Carol ann duffy was born to a roman catholic family in the gorbals, a poor part of glasgow. Dame carol ann duffy dbe frsl honfba honfrse born 23 december 1955 is a british poet and playwright. A notated copy of carol ann duffy s poem valentine. Carol ann duffy and a summary of valentine valentine is a poem that offers an unconventional approach to the traditional, romantic, commercially driven idea of a sugar coated valentines day. She went to university of liverpool and got a philosophy degree in 1974. She was the first woman, the first scottishborn poet, and the first lgbt poet to hold the position.
Review of carol ann duffys poem, valentine a poem which deals with the subject of love through strong human emotion is valentine written by carolann duffy. Many of her poems are part of the british school and. Throughout the poem she shows the positive and negative sides about love by comparing love to an onion. Feb 11, 2016 valentine by carol ann duffy, read by russ kick. Analysis of poem valentine by carol ann duffy owlcation. Gcse poetry analysis valentine by carol ann duffy smart. Men, women, and representation in duffys the worlds wife. The first woman poet laureate of the united kingdom, carol ann duff is a muchadmired, awardwinning female poet. In 200919 she served as the first woman poet laureate of great britain. She was the daughter of mary nee black and frank duffy, an electrical fitter. She is a professor of contemporary poetry at manchester metropolitan university, and was appointed britains poet laureate in may 2009, resigning in 2019. Carol ann duffy is an awardwinning british poet and childrens book writer.
She attended saint austins rc primary school, went on to josephs convent school and then stafford girls high school. The theme of love in carol ann duffys valentine 748. In this post we will explore the poetic devices of the poem and how we can interpret the imagery used by duffy. Quotations by carol ann duffy, british poet, born december 23, 1955. May 05, 2009 carol ann duffy, the first woman poet laureate, explores many different themes in this selection of poems from childhood memories to relationships.
The poem has an unusual structure to match its unusual subject matter, and uses a variety of literary techniques. In a special valentines day book club, carol ann duffy reads from a collection featuring the best of her love poetry. This essay will be exploring the use of language and imagery in the poem valentine by carol ann duffy to emphasise certain emotions within the text. Valentine poem by carol ann duffy famous poets and poems. Carol ann duffy, the first woman poet laureate, explores many different themes in this selection of poems from childhood memories to relationships. The speaker gives her lover an onion as opposed to a rose or a satin heart. Carol ann duffy is an awardwinning scottish poet who, according to danette dimarco in mosaic, is the poet of postpost war england. One of my favorite contemporary love poems, a moving explanation of why an onion not chocolate or a card is the perfect, most realistic gift. Even though she never views herself as a feminist poet, her poems, especially in her collection the worlds wife, are closely. The title is a signifier has many meanings as the word valentine is associated with love, chocolates, gifts, roses, cards, hearts, letters, flowers, cupid etc. The poets attitude to love is unusual as she provides a different perspective on how we can look at it by describing the unconventional and pessimstic side of life. Review of carol ann duffys poem, valentine essay carol. Her writing talent was recognized by some of her teachers.
In this post we will explore the poetic devices of the poem and how we can interpret the. The introduction paragraph states what pov, topic literal and metaphorical or symbolic and also theme briefly the poet uses. I recently bought her book rapture, which is probably one of the best poetry books i have ever read. This poem expresses love and affection in the form of a conceit whereby the symbol of love being offered by the persona is an. It shines the spotlight on that most common of everyday kitchen vegetables, the onion, and infuses it with drama and symbolism. A series of comprehension questions based on the poem valentine by carol anne duffy. Following on from the series of maccaig poems, weve prepared 6 new poetry revision videos which cover the carol ann duffy poems set for. The poem valentine is about giving readers a realistic picture of love rather than an idealistic one home. Carol ann duffys valentine ultimately depicts a highly cynical attitude towards love and conventional gestures of affection. How does carol ann duffy present relationships in quick draw and valentine. Valentine by carol ann duffy analysis guide teaching. Carol ann duffy and fay weldon both deal with different aspects of a common theme of relationships. Carol ann duffy, poet to valentine, is one of britains most famous poets. Valentine valentine higher english revision bbc bitesize.
Carol ann duffy has a unique way of expressing her love in an unconventional way through this profound work of poetry. Valentine by carol ann duffy, read by russ kick youtube. The first female, scottish poet laureate in the roles 400 year history, carol ann duffys combination of tenderness and toughness, humour and lyricism. Feb 14, 20 in a special valentine s day book club, carol ann duffy reads from a collection featuring the best of her love poetry. The title suggests love as valentines day is a day to celebrate love on the 14th of february not a red rose or a satin heart, i give you an onion. Duffy is best known for writing love poems that often take the form of monologues. Valentine is a poem that offers an unconventional approach to the traditional, romantic, commercially driven idea of a sugar coated valentines day. The family moved to england when duffy was six years old.
Valentine analysis by carol ann duffy ba english notes. We were, indeed, great friends, and oft i sought his office, near where. Reading valentine a poem by carol ann duffy youtube. The word valentine might make you think of quite traditional love poem. This essay will be exploring the use of language and imagery in the poem valentine by. She was born in glasgow and raised in england from the age of seven, where, even. Duffy deliberately avoids the use of language or imagery that we associate with this type of poetry. Read this biography to learn more about her childhood, life, works, achievements and timeline. Carol ann duffy biography childhood, life achievements. Duffy tries to challenge the traditional ideas and commercialisation of love whilst following a nonlinear structure to try and highlight how everyones experience with love and relationships is different. Within our learning community we are fully committed to providing opportunities for every pupil to achieve success, to make friends, to discover new talents and to. Duffy s aim is to invert the familiar expressions of love. Her poetry tends to deal with difficult subject matters and is often written in first person in the form of a dramatic. Carol ann duffys valentine how to analyse poetry youtube.
