Valentine (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Revision Note

Sam Evans

Author

Sam Evans

Valentine

Each GCSE poetry anthology contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem – printed in full – and asked to compare this printed poem to another. The exam is closed-book, which means you will not have access to the second poem. This does not mean you need to remember every line from memory, but you do need to understand and remember key aspects of the poem. Understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:

  • The meaning of the poem
  • The ideas and messages of the poet 
  • How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods
  • How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology

Below is a guide to Carol Ann Duffy’s poem 'Valentine', from the Relationships anthology. It includes:

  • Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
  • Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
  • Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
  • What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

Exam Tip

The exam question asks you to compare the way relationships are presented in two anthology poems. 

'Valentine', as part of the Relationships anthology, explores themes related to romantic relationships and desire. It is therefore as important that you learn how 'Valentine' compares and contrasts with the way other poems in the anthology present such ideas, rather than understanding the poem in isolation. See the section below on “What to compare it to” for detailed comparisons of 'Valentine' and other poems in the anthology.

Overview

In order to answer an essay question on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

  • The poem in a nutshell
  • A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section
  • A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Carol Ann Duffy’s intention and message

'Valentine' in a nutshell

'Valentine', written by former Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, subverts traditional ideas of romantic relationships with simple imagery that presents a more realistic portrayal of love.

'Valentine' breakdown

Lines 1–2

“Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.”

Translation

  • The poem begins with two images that contrast each other
  • Instead of offering a traditionally romantic “red rose” or “satin heart”, they offer an “onion”

Duffy’s intention

  • Duffy immediately begins the poem with incongruous images
  • Traditional symbols and ideas of love are undermined with the reference to a vegetable

Lines 3–5

“It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.

It promises light

like the careful undressing of love.”

Translation

  • These lines explain the gift of an onion:
    • The onion’s shape and colour is compared to a moon, its skin to “brown paper”
    • The poet alludes to bright and hopeful love (symbolised by the onion) with metaphorical imagery (“it promises light”)
  • A simile compares the peeling of an onion’s layers to lovers “undressing”

Duffy’s intention

  • Duffy’s explanation for the bizarre gift is presented with natural imagery:
    • She refers to the moon and “light”, which are typically romantic images
  • She likens a peeling onion to lovers slowly undressing, alluding to physical desire

Lines 6–10

“Here.

It will blind you with tears

like a lover.

It will make your reflection

a wobbling photo of grief.”

Translation

  • The speaker’s tone is abrupt: “Here.”:
    • This line implies the speaker is giving their lover the onion
  • They go on to describe the onion’s ability to make you cry when you peel it:
    • The speaker says this is like love as it can make you sad and shaken

Duffy’s intention

  • Duffy’s pragmatic speaker uses a short, one-word line to shift the mood
  • Dark imagery highlights how love can disrupt peace and bring “grief”

Line 11–12

“I am trying to be truthful.

Not a cute card or a kissogram.” 

Translation

  • The poet draws attention to the reason for the strange gift with two isolated lines that emphasise the speaker’s desire for honesty
  • The speaker wants to reassure the listener that they are not offering platitudes through a “cute card” or a “kissogram” (a message delivered and accompanied by a kiss)

Duffy’s intention

  • Duffy’s poem uses colloquial references and simple language to amplify the speaker’s honest message about love
  • The poet contrasts the speaker’s “truthful” words with alliteration that implies disdain
  • This undermines traditional messages of love, presenting them as fake or shallow

Lines 13–17

“I give you an onion.

Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,

possessive and faithful

as we are,

for as long as we are.”

Translation

  • These lines reinforces the speaker’s intentions:
    • They say that the onion is a symbol of love because it has a strong taste that is as strong as their commitment to each other
  • The speaker implies that the onion’s strength will last as long as they are “faithful”

Duffy’s intention

  • Duffy draws attention to the intensity of the romantic relationship
  • Words such as “fierce” and “possessive” are highlighted in a single short line
  • The poem begins to sound like an ultimatum as the speaker says the onion and their love will be strong as long as they are loyal to each other 

Lines 18–23

“Take it.

Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring,

if you like.

Lethal.

Its scent will cling to your fingers,

cling to your knife.”

