Valentine Carol Ann Duffy

How does Carol Ann Duffy use language and imagery to explore love.
Throughout the poem ‘Valentine’ love is explored in different ways for example in the first stanza ‘careful undressing of love’ has various meanings, one being the comparison of the onion which is supposed to mirror her heart, the core of her love; to get to her heart you have to take time to remove each layer of emotion in contrast to an onion where to get to the core you have to remove the layers of skin. You must be careful with love to get reap its benefits, just as you would be careful when cutting an onion. The second meaning is that the ‘undressing’ could be in the sexual way as having sex is a form of showing love and emotion. She has used personification of the onion, could be in reference to the human feature of taking off your clothes in to add some imagery for the reader.
Throughout the poem Duffy uses subtle sentences that have double entendres which also indicates what happens in a relationship and what occurs when dealing with onions, ‘blind you with tears’ in a relationship tears with be shed whether for joy or sadness in contrast to an onion which makes you cry because of a chemical reaction. Another of Duffy’s double entendres ‘its fierce kiss will stay on your lips, possessive and faithful’, when you eat an onion raw the stench and aroma with stay with you until you are ready to get rid of it. Similar to a relationship, once you’ve broken up with your long term partner it takes a while for their aroma and presence to leave. Duffy chooses to challenge the conventional symbols of love like a ‘red rose’ or ‘satin heart’. She rejects societies ideas, refuses to conform to societies ideologies of love and it gimmicks that are associated with valentine’s day by, using negative works such as ‘not’. In its replacement Duffy uses an onion to reflect her ideas of what love truly is. Which is very peculiar and not stereotypical of a female as onion is thought of as a repulsive and unappealing and females are usually the ones who are usually the ones the receiving end of the gifts affiliated with Valentines. But according to Valentine, an onion is more faithful and shows the true nature of love in comparison to the ‘cute cards or a kissogram’.