Valentine Flashcards

All 9 cards in this deck

Who wrote ‘Valentine’, and in which collection?

Carol Ann Duffy, in Mean Time (1993).

Which post did Carol Ann Duffy hold from 2009 to 2019?

Poet Laureate, the first woman to hold it.

What gift does the speaker give in ‘Valentine’?

An onion.

What is the first line of ‘Valentine’?

“Not a red rose or a satin heart.”

Which metaphor describes the onion in ‘Valentine’?

“It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.”

Which device runs through the whole of ‘Valentine’?

An extended metaphor: the onion stands for love.

What is the form of ‘Valentine’?

Free verse, with irregular stanzas and some one-word lines.

Which one-word line in ‘Valentine’ warns of love’s danger?

“Lethal.”

What are the main themes of ‘Valentine’?

Honest rather than clichéd love, and love’s pain and possessiveness.