Love’s Dog (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Romantic   

relationships

The poem is a first-person reflection that addresses a listener only once 

The narrator focuses on their feelings about love rather than speaking intimately to a loved one: 

• This suggests detachment 

Repetition of the speaker’s thoughts suggest introspection:

• Oppositional statements convey a balanced view  

Hadfield offers a less emotional speaker who presents an evaluation of love

Simple repetition of statements provide conclusions:

• But the repetition of contrasting emotions conveys a conflicted voice

The poem is straightforward, yet it  expresses ideas about powerful emotions

The balanced form of Hadfield’s poem implies logic, but she juxtaposes this with repetitive ideas about oppositional emotions to show its influence

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Complex love 

The poem makes use of anaphora to show the complexities of love 

By repeating “What I love” and “What I hate” Hadfield is able to convey love’s contrasting qualities

The list is not regular:

• Some couplets present two things the speaker hates or loves

Mixing up lines presents a conflicted speaker:

• For example, the word “hate” and “loathe” appear in the same couplet

A lack of punctuation deviates from traditional structures

Hadfield’s poem defies typical examples of romantic poetry as it provides no clear voice

Half-rhymes like “diagnosis” and “prognosis” begin the poem:

• These break down by the end with unrhymed  couplets, such as in “bonemeal” and “cigarette”

The poem’s unconventional rhyme scheme contributes to an unstable speaker 

Jen Hadfield’s poem is an abstract reflection that presents love as conflicting and inconsistent

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Intense love 

A semantic field of illness connotes to love’s “symptoms”:

• This is stressed with imagery alluding to alteration, such as “shrinking potion”

The poem’s imagery often connotes to love’s powerful physical impact

The poem implies love is caring and comforting:  

• Relating it to a “petting zoo” connotes to childhood 
• However, the sudden direct address in “its zookeeper - you” implies supervision or control 

Hadfield’s poem shows how the advantages of love are connected closely to the disadvantages:

• She suggests the good things may also be bad

Imagery that alludes to love’s purity is conveyed with “boil-wash” and “truth serum”:

• This is juxtaposed with darker images such as “burnt toast” and “bent cigarettes”

Hadfield shows love’s ability to expose faults or weaknesses:

• Perhaps Hadfield also implies this can be damaging or humbling 

Hadfield makes allusions to adventure stories:

• Words like “pirate” and “doubloons” work alongside “potion” and “Eat me/Drink me”

Hadfield implies love is exciting and imaginative, as well as transformative

Bizarre imagery draws attention to each metaphor so that Hadfield can emphasise the intense nature of love in a pragmatic way

Topic sentence

Both speakers address a romantic partner to convey assured thoughts on love

Evidence and analysis

'Love’s Dog'

'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'

Jen Hadfield’s poem is offered from a personal, first-person perspective:

• The poem is almost exclusively a monologue 
• It addresses a listener, though: “its zookeeper - you”

Barrett Browning’s poem also depicts a speaker’s thoughts directed to a listener:

• The repetitive “I love thee” focuses predominantly on the speaker’s thoughts about love

Hadfield offers an assertive argument using anaphora, listing “What I love” followed by “What I hate”

Barrett Browning’s speaker also builds a strong argument to prove their love:

• Anaphora in many lines builds a list  
• A question begins the poem, “How do I love thee?”
• This is followed with the emphatic reply, “Let me count the ways.”

Hadfield’s speaker conveys certainty with a strong voice: 

• The straightforward statements in each line convey logical thought  

Similarly, Barrett Browning presents an assured speaker:

• In this poem, hyperbole conveys the speaker’s conviction

The poets use strong speakers who are able to clearly express their thoughts on a romantic relationship, and in this way they both deviate from traditional Romantic poetry

Topic sentence

Both speakers describe love as powerfully impactful 

Evidence and analysis

'Love’s Dog' 

'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'

Hadfield conveys the intensity of love with imagery: 

• The speaker says love is a “prognosis” and a “diagnosis”, implying its physical effects

Barrett Browning presents love as similarly consuming, using hyperbolic language:

• The speaker loves with “the depth and breadth and height/My soul can reach”

Hadfield’s poem alludes to the positive and negative elements of love:

• Opposing forces are implied in the couplet referring to “truth serum” and “shrinking potion”

Similarly, Barrett Browning’s list conveys love with contrasting imagery, placing the oxymoronic “Smiles” next to “tears”

Hadfield describes a love that is painful and disorientating: 

• The speaker describes a “boil-wash” and “spin-cycle”

Barrett Browning also alludes to darker themes: 

• The speaker says, “I shall but love thee better after death.”

