Compare the three poems 'Valentine' by Carol Anne Duffy and the two Shakespearean poems 'My Mistress' Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun' and 'Sonnet XVIII'.

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Sam James

GCSE Coursework - Poetry Comparison

I have chosen to come the three poems ‘Valentine’ by Carol Anne Duffy and the two Shakespearean poems ‘My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun’ and ‘Sonnet XVIII,’ as I feel they are three poems that can be compared well together. There are a multitude of similarities and differences shared between the three poems. The main similarity that is shared is the theme of love, although it is expressed in very different ways.

The poem ‘Valentine’ written by Carol Anne Duffy, unusually compares the feelings of love to that of an onion. This is done by comparing the various aspects of love, for example a wedding ring, which is compared to the ‘platinum loops’ of an onion. The Shakespearean poem ‘Sonnet XVIII’ is written in sonnet format, typical of Shakespeare’s style. As with the poem ‘Valentine’ love is compared to something else. In this case it is compared to something more that one would expect, this being a fine summers day. ‘My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun’ another poem written by Shakespeare again takes the format of a sonnet. This poem however has a different style to the other poems, giving false comparisons of someone Shakespeare is writing the poem to.

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The main similarity of the three poems is that they share the theme of love. There is also an array of other similarities shared between them. The two poems ‘Valentine,’ and ‘Sonnet XVIII’ are similar, in that they both compare the aspect of love to something else. ‘Valentine’ compares love to an onion, and ‘Sonnet XVIII’ compares love to various features of a summer’s day. The comparisons of love to something else in these two poems, become clear in the opening two lines. The poem ‘Valentine’ opens with the line, ‘Not a red rose or a satin heart, I ...

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