Valentine

Question 1

What is Valentine about?

Answer 1

rejects typical gifts of love, instead an onion represents the power love can have

Question 2

Context

Answer 2

• bi sexual
• former Poet Laureate who often challenges traditional social constructs and stereotypes in her work

Question 3

Who wrote it?

Answer 3

Carol Ann Duffy

Question 4

How are love and relationships presented? (similarities with Cozy Apologia)

Answer 4

• explore deeply personal and private relationships, addressing partners directly and offering an intimate glimpse into the nature of love as they experience it
• use ordinary, everyday objects to present their ideas about love. Duffy uses an onion as a metaphor to convey the layered nature of love, while Dove references everyday items such as a desk to illustrate the comfort and stability found in a loving relationship
• Both poems offer alternatives to societal expectations of love. ‘Valentine’ challenges the conventional symbols of romance. Similarly, ‘Cozy Apologia’ deviates from an idealised version of love and highlights the everyday comfort found in a committed relationship

Question 5

How are love and relationships presented? (differences with Cozy Apologia)

Answer 5

• ‘Valentine’ presents negative feelings around love, portraying it as complex and potentially painful, whereas ‘Cozy Apologia’ presents how love can positively impact a life, depicting a warm and comforting relationship
• In ‘Valentine’, love is presented as a complex and potentially destructive force. Conversely, in ‘Cozy Apologia’ the speaker celebrates love as a source of comfort and stability
• ‘Valentine’ concludes with a cautionary message about love’s potential for pain. In contrast, ‘Cozy Apologia’ ends on a softer note and conveys the enduring memory and comfort the speaker finds in thinking about their loved one