Translation

  • The speaker gives another instruction: the listener must accept the onion gift
  • The speaker describes the onion’s silver layers as “platinum loops”
  • They link this to a wedding ring, and then offer a hesitant “if you like.”
  • As the poem ends, the speaker alludes to danger with an isolated word “Lethal.”
  • They say that the “scent” (smell) when cutting an onion stays on the fingers and the knife

Duffy’s intention

  • Duffy’s poem ends ambiguously, alluding to the pain and risk involved in relationships
  • It is implied that cutting an onion is much like the pain of a broken relationship
  • The “scent” stays with you 

Exam Tip

The exam question asks you to compare the ways poets present ideas about relationships in the poem given to you on the exam paper and one other from the Relationships anthology. For the best answer, you might want to focus on the way themes are presented across the two poems. This is better than providing a list of as many techniques as you can find, or remember. Perhaps you could begin your answer with a clear argument that clarifies how the poems explore relationships. This demonstrates that you have understood the poem and the poet’s intention. For example, “Carol Ann Duffy subverts ideas about traditional and romanticised relationships. Similar themes can be found in…”

Writer’s methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections – form, structure and language – it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have. 

Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Carol Ann Duffy’s intentions behind her choices in terms of:

  • Form
  • Structure
  • Language

Exam Tip

Examiners specifically state that they are not looking for as many techniques as you can find in the poem(s). In fact, it is better to understand the themes in the poem and then use language and structural techniques to support your ideas.  


Identifying sophisticated techniques will not gain you any more marks, especially if these techniques are only “spotted” and the poet’s intentions for this language are not explained. Instead, focus your analysis on the reasons why the poet is presenting their ideas in the way that they do: what is their message? What ideas are they presenting, or challenging?

Form

The form of 'Valentine' is an unconventional approach to traditional presentations of romantic relationships. Duffy’s monologue appears as if the speaker is having a real and physical conversation.  

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Intimate  

relationships

The first-person monologue addresses a listener: “I give you an onion”:

  • Later, the poet suggests a real action is taking place
  • A deictic word implies the speaker is offering the gift, “Here.”
  • An imperative verb in a single line contributes to this idea: “Take it.”

Duffy creates an intimate and instantaneous presentation of a romantic relationship








The poem varies in line and stanza length

An irregular form presents the speaker’s thoughts as genuine and spontaneous

The poem uses three one-line stanzas:

  • Line 11 emphasises the speaker’s frank message: “I am trying to be truthful."
  • The two other one-line stanzas negate idealistic  love, repeating “Not”

Duffy emphasises the idea that the poem is not a typically romantic address to a lover

Duffy’s poem, 'Valentine', is presented as a real piece of dialogue which shows the relationship as tangible and aids Duffy’s realistic portrayal of love

Structure

The poem’s structure creates a speaker whose voice appears life-like and natural. Duffy’s poem is a pragmatic presentation of love.

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Complex love 

The poem is written in free verse with internal or half-rhymes:

  • For example “if you like” and “cling to your knife”

Duffy’s poem, although poetic and musical-sounding, does not adhere to a strict rhyme scheme in order to convey a spontaneous voice

The poem takes place in present tense: “I give you an onion” 

Duffy’s poem creates a sense of immediacy, which conveys urgency

Enjambment and one word lines contribute to an emotional voice:

  • The speaker sounds pained in the lines, “It will blind you with tears/like a lover.” 
  • At other times, the speaker is blunt, suggesting a realistic attitude to love

Duffy’s speaker is reflective:

  • At times they sound cynical, but at other times, they sound powerfully impacted by love

Duffy portrays a speaker who is hurt as well as inspired by love’s various qualities 

 

Language

The poem 'Valentine' uses metaphorical imagery that undermines traditional romantic symbolism. Duffy portrays love as intense, passionate and dangerous. 

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Romantic relationships

The poem’s title and first line alludes to traditional romantic relationships: 

  • Alliteration is used here sarcastically, “Not a red rose”
  • Later, this is used again, “cute card or kissogram”

Duffy sets up an unconventional exploration of romantic relationships by immediately undermining them 

Natural and sensory imagery portray love positively, suggesting it is hopeful and bright: “It is a moon” and it “promises light”:

  • Duffy connotes to physical desire with the comparison of “careful undressing”

While Duffy presents romantic relationships as natural, beautiful and enlightening, she also refers to sensual pleasure

Contrasting imagery conveys the dichotomies of romance: 

  • Duffy’s speaker conveys it as intense, “fierce”
  • It is described as disruptive (“wobbling”) and making you “blind” with “tears”

The symbolic representation of love as an onion conveys its many layers:

  • The poem concludes it is “Lethal”

Duffy’s examination of romantic relationships conveys the intense influence love has on individuals 

Exam Tip

The best answers comment on the way elements of language, form or structure contribute to or support an argument on the presentation of the theme in the question. This means you should aim to deliver an integrated comparison of the themes and ideas in this and the other poem you choose for comparison. Focus on the relevance of the methods used by the poet(s). It is better to structure your answer around an exploration of the ideas in the poems. Stay focused on the task and choose your evidence based on the theme named in the question.

