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Comparison Valentine and

Sonnet 130
Assessment focuses: AF2, AF3, AF4, AF5, AF6, AF7

Context
With a view to writing a compare and contrast response, pupils read and made
notes on the poem Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy and Sonnet 130 by Shakespeare
for homework. As further preparation for the essay, which focused on close reading
and interpretation of the two poems, pupils discussed them in class, referring to their
notes and adding to them as they chose.

Pupil's work

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Compare and Contrast the way love is presented in the poems 'Valentine' by Carol
Ann Duffy and Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare Throughout this essay, I intend
to point out the similarities and differences between the poems 'Valentine' by Carol
Anne Duffy and 'Sonnet 130' by William Shakespeare. I will do this by drawing links
of comparison. Both poems describe love in completely different ways. It is these
separate techniques of portraying love which will be explored. The way love is
expressed in both the poems is quite different as they both illustrate love in their own
unique styles. In the poem 'Valentine' the writer describes love as being a good thing
throughout. Examples of this are when the writer says 'it promise light' and 'like the
careful undressing of love.' By saying this, it shows that Carol Ann Duffy feels that
love and relationships are positive because of the type of language that she uses.
However, even though there is evidence of this, she also uses strong language in her
poem which shows a different view of her feelings towards love. One example of this
is what she wrote on the first line of the second stanza which was 'Here.' This is a
very interesting and uncommon technique to use as it is very rare that a poet would
make the first line of a stanza only one word. In my opinion, I feel that this was a very
effective thing to do as I think the writer has shown another side to love which is
aggressive and pushy. It also comes across as a command and adds dramatic effect.
Other examples where this type of language is used are 'take it' and 'lethal.' Not only
does the writer of 'Valentine show positive and aggressive language in her writing but
she also shows that sometimes love and relationships could be upsetting and hurtful.
This is because she wrote 'it will blind you with tears' and 'it will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.' This shows that even though love is a good and precious
thing to experience, there are also upsetting and unpleasant times which are bound
to happen. Love is expressed in a different way to 'Valentine' in the poem 'Sonnet
130'. Where 'Valentine' uses warm and pleasant language throughout most of the
poem, William Shakespeare does the complete opposite. This because he says 'if
hairs be wires, black wires grow on your head.' By comparing her hair

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to 'black wires' it is obviously stating that he does not like her hair. What makes this
line so distinctive is the fact that normally people describe their lover's hair as
beautiful and attractive. However, the writer does the opposite by saying this. After
reading this line, it could be seen that maybe William Shakespeare could be
suggesting that beauty is not only skin deep. More evidence of how the writer of
'Sonnet 130' uses negative language to portray love is where he wrote 'no such
roses I see in her cheeks.' This shows that he does not find her cheeks to be lovely
and red (rosy.) Roses are normally seen to be something precious so by saying this,
the writer shows that his dos not find her cheeks to be very beautiful. Saying
someone has rosy cheeks, is mostly seen to be a compliment, so saying the
complete opposite shows what William Shakespeare thinks of his mistress'
appearance.The meanings of both poems are quite different except for the fact that
they represent love in their own separate writing styles. My interpretation of the
meanings of both poems and the way the writers express this are as follows. I think
the writer of 'Valentine' expresses her thoughts about love by using an onion to help

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her. She also shows that love is very similar to an onion (juxtaposition.) I think it was
very clever for her to compare love and relationships to this because it is an
extremely unique way of expressing love. Carol Ann Duffy shows that love is like an
onion in a number of different ways. One of which is the way she has shown that
onions as well as relationships have layers. This is because she wrote 'like the
careful undressing of love' She also states that love is not always pleasant and
people in relationships will eventually go through sad times when she wrote 'it will
blind you with tears.' Also by using aggressive terms and language (as mentioned
before) such as 'possessive' and 'fierce kiss' it shows another way of how Carol Ann
Duffy interprets love. Overall, I think that the writer feels that love is a very precious
bond between two people. However, I think that she also feels that even though love
is a positive thing, there will also be less pleasant times in a relationship and as a
result there would probably be tears along the way. In addition, I think that the writer
also feels that love can also be seen as a commanding and aggressive thing.The
meaning of 'Sonnet 130' is quite different to 'Valentine' as in my opinion; I feel that it
has more of a deeper meaning which has to be looked into more carefully.
Throughout the whole poem, except for the last two lines, the poet describes his
mistress as overall being an ugly and unpleasant person. Evidence of this is 'coral is
far more red than her lips' red' and 'if snow be white, why then her breasts are dun.'
Here William Shakespeare obviously is trying to say that coral is a brighter shade of
red than her lips. Similarly, he points out that her breasts are flesh coloured and that
they are not white like snow. This shows what William Shakespeare thinks of his
mistress' appearance. However, even though throughout the poem, the writer only
talks negatively about her, the reason for him writing this and the meaning of the
poem is summed up in the last two lines. William Shakespeare refuses to compare
the woman he loves with other things as some poets do. He thinks that she cannot
gain in beauty as a result of elaborate comparisons and for