Valentine by carol ann duffy is a humorous poem, which explores the concept of love, likening it to an onion. Poetry is in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus or just whats in your heart. Her poetry tends to deal with difficult subject matters and is often written in first person in the form of a dramatic monologue, usually aimed directly at the reader as is the case with valentine. Overview of poem valentine is the first poem featured in the relationships section of the edexcel gcse poetry anthology, and it is an excellent poem to study for language devices. This is a poem that does not meet our expectations after weve read the title. She implies that love is not always sweet, but can be sharp, cutting and can result in tears, just like the scent and taste of an. Jan 22, 2019 valentine by carol ann duffy is a humorous poem, which explores the concept of love, likening it to an onion. Valentine by duffy is from a collection of poems entitled mean time 1993 and expresses affection in a relationship in the form of a conceit, whereby the symbol of relationships being offered by the speaker is an unconventional onion.
It is particularly suited as a possible starter poem for looking at poetry regarding love through the ages for aqa english literature alevel, but is certainly accessible. Valentine is a poem that offers an unconventional approach to the traditional, romantic, commercially driven idea of a sugar coated valentines. Valentine and stealing by carol ann duffy 961 words 4 pages valentine and stealing, by carolann duffy for ideas only, do not copy in valentine and stealing, carolann duffy uses an extended metaphor which helps the reader relate to what the poet is trying to get across, and to understand what the feelings are of the. Valentine by carol ann duffy is an irregular poem with a direct tone. Analysis of the poem valentine for gcse english literature. Valentine poem carol anne duffy comprehension questions. Carol ann duffy rejects the usual valentine gifts, suggesting that they are too. In lieu of a valentine sweet love and i had oft communed. She spurns traditional expressions of love in favor a nontraditional valentines day gift, claiming that it symbolized love in a much more realistic way than roses or heart shaped candies. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the poetry of carol ann duffy.
This poem comes from carol ann duffys 1993 collection mean time. Carol ann duffy, born in scotland but raised in england, is well known for her dramatic poetry and her exploration of. Carol ann duffy explores the concept of love through unusual comparisons and imagery. The language is very simple and gets straight to the point. Valentine by carol ann duffy scottish poetry library. Carol ann duffy was uk poet laureate, a post she held until 2019. Mar 29, 20 valentine is the first poem featured in the relationships section of the edexcel gcse poetry anthology, and it is an excellent poem to study for language devices. A ladies maid considers the voluptuous life of her mistress upstairs as. She was born in glasgow and raised in england from the age of seven, where, even from a young age, she showed a great command of poetic skills. The notations are certainly not exhaustive, but rather provide a starting point for further class discussion and analysis. She does this by using different techniques such as language features such as metaphors, simlies, imagery and word structure. Mar 07, 2020 a series of comprehension questions based on the poem valentine by carol anne duffy. The speaker presents their lover with a valentine in the form of an onion, then explains the reasoning behind this unusual gift. It promises light like the careful undressing of love.
Some good poems by carol ann duffy i love duffys poems, i first read duffy in high school, it was salome and i have always remembered it since. Examine the way carol ann duffy presents relationships in valentine. Refer to other poems about relationships in your answer. Lornshill academy is a six year comprehensive school, situated between the village of tullibody and alloa with a student roll of around 1.
The poem uses traditional images of valentine as a starting point, before showing how an onion is much more true to the nature of love. Includes the poem and relevant questions based on contextual detail, meaning, poetic language, structural techniques and the effect on the reader. The poem challenges the stereotypical view of a valentines gift when the speaker presents their lover with the. Valentine is a realistic interpretation of love and the journey taken throughout a relationship. Review of carol ann duffys poem, valentine essay carol ann. Carol ann duffy is a scottishirish poet, born on 23rd december 1955 in gorbals, glasgow. Her poems are accessible and entertaining and yet she is touching, sensitive and witty.
Enjoy the best carol ann duffy quotes at brainyquote. The title suggests love as valentines day is a day to celebrate love on the 14th of february not a red rose or a satin heart, i give you an onion, the reader is immediately taken back by the randomness and obscurity of this valentines day gift. But actually, this is a poem that explores the reality of relationships rather than conventional ideas about. Valentines day, dont mean anything to duffy and they are. Essay, valentine carol ann duffy free essay example. Valentine and stealing by carol ann duffy 961 words.
Valentine poem analysis and notes interpreture english. We dont know who the you is, but perhaps, as its the kind of person who would normally receive a cute card, its a. Valentine by carol ann duffy quotes flashcards quizlet. Jan 08, 2020 carol ann duffy and a summary of valentine valentine is a poem that offers an unconventional approach to the traditional, romantic, commercially driven idea of a sugar coated valentine s day. In valentine, carol ann duffy writes an unconventional love poem that features an onion. In this article, we are going to analyzing the poem valentine by carol ann duffy. Carol ann duffy, british poet whose wellknown and wellliked poetry engaged such topics as gender and oppression, expressing them in familiar, conversational language that made her work accessible to a variety of readers. There is one very good reason why carol ann duffy was chosen as the poet laureate and i was not. Useful to check students understanding after annotating the poem in class. Apr 04, 2016 analysis of the poem valentine for gcse english literature. Duffy is trying to make us see that love is not always rosetinted. Duffy knew that she wanted to become a writer one day.