Context

Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information: in this case, it is not random biographical information about Carol Ann Duffy or facts unrelated to the ideas in 'Valentine'. The best way to understand context is as the ideas and perspectives explored by Duffy that relate to romantic and complex relationships. 

This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Duffy explores:

  • Romantic relationships
  • Complex love and desire

Romantic relationships 

  • Carol Ann Duffy, former Poet Laureate, often challenges traditional social constructs and stereotypes in her work
  • Her poem, 'Valentine', spurns established ideas of romance and suggests they are fake:
    • The speaker in the poem stresses “I am trying to be truthful”
    • This is typical of the way Duffy’s poetry deals in realism 
  • Duffy’s poetry offers realistic portrayals of relationships:
    • The poem 'Valentine' uses the metaphor of an onion to describe romantic love, extending this to the idea of cutting it with a knife  
  • Her poem’s speakers often convey their thoughts with disdainful sarcasm or casual nonchalance:
    • In the poem 'Valentine', this is evident in the line “if you like.”
    • The speaker is brusque and blunt: “Here.”
  • The poem is considered an example of post-modernism as it deconstructs ideas that are seen as universal, such as the idea of a “red rose” to symbolise love:
    • The modern poem, published in the 1990s, illustrates aspects of consumerism
    • The poem makes an implication that love has been commercialised with a “satin heart” and a “kissogram” 
  • The poem’s honest portrayal of real love suggests its transience:
    • Duffy’s poem 'Valentine' alludes to temporariness, “for as long as we are”

Complex love and desire

  • Carol Ann Duffy is a Scottish poet who uses simple language to juxtapose intense emotions against mundane and everyday imagery 
  • By offering their lover the gift of an onion, Duffy’s speaker is able to convey the “layers” of love and desire:
    • The poem alludes to “careful undressing” to connote to physical desire
    • However, the speaker is also bitter, suggesting love is “possessive” as well as “faithful” and “fierce”
  • Duffy’s poetry often creates dramatic characterisations that raise the profile of marginalised or unheard voices
  • Her poetry often dramatises arguments, poignant conversations and moments of pain 
  • The poem 'Valentine' is from the anthology Mean Time, which dramatises, arguably, a conversation during which a gift is given for Valentine’s Day:
    • The speaker offers their lover a gift and says, “Take it.” 
  • Duffy’s speakers convey mixed emotions to show the complexities of love:
    • The poem 'Valentine' depicts a conversation that, at times, seems desperate and, at other times, hurt
    • Duffy’s speaker is cynical, suggestive of a pragmatic attitude to love
    • The speaker acknowledges love brings both “light” and “tears” of “grief”

Exam Tip

Remember, you will be expected to demonstrate your understanding of factors in the author’s life that may have influenced the way they have presented their ideas on relationships. 

Context should be connected to the theme named in the task, and can cover aspects of genre (related to poetry), social, literary and historical context, as well as the author’s own personal influences. However, writing a whole paragraph about Carol Ann Duffy is not an integrated approach, and will not achieve high marks. Instead, use contextual comments to support your ideas.

What to compare it to

The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about relationships in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that 'Valentine' explores the ideas of romantic relationships and complex love, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:

  • 'Valentine' and 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'
  • 'Valentine' and 'Love’s Dog'
  • 'Valentine' and 'i wanna be yours'

For each pair of poems, you will find:

  • The comparison in a nutshell
  • Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
  • Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
  • Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

Exam Tip

For the best responses, examiners are looking for perceptive comments about the way themes are presented and conveyed by the language, form and structural techniques. It is therefore important that you have a thorough knowledge of key ideas, such as the way poems end, rather than just memorising a series of quotations. 

It is also essential that you not only write about the named poem, but compare it to one other in the anthology. Only writing about the poem given on the paper will severely limit your marks.

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

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both Carol Ann Duffy’s 'Valentine' and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s ‘Sonnet 43’ present assertive speakers who declare their love to an implied listener. However, while Duffy conveys this in a post-modern poem that defies conventions, Barrett Browning’s sonnet is a classical portrayal of romance. 

