Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare and Valentine by Carol...

The two poems â€Å"Sonnet 130† and â€Å"Valentine† present similar ideas about love, though they are written centuries apart. Sonnet 130 (written by William Shakespeare) is like a love poem turned on its head. Instead of describing her in a positive light, he criticise her physical features. He describes the flaws of her body, her smell, even the sound of her voice. Then, at the end, he changes his tune and tells us about his real and complete love for her. Valentine (written by Carol Ann Duffy) describes a gift for a lover; such as you would give on Valentine’s Day. It is a rather unusual present – an onion. The poem explains why it is a powerful gift of love, much more than the clichà ©d roses or box of chocolates. The onion becomes a metaphor for love, and so the poem is about love as well as Valentine gifts. Both of the poems are quite cynical about the old-fashioned presentation of love. The moods of the poems portray a dark but realistic version of love and they try to tell you that you shouldn’t go over-the-top with love and be all lovey-dovey. They both feel the physical features are not what you should be judged on, but the characteristics and actual person itself. They are both truthful and as a result can be quite critical and harsh in tone. Valentine shows this when Carol Ann Duffy says that the onion is a â€Å"wobbling photo of grief,† she is being very blunt and trying to tell us that when you open up the onion, it will make it cry. This is like a metaphor for the juice,Show MoreRelatedHow do the poets compare the theme of Love?3322 Words   |  14 PagesHow do the poets compare the theme of Love? In the poems â€Å"Sonnet 116† and â€Å"Sonnet 130† written by William Shakespeare, â€Å"La Belle Dams sans Merci: A Ballad† by John Keats, â€Å"My Last Duchess† by Robert Browning, â€Å"A Mother in a Refugee Camp† written by Chinua Achebe and â€Å"Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy, all have one main feature in common, they are about love. Albeit these poems are about love, they were written in different time periods, ranging from 1609 to 1993. I have decided to analyse these poemRead MoreLiterature Marking Scheme9477 Words   |  38 Pages(syllabus 0486) Candidates must answer on three different set texts: i.e. one set text in each section. Section A: DRAMA Candidates must answer on one set text from this section: ** Arthur Miller All My Sons William Shakespeare Julius Caesar * William Shakespeare The Tempest * Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest Section B: POETRY Candidates must answer on one set text from this section: ** Thomas Hardy The following fourteen poems: Neutral Tones ‘I