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Excerpts from an essay showing comparison between 'Valentine' and 'Sonnet 130'.
The pupil has written: him she is perfect as she is, I think the writer is trying to say
that the woman he loves is a real woman, not a false creation formed with
exaggerated comparisons He loves her as she is and he Goes not have lo lie about
her appearance to prove it In addition he mocks other poets who exaggerate their
lover's locks through similes and metaphors He (eels that love does not need such
things in order to be real and women do not need to look like something else in order
lo be beautiful William Shakespeare believes that he is being more honest by
rejecting such comparisons, t feel that tine twelve is the key to the whole
poem.Valentine' and Sonnet 130 both use juxtaposition but use different approaches
in the way they have expressed this in their poems For example. Valentine uses
juxtaposition to compare an onion lo a moon wrapped in brown paper. She makes
the onion seem like something very special rather than just an onion. Also, by saying
it is a moon wrapped in brown paper'. It almost makes it seem like a package. A
package with more meaning than a red rose* or a 'satin heart' (which was mentioned

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before) that it juxtaposes with. I have decided you use the word package instead of a
gift or present as by stating that it is wrapped in brown paper the writer makes it
seem like a very practical thing to do In addition, by saying 'it promises light/ goes
back to the moon and tight is normally seen as a good and pleasant thing Lastly.
Carol ends the stanza by saying the careful undressing of love/ This is an effective
way opening it as by saying 'careful undressing' It talks about the onion as well as
relationships. It refers to the onion as onions have layers which are carefully peeled
off (or undressed as the writer has put it.) II also refers to relationships and how there
are different stages or layers in them, Also, as onions have layers which are shaped
like rings - the writer could also be trying to express how they could be symbolic to a
wedding ring which is found lo be very important m relationships. Another example
where juxtaposition is used is when she wrote 'it won't blind you with tears/ This, in
my opinion, was a very clever thing to mention The reason I think this is because
again the writer is comparing two things to it - an onion and relationships. It refers to
an onion because onions are very strong and therefore have the ability to make
people cry. It is also talking about relationships because it is inevitable that people
would experience rough limes and disagreements are bound to happen As a result of
this, the people in that relationship would probably go through tearsWilliam
Shakespeare uses juxtaposition in a completely different way to Carol Ann Duffy In
the poem Valentine juxtaposition was mainly used to compare love and relationships
to an onion However, in Sonnet 130 juxtaposition is used in almost every line and the
writer has used it to compare different thing to various factors of a woman's
(mistress) appearance and personality In addition, in Carols poem, she uses
juxtaposition to compare love as overall a good thing This is because, she uses
phrases like 'a red rose and a satin heart. However, in William Shakespeare's
poem, he uses juxtaposition to show the bad point about his lover An example of this
is my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun'. Here, the writer uses juxtaposition to