Similarities:

Topic sentence

Both poems are intimate addresses to a romantic partner

Evidence and analysis

'Valentine' 

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

Duffy’s first-person speaker addresses their lover and offers a gift: “I give you an onion.”:

  • Using present tense helps create a sense of immediacy 

Barrett Browning’s poem is a direct address to an implied loved one:

  • The repetitive “I love thee” conveys an urgent and persuasive tone

Duffy’s speaker reinforces their argument with an isolated one-line stanza: “I am trying to be truthful.”:

  • The poem uses anaphora to explain the gift
  • This creates a persuasive tone, for example “It will” and “Not a”

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

  • A question begins the poem, “How do I love thee?”, followed by an emphatic reply, “Let me count the ways.”

Duffy’s speaker also presents the intimacy of the relationship with natural imagery: 

  • The onion and their love is a “moon” and it “promises light”

Similarly, Barrett Browning describes love with natural imagery, perhaps love that enlightens:

  • However, imagery connotes to a pure and constant love: “by sun and candle-light”

The poets depict private and personal conversations that speak passionately to a loved one

Topic sentence

Both speakers describe love as powerfully impactful and complex 

Evidence and analysis

'Valentine' 

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

Duffy’s imagery implies love is passionate and intense: 

  • It has a “fierce kiss” that “will cling”

Barrett Browning presents love as similarly consuming using hyperbolic language:

  • They love to the “depth and breadth and height” their “soul can reach”

The poem describes love as both sensual and painful:

  • Imagery connotes to tender love (“careful undressing”), but it can also “blind you with tears”

Similarly, Barrett Browning’s list connects love with an array of emotions: “I love thee with the breath,/Smiles, tears, of all my life”

Duffy ends the poem with a sinister warning in an isolated line: “Lethal.”

Barrett Browning also ends the poem on darker themes: 

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

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

Differences:

Topic sentence

While Duffy undermines typical ideas related to romantic love, Barrett Browning’s sonnet places her poem firmly within established traditions  

Evidence and analysis

'Valentine' 

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

Duffy’s free verse poem consists of irregular stanzas and line lengths, defying conventional patterns of romantic poetry: 

  • She uses half-rhymes and one line stanzas to destabilise the rhythm

In contrast, Barrett Browning uses a sonnet to allude to romantic traditions:

  • The poem uses iambic pentameter, the traditional rhythm of Petrarchan sonnets
  • The sonnet follows a traditional and sustained ABBA CDCDCD rhyme scheme to convey a controlled speaker

Duffy’s speaker is assertive and blunt, giving commands, such as “Take it.”:

  • Simple ideas convey the speaker’s honest evaluation, that love can make you a “wobbling photo of grief”

Barrett Browning’s speaker, on the other hand, declares an unabandoned, innocent (and naive) love:

  • They love with “childhood’s faith”

Duffy’s modern poem uses mundane and everyday objects as symbols of love:

  • Instead of the “red rose” and traditional “satin heart” they offer the gift of an onion
  • Duffy’s alliterative “cute card” creates a sarcastic tone 

Keeping with tradition, ‘Sonnet 43’ uses religious and spiritual imagery to imply the speaker’s love is pure:

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

Duffy subverts conventions to portray a realistic, honest interpretation of romantic love, while Barrett Browning alludes to an idealised love

Exam Tip

It is a good idea to outline your argument in your introduction, providing a clear overview of the overarching themes within both poems. You can then use the theme to move between both poems to illustrate and support your arguments. 

However, this does not mean that you cannot focus on one poem first, and then the other, linking ideas back to the main poem. You should choose whichever structure suits you best, as long as comparison is embedded and ideas for both texts are well-developed.

'Valentine' and 'Love’s Dog' 

Comparison in a nutshell:

This is an effective comparative choice to explore the presentation of romantic love in modern poems. While the poems both convey love as complex, Duffy’s poem is a life-like address to a lover, while Hadfield’s poem is a less immediate, abstract reflection. 

Similarities:

Topic sentence

Both poems employ speakers who address a loved one with pragmatism

Evidence and analysis

'Valentine' 

'Love’s Dog' 

Duffy depicts a speaker’s honest assertions on love: 

  • The speaker addresses an implied listener bluntly, “Take it.”
  • Anaphora emphasises the speaker’s confident assessment: “Not a” and “It will” 

Hadfield also 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’s unconventional romantic poem uses half-rhyme in its poetic, yet realistic characterisation: 

  • 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” 

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

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

Both poems undermine traditional presentations of romantic relationships through their candid and honest speakers

Topic sentence

Both poems juxtapose the powerful impact of love with simple imagery 

Evidence and analysis

'Valentine' 

'Love’s Dog' 

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 also 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 poem subverts traditional images of romance with cynicism:

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

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 metaphor, the onion, is extended to convey the risk inherent in romantic relationships:

