Valentine: Stanza Four

“Valentine: Stanza Four: Themes”

Reality of Love

  • The fourth stanza of “Valentine” discloses the stark, unromantic aspects of love, portraying it as potentially violent and lethal.
  • This stanza shatters traditional, overly-romanticised notions of love, thereby projecting a realistic image.

Contrasts and Irony

  • Duffy uses contrast and irony effectively to challenge conventional perceptions of love. Using an onion, commonly associated with pungent smells and tears, as a symbol of love is an example.
  • The use of “lethal” to describe a lover’s scent is a powerful contradiction to the expected soothing or enticing aspects.

The Unexpected

  • The mention of an onion’s scent being potentially lethal highlights the unexpected twists and turns in a relationship.
  • It suggests that even something seemingly benign in a relationship can hold the potential for harm.

“Valentine: Stanza Four: Language and Imagery”

Visceral Imagery

  • Duffy uses visceral language and sensory details (“clings to your fingers”, “lethal”); the pungent odour of an onion is audaciously contrasted with a lover’s scent.

Metaphorical Implication

  • The metaphor of the onion’s scent represents the lingering influences and indelible impacts that love and relationships can leave on individuals.
  • The idea that this potential influence could be ‘lethal’ emphasises the all-consuming power of love.

Active Language

  • Usage of active language (“clings to your knife”) helps to create an intensely vivid and aggressive image, contributing towards the theme of love as potentially dangerous.

“Valentine: Stanza Four: Tone and Mood”

Drastic Shift

  • The mood shifts significantly from the previous stanzas. The ominous tone indicates a turn towards the treacherous aspects of love.
  • The change in tone serves as a surprising revelation to the reader and adds dramatic effect.

Provocative Nature

  • Duffy constructs a provocative image with the potentially lethal qualities of love, challenging readers to reassess their normative understanding of love.
  • The tone indicates a sense of urgency and assertion from the poet to communicate the real, raw facets of love.