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which are carefully peeled off (or undressed as the writer has put it.) It also refers to
relationships and how there are different stages or layers in them. Also, as onions
have layers which are shaped like rings the writer could also be trying to express
how they could be symbolic to a wedding ring which is found to be very important in
relationships. Another example where juxtaposition is used is when she wrote 'it
would blind you with tears.' This, in my opinion, was a very clever thing to mention.
The reason I think this is because again, the writer is comparing two things to it an
onion and relationships. It refers to an onion because onions are very strong and
therefore have the ability to make people cry. It is also talking about relationships
because it is inevitable that people would experience rough times and disagreements
are bound to happen. As a result of this, the people in that relationship would
probably go through tears.William Shakespeare uses juxtaposition in a completely
different way to Carol Ann Duffy. In the poem 'Valentine' juxtaposition was mainly
used to compare love and relationships to an onion. However, in 'Sonnet 130'
juxtaposition is use din almost every line and the writer has used it to compare
different thing to various factors of a woman's (mistress') appearance and

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personality. In addition, in Carol's poem, she uses juxtaposition to compare love as

overall a good thing. This is because, she uses phrases like 'a red rose' and 'a satin
heart'. However, in William Shakespeare's poem, he uses juxtaposition to show the
bad point about his lover. An example of this is 'my mistress' eyes are nothing like
the sun.' Here, the writer uses juxtaposition to compare her eyes to the sun. This is
effective as the sun is normally compared to pleasant and precious things so by
saying that her eyes are nothing like the sun it does not give the reader a very good
impression of the person that is being described. Another example is that in the
breath from my mistress reeks.' Here, the writer is obviously stating that his mistress'
breath does not smell very good. He has used perfume to compare with his mistress'
breath but again, in a negative way.'Valentine' and 'Sonnet 130 also use quite a lot of
imagery in the poems to express different emotions. An example of the use of
imagery in 'Valentine' is when the writer says 'it is a moon wrapped in brown paper.'
Using imagery helps the writer portray her feelings in such a way that the reader can
understand and imagine in their minds what is trying to be expressed. Imagery is also
used in 'Sonnet 130.' Evidence of the use of imagery in this poem is 'my mistress'
eyes are nothing like the sun. Unlike Carol Ann Duffy who mostly uses imagery in a
positive way, William Shakespeare uses imagery in a less positive light. This is
because, usually the sun represents happiness and pleasant things but the writer
uses this object in a negative way.To conclude, both writers express love in
completely different ways. Carol Ann Duffy decided to take a more compassionate
and positive approach

to her poem when she compared an onion to love. She also used the object to help
her describe the different emotions that take place in a relationship happiness,

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sadness and even aggression. She used a wide range of techniques in her poem as
well. These include the use of juxtaposition, metaphors and similes. William
Shakespeare however, took a more factual root to his poem. He decided not to lie
about his lover's appearance (like many other poets do) but to tell the truth about
what she really looked like. This was an effective way of writing the poem as it shows
that even though William Shakespeare wrote things about his lover which might have
seemed to be quite negative and unpleasant; it shows he still loved her no matter
what she looked like. Similarly to the poem 'Valentine,' the writer of 'Sonnet 130' also
used juxtaposition but instead of comparing love to only one object like Carol Ann
Duffy did, William Shakespeare used various objects to compare with different
aspects of his lover's appearance. Both poems also used imagery to help express
their feelings about love. Overall in my opinion, I feel that the Carol Ann Duffy's poem
expressed love in a stronger way to William Shakespeare. One of the reasons for this
is because of her use of repetition which added more effect and tension to her poem
as it made it more interesting as allowed it to flow together slightly more easily
because of this. In addition, I feel that her use of juxtaposition was also very effective
as rather than using different objects like William Shakespeare, Carol Ann Duffy only
used one object which in this case was an onion. By using just one object, I think that
the reader gets more interested in the poem and looks into it more as there is only
one thing to concentrate on. On the other hand, even though William Shakespeare's
use of juxtaposition was not as strong, I feel that his use of imagery was very
powerful which really allowed the reader to picture certain images in their minds as
they read the poem. Also, I think the message of 'Sonnet 130' was more meaningful
and distinguished which therefore was more interesting and compelling to read. In
conclusion, both poems illustrate love in entirely different ways and by reading both
poems, I think it is quite safe to say that both poets have separate views on what
they think about love. Even so, I feel that 'Valentine' and 'Sonnet 130' are both very
good poems which have been written by using different and unique writing
techniques.
Excerpts from Valentine are taken from Mean Time by Carol Ann Duffy published
by Anvil Press Poetry in 1993.

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