequences of cutting an onion relate to love. At first, it is easy to peel off the outer layer of an onion, but as you dig in, it becomes more difficult to peel in. This is in relation to love because it is easy to fall in love but being able to understand your partner and maintain a healthy relationship is difficult.

2.    Do you agree or disagree with the poem? Explain your thinking.

I agree with the poem because there is a great connection with love and an onion. Onions have a strong odour that often stays on you for a while when you cut them and the odour is so strong that it can make you cry when you cut them. Love is similar to an onion because like an onion, love is very strong as it can affect you emotionally if you get sucked in and it can take a long time to overcome a breakup. In addition, I agree with the poem because the author showcases that you must be patient with love and you must be able to take things slow in a relationship rather than trying to move fast. In doing so, you will be able to understand and truly value your partner.

3.    Jot down and respond to a favourite line or favourite image. What specifically do you like about the poem? Be specific, pay attention to beautiful words, phrases and language.

My favourite line from the poem is “Lethal. Its scent will cling to your fingers, cling to the knife”. This line is significant because like the scent of onion, love is difficult to remove or shake off. For example when someone ends a relationship with someone they love a lot, it is difficult to move on. Similarly from the poem, when you cut onions, the strong scent can stay on your fingers and even if you try to wash it off, it may take a few days from the scent to be fully removed from your fingers. That is why if someone goes through a breakup it could take days, weeks, or even months to move on which is similar to the scent on onions in your fingers. 

4.    What is this poem saying? What ideas is the poem conveying?

The poem is trying to portray the author’s message that we must be patient and careful with love or we will end up being heart broken. For example the lines “Take it, Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring, if you like”, demonstrate how if we take our time with love, we will be rewarded in the end with a wedding ring ending in marriage. Hence, it is key to take time in a relationship to truly understand and cherish each other which ultimately requires patience. Like peeling the platinum loops, it takes time together to build a strong and healthy relationship.

5.    Personal connections: is there any way in which you relate to anything in the poem?

I can relate the poem to the many relationships that Barry Allen had from the show called The Flash. In the show, Barry Allen is secretly the superhero The Flash and every relationship that he was in, he tried moving his relationships to the next level too quickly. As a result, none of his relationships ended up working out for him because he did not have patience and he was always heartbroken. Finally, after meeting the right girl, he took his time to truly understand her and took his relationship slowly. Ultimately in the end, he was rewarded with marriage as she was the girl of his dreams and they lived happily throughout the show. Barry Allen’s actions correlates to the poem because the author’s main message of the poem is that we must be patient with love in order to have a successful and loving relationship. Barry Allen was not patient with his previous relationships, but he later learned to be patient with his other relationship which is why it was successful and ended in marriage.