Carol Ann Duffys Valentine is an original and intriguing poem. Initially, the poem appears to be appertained with giving an unusual gift for St. Valentines Day.

uninspired, perhaps even meaningless, choices of gifts. By rejecting this soppy view of love, Duffy’s poem is both more relevant and interesting to the reader, and convinces the reader that loves in the poem is original and genuine (as is her choice of gift).          Moreover, the poem’s imagery is original and is integral to understanding the theme of love in the poem. Duffy uses an onion as a metaphor for love: ‘I give you an onion…a moon wrapped in brown paper.’ The speaker has given their lover an onion as they consider it an original, thoughtful gift. The onion is used as an extended metaphor for love throughout the poem, as it is an idea Duffy returns to. This metaphor and argument is realistic and convincing: an onion has many layers (or aspects) and it can induce tears (‘it will blind you with tears’).          In addition, Duffy uses another metaphor to describe the onion: ‘It is a moon wrapped in brown paper’. This is an appropriate and convincing description, as the moon is a conventional romantic symbol. In mythology, it was thought that the moon had the power to govern women’s passions, and is linked to Diana, the Roman moon goddess. Also, the moon is ‘wrapped in brown paper’, where the brown paper is like the outer skin of the onion, and supports the idea that it’s a gift (‘wrapped’). The image created is one of hope and romance: the luminous white of the onion visually contrasts with the dull brown colour of the paper bag. Also, the colour white has connotations of purity, sincerity and morality; further convincing the reader of Duffy’s argument.          Continuing the metaphor of love as being like an onion, Duffy writes ‘It promises light, like the careful undressing of love’. This is a persuasive image, which describes the optimism of love, and the persona’s view of love. The moon symbolically suggests hope, which ‘promises light’ – in a literal sense, this is true, as the moon gives light in a time of darkness, but in a metaphorical sense it offers enlightenment, or understanding, of love. ‘The careful undressing of love’ reveals a gentle nature and suggests that at this stage in the poem love is filled with hope. These images reveal a convincing view of genuine love, and further support Duffy’s argument and central metaphor.          Furthermore, structure is an important element of the poem, as it convinces the reader of Duffy’s realistic and genuine view of love. The sonnet form is often associated with love, romance and elevated language; however, Duffy employs an unadorned free verse structure, which reflects the naturalness and authenticity of the persona’s love.         The often short length of lines in the poem (“Here…Take it…”) reveal the poem is disjointed with no regular structure – this suggests and reflects the idea that love isn’t structured or ordered. This further convinces the reader that the love is genuine.          Moreover, Duffy engages the reader’s senses to support her argument, by creating striking visual images (‘a moon…’), using touch (‘fierce kiss’, ‘cling’) and appeals to our sense of smell (‘Its scent…’). By using this technique, Duffy convinces the reader of the uniqueness and originality of her gift, and her argument.            In addition, Duffy utilises language to convince the reader that the love in the poem is genuine. The poem is written colloquially (‘Not a cute card…’), adding credibility to it. The language reflects the simplicity of the persona’s love – it is straightforward and honest. The use of personal pronouns (and of first person narration) creates a sincere and personal tone (‘I am trying to be truthful’), once again convincing the reader of Duffy’s argument.          However, Duffy’s word choice suggests an ambiguity in the love between the poem’s two lovers. Initially, the connotations of words including ‘promise’, ‘light’, ‘lover’, and ‘truthful’ are positive. Yet, there is a clear turning point where love is described with words which have negative connotations: ‘fierce’, ‘possessive’, ‘lethal’ and ‘knife’. This calls into question whether love is genuine in the poem, specifically, if it is reciprocated to the persona...         In conclusion, Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Valentine’ is a poem which examines the importance of love and relationships, in a direct and simple style. The sincerity of the poem’s lovers is convincing to great extent, however, the reader isn’t completely convinced. Duffy’s implicit argument, of metaphorically comparing an onion to love, is intriguing, original and convincing: what she ultimately suggests is that perhaps love is a complicated mystery, like life itself.