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

'Love’s Dog' also 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

Both poets portray love as complex and potentially dangerous 

 Differences:

Topic sentence

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

Evidence and analysis

'Valentine' 

'Love’s Dog'

Duffy 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, in contrast, consists of regular rhyming couplets that represent a balanced voice: 

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

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 

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

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

In contrast, Hadfield relates love to magical and fantastical ideas:

  • Love is a “shrinking potion”
  • The poet refers to the story of Alice in Wonderland
  • Love is related to treasure (“doubloons”) and pirates to connote adventure

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

'Valentine' and 'i wanna be yours'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both poems are modern explorations of romantic relationships and their speakers’ mixed emotions about the complexities of love. However, Carol Ann Duffy’s poem is a pragmatic address to a loved one, whereas John Cooper Clarke’s poem is an interpretation of intense and obsessive love. 

Similarities:

Topic sentence

Both poems examine the troubled thoughts of individuals in romantic relationships

Evidence and analysis

'Valentine'

'i wanna be yours'

The speaker in Duffy’s poem conveys a sense of urgency in their declaration of love:

  • Anaphora of the word “It” or “Its” makes the poem more of a list
  • When offering the gift they instruct bluntly, “Take it.”

Cooper Clarke’s poem, too, conveys a desperate speaker with repetitive phrasing: “i wanna be yours””

  • The speaker urges, “I don’t care/i wanna be yours”

Sensory imagery in 'Valentine' conveys a sense of danger: 

  • The speaker says that love can “blind” with “tears”, and that it is “Lethal.”
  • Duffy refers to a “knife” and a “scent” that will “cling” to “fingers”

Cooper Clarke’s poem also begins with a speaker’s allusion to the chaos of love referring to “breathing in your dust”:

  • Darker emotions are implied in “let me be your raincoat/for those frequent rainy days”

Duffy’s unconventional poem uses simple objects to symbolise passion, such as an onion’s “fierce kiss” and a “photo of wobbling grief”

Cooper Clarke’s poem employs a similar technique: 

  • For example, the speaker wants to be an “electric meter” and a “coffee pot”

As post-modern presentations of love, both poems show the disturbing emotions felt by individuals within romantic relationships

Differences:

Topic sentence

While Duffy’s speaker is cynical and realistic, Cooper Clarke illustrates intense and obsessive love

Evidence and analysis

'Valentine' 

'i wanna be yours'

Duffy emphasises the poem’s honest portrayal with an isolated line: “I am trying to be truthful”

Cooper Clarke’s poem consists of a long, hyperbolic list of ways the speaker wants to belong entirely to their lover

Duffy’s speaker is pragmatic:

  • A one-line stanza creates a blunt tone: “Here.”

Cooper Clarke offers a presentation of unabandoned loyalty:

  • Repetition of “deep devotion” is stressed with rhyme (“ocean” and “emotion”) 

Duffy’s speaker conveys disdain for idealised versions of love through alliteration: “Not a red rose” and “Not a cute card or kissogram”

On the other hand, Cooper Clarke’s poem refers to a deep and passionate love: 

  • The lines “take me with you anywhere/i don’t care” imply an obsessive love

While Duffy’s speaker attempts to offer a genuine expression of love, Cooper Clarke’s speaker expresses an uninhibited declaration of commitment

Exam Tip

Choose whichever poem you are able to make the most in-depth comparisons with in the exam. For example, you could choose to compare the presentation of romance in 'Valentine' and 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'. Or you might wish to explore the idea of complex desire in 'Valentine' and 'Love’s Dog'. What is important is that you view the poems thematically, with a clear emphasis on relationships. This will give you a better framework in which to write your response in the exam.

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Sam Evans

Author: Sam Evans

Sam is a graduate in English Language and Literature, specialising in journalism and the history and varieties of English. Before teaching, Sam had a career in tourism in South Africa and Europe. After training to become a teacher, Sam taught English Language and Literature and Communication and Culture in three outstanding secondary schools across England. Her teaching experience began in nursery schools, where she achieved a qualification in Early Years Foundation education. Sam went on to train in the SEN department of a secondary school, working closely with visually impaired students. From there, she went on to manage KS3 and GCSE English language and literature, as well as leading the Sixth Form curriculum. During this time, Sam trained as an examiner in AQA and iGCSE and has marked GCSE English examinations across a range of specifications. She went on to tutor Business English, English as a Second Language and international GCSE English to students around the world, as well as tutoring A level, GCSE and KS3 students for educational provisions in England. Sam freelances as a ghostwriter on novels, business articles and reports, academic resources and non-fiction books.