The poems Valentine and In Mrs. Tilchers Class both experience :: English Literature

The poems' Valentine and In Mrs. Tilchers' Class both experience dramatic change throughout the course of their poems. They are both very similar in their structure because they both start off in a very positive way. For example the poem "Valentine" uses the words 'Red rose' and 'satin heart' in the first line, which also is the first stanza. Like this, in the poem "In Mrs. Tilchers' Class" the word 'laugh' is used in the first stanza. From this we can see that both poems are conforming to normal standard, by starting off very positively. In "Valentine" Carol Ann Duffy starts off the poem by describing the state of the relationship and uses the words 'like the careful undressing of love' to create a simile of sexual nature. As the poem progresses, we find out that Carol Ann Duffy is, in fact, ending the relationship with the person concerned. She uses phrases like 'possessive' and 'lethal', which certainly does not conform to most Valentine poems of today. Unlike the beginning of the poem where she uses a lot of very "loving" words like 'truthful' and 'lover', towards the end she talks about how the scent of the onion will 'cling to your knife'. The word 'knife' is the keyword in this line, and Carol Ann Duffy has purposely chosen it because it is not usually linked with Valentine poems. The word is a strong contrast towards the beginning of the poem. We can link the word 'knife' as the last word in the poem, to the last word in the first line which is 'heart'. We can now more clearly see the contrast Duffy is trying to make. The whole poem "Valentine" is an extended metaphor concerning the onion. Duffy uses the onion to describe the relationship. From words like 'undressing', 'fierce kiss' to 'tears' and 'grief' she chooses her language so that you can identify and relate to what she is writing. The poem is not only easy to relate to because of its language but also because it is written based on real life. Duffy wrote the poem for a lover, so this also makes it easier to understand. Carol Ann Duffy makes the change in "Valentine" between the fifth and the sixth stanza. The first three stanzas of the poem focus on the content of the relationship and we see the contentment of it. However there is a change. The sixth and seventh stanzas describe an event and its consequences. The reader can see that when Carol Ann Duffy says ' I give you an onion. Its fierce kiss will stay on your The poems' Valentine and In Mrs. Tilchers' Class both experience :: English Literature The poems' Valentine and In Mrs. Tilchers' Class both experience dramatic change throughout the course of their poems. They are both very similar in their structure because they both start off in a very positive way. For example the poem "Valentine" uses the words 'Red rose' and 'satin heart' in the first line, which also is the first stanza. Like this, in the poem "In Mrs. Tilchers' Class" the word 'laugh' is used in the first stanza. From this we can see that both poems are conforming to normal standard, by starting off very positively. In "Valentine" Carol Ann Duffy starts off the poem by describing the state of the relationship and uses the words 'like the careful undressing of love' to create a simile of sexual nature. As the poem progresses, we find out that Carol Ann Duffy is, in fact, ending the relationship with the person concerned. She uses phrases like 'possessive' and 'lethal', which certainly does not conform to most Valentine poems of today. Unlike the beginning of the poem where she uses a lot of very "loving" words like 'truthful' and 'lover', towards the end she talks about how the scent of the onion will 'cling to your knife'. The word 'knife' is the keyword in this line, and Carol Ann Duffy has purposely chosen it because it is not usually linked with Valentine poems. The word is a strong contrast towards the beginning of the poem. We can link the word 'knife' as the last word in the poem, to the last word in the first line which is 'heart'. We can now more clearly see the contrast Duffy is trying to make. The whole poem "Valentine" is an extended metaphor concerning the onion. Duffy uses the onion to describe the relationship. From words like 'undressing', 'fierce kiss' to 'tears' and 'grief' she chooses her language so that you can identify and relate to what she is writing. The poem is not only easy to relate to because of its language but also because it is written based on real life. Duffy wrote the poem for a lover, so this also makes it easier to understand. Carol Ann Duffy makes the change in "Valentine" between the fifth and the sixth stanza. The first three stanzas of the poem focus on the content of the relationship and we see the contentment of it. However there is a change. The sixth and seventh stanzas describe an event and its consequences. The reader can see that when Carol Ann Duffy says ' I give you an onion. Its fierce kiss will stay on your