The poets both present love as intense and highlight its overwhelming effect

Topic sentence

While Hadfield undermines traditional romantic poetry, Barrett Browning’s conventional sonnet elevates it

Evidence and analysis

'Love’s Dog' 

'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'

Hadfield’s poem breaks conventions with its lack of punctuation (other than a dash):

• This creates a less emotional speaker 

In contrast, Barrett Browning uses a Petrarchan sonnet:

• The traditional rhythm creates a passionate speaker

Hadfield‘s speaker uses simple language to convey a down-to-earth tone

In contrast, Barrett Browning elevates love with archaic language and classical references, such as “thee” and “as men strive for right”

Hadfield’s postmodern poem uses everyday items as symbols of love:

• The poem uses metaphorical imagery such as an “burnt toast” and “bent cigarette” 

Keeping with tradition, ‘Sonnet 43’ uses religious imagery to imply pure love:

• The speaker compares their love to “childhood’s faith”
• It is stronger than love for “lost saints”

Hadfield subverts conventional romantic ideas to present a realistic evaluation of love, while Barrett Browning’s Victorian poem alludes to Romantic traditions to present all-encompassing love

Topic sentence

Both poems can be considered postmodern interpretations of romantic relationships 

Evidence and analysis

'Love’s Dog' 

'i wanna be yours'

Hadfield offers a realistic assessment of love:

• The repetitive “What I” emphatically contrasts what the speaker loves and hates about love

Cooper Clarke uses colloquial language to similarly present a realistic portrayal of love, for example “you call the shots” and “wanna”

In 'Love’s Dog' simple rhymes like “me” and “me” create an irreverent tone:

• This is also seen in half-rhymes like “serum” and “potion”

Cooper Clarke creates a casual voice with non-standard grammar and internal rhyme, for example “coffee hot” and “coffee pot”

Both poets undermine traditional presentations of romantic relationships with realist poems that convey authentic reflections on love

Topic sentence

Both poems juxtapose the powerful impact of love with simple imagery 

Evidence and analysis

'Love’s Dog' 

'i wanna be yours'

Hadfield uses an unconventional metaphor to describe love’s power:

• The speaker says love is a “diagnosis” and that they hate its “prognosis”
• Love is a “sick parrot”

Similarly, Cooper Clarke’s symbolism is drawn from everyday life to draw attention to its strength:

• For example, the speaker refers to “setting lotion” and an ”electric heater” 

Hadfield highlights imagery with alliteration: 

• Love is described unconventionally in phrases such as “bird-bones”, “burnt toast and bonemeal” and “bent cigarette”

Cooper Clarke uses auditory devices to defy convention:

• The passion in the relationship is conveyed with alliterative lines like “deep deep deep deep de deep”

'Love’s Dog' refers to mundane things that connote to strong emotions:

• Love is compared to a “boil-wash” and a “spin cycle” to connote to chaotic emotions

Cooper Clarke similarly describes love’s power: 

• The speaker wants to breathe in their partner’s “dust” like a “vacuum cleaner”

Both poets portray love as physically impactful and potentially dangerous 

Topic sentence

Hadfield’s poem is a balanced and conceptual reflection but Cooper Clarke’s lyrical poem conveys a passionate speaker who surrenders entirely to love

Evidence and analysis

'Love’s Dog'

'i wanna be yours'

Hadfield’s poem consists of regular rhyming couplets that represent a balanced voice: 

• Hadfield mirrors lines, such as “What I love” and “What I hate”

Cooper Clarke’s poem, in contrast, is a persistent list using anaphora:

• This creates a persuasive tone that hints at obsession with the repetitive “let me be your”

