My Box By Gillian Clarkson Essay, Research Paper

?????????? ?Valentine? Carol Ann Duffy????????? Compare the uses of imagery/metaphor

in ?My Box? and ?Valentine?. Show where you think metaphor is used particularly

effectively with reference to the subject matter of each poem.?My Box? and ?Valentine? are both poems that rely

quite heavily on metaphors

and symbolism. ? In ?Valentine?, Duffy uses the onion to give an

original and somewhat shocking

view of love: ?Not a red rose or a satin heart? she ignores the clichÉs?and opts for something more dramatic and

powerful. The onion shows the complexity

of love and shows a choice the partner has to make. If he accepts he

unusual gift, the author is suggesting marriage: st.4. In ?My Box?, the books, the box and the ?golden

tree? symbolise the relationship

between the author and her partner. The books especially show the

long lifetime spent together. They describe the time spent with each other, the

enjoyment, the work?st.2. This poem is similar to the last in the fact that

they both give the impression oflayers.

In ?Valentine? it is the onion itself, with its skin and the insides that shows

this:

st.1. In ?My Box?, the fact that the memories are in the words, the words

written in

the books, the books in the box made of golden oak. I really like the use of an onion as a

representation of love. It shows that inside a

plain wrapping,, one might find something special if one searches for it, and unwraps

the layers: st.1. This effect is also achieved in ?My Box? as the author emphasises

the fact that the books are there to read if someone opens the box, which is

not even locked. ??????????? ?My Box? is a very symbolic poem it

uses symbols such as the books to represent

the relationship, whilst ?Valentine? is a poem based around the metaphor of love

being like an onion.???????????