Hadfield’s speaker presents love as oppositional

The speaker in 'i wanna be yours' is submissive, offering a love that is entire

Hadfield uses magical allusions to acknowledge love’s ability to delude:

• Love is a “shrinking potion”
• The poet refers to the magical story of Alice in Wonderland

• Love is related to treasure (“doubloons”) and pirates to connote adventure

In contrast, Cooper Clarke’s speaker appears overwhelmed by love:

• The speaker says “take me with you anywhere/i don’t care”

Hadfield’s reflective evaluation of love contrasts with Cooper Clarke’s dramatic poem, which presents a fervent speaker’s impassioned submission to a romantic relationship 

Topic sentence

Both poems employ speakers who address a loved one with pragmatism

Evidence and analysis

'Love’s Dog' 

'Valentine' 

Hadfield offers a confident and realistic assessment of love:

• The repetitive “What I” makes the speaker’s self-assured voice the focus of the poem
• Couplets emphatically contrast what the speaker loves and hates about love

Duffy depicts a speaker’s honest assertions on love: 

• The speaker addresses a listener bluntly, “Take it.”

• Anaphora emphasises the confident assessment: “Not a” and “It will” 

In 'Love’s Dog', simple rhymes like “me” and “me” create an irreverent tone:

• This is also seen in half-rhymes like “serum” and “potion”

'Valentine' is also an unconventional romantic poem that uses half-rhyme: 

• A casual tone is created with rhymes like “cling” and “fingers” or “kiss” and “lips” 
• This is also evident in phrases such as “if you like” 

Both poems undermine traditional presentations of romantic relationships with frank speakers who offer balanced ideas about love

Topic sentence

Both poems juxtapose the powerful impact of love using simple imagery 

Evidence and analysis

'Love’s Dog'

'Valentine' 

Hadfield uses an unconventional metaphor to describe love’s power:

• The speaker says love is a “diagnosis” and that they hate its “prognosis”
• Love is a “sick parrot”

Duffy’s symbolic representation of love is a common onion:

• However, Duffy’s comparisons show its physical impact
• It can “blind” you with “tears”
• Sensory language describes its “scent” that will “cling”

Hadfield uses imagery, highlighted by alliteration, to imply darker ideas: 

• Phrases such as “bird-bones”, “burnt toast and bonemeal” and “bent cigarette” describe love negatively 

Duffy’s poem subverts traditional images of romance with cynicism:

• The disdainful tone is created with alliteration (the “red rose” and the “cute card and kissogram”)

'Love’s Dog' refers to mundane things that connote to painful emotions:

• Love is compared to a “boil-wash” and a “spin cycle” to connote to chaotic emotions

Duffy’s metaphor, the onion, is extended to similarly convey the risk inherent in romantic relationships:

• It is described dramatically as  “Lethal.”
• Duffy ends referring to a “knife”

Both poets portray love as complex and potentially dangerous 

Topic sentence

Hadfield’s poem is a symbolic, conceptual reflection while Duffy’s poem depicts a tangible moment in a relationship

Evidence and analysis

'Love’s Dog'

'Valentine' 

Hadfield’s poem consists of regular rhyming couplets that represent a balanced voice: 

• Hadfield mirrors lines, such as “What I love” and “What I hate”

Duffy, in contrast, uses an irregular form to convey an unstable voice:

• Enjambment conveys delight, such as in “It promises light/like the careful undressing of love.”
• Yet this flowing rhythm abruptly ends with sudden isolated lines

Hadfield’s poem is a consistent list, suggesting forethought and clarity 

However, Duffy creates a sense of spontaneity with one-line stanzas like “I am trying to be truthful.”

• Deictic words (“Here”) imply the speaker hands over the gift 

Hadfield relates love to magical and fantastical ideas:

• Love is described as a “shrinking potion”
• The poem refers to the magical story of Alice in Wonderland

• Love is related to treasure (“doubloons”) and pirates to connote adventure

In contrast, Duffy’s presentation of love uses simple household objects like “brown paper”, a “photo” and a “wedding ring” 

Hadfield’s reflective evaluation of love contrasts Duffy’s dramatic characterisation of a lover offering a Valentine’s Day gift