Carol Ann Duffy's love poems are often riddled with oxymoronic statements, which affirm the changing nature of love and the way it is perceived in different relationships and at different periods of time. and life. “Valentine” and “Havisham” are two poems that share similar propositions of love, although through very different presentations. Overall, in these two poems, love has negative effects, with Duffy using enjambment and structure, powerful imagery, and oxymorons to demonstrate this position. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Perhaps the most notable similarity lies in the titles of the two poems. Both ensure that the reader begins the poems with preconceived ideas, with "Valentine" immediately alluding to love, expressions of love, and commercialism, while "Havisham" highlights Charles Dickens's famous character, Miss Havisham from Great Expectations. Thus, the reader begins "Valentine" with the conventions, expectations of sweet love, and couples aiding Duffy in mind in the juxtaposing nature of the poem. The first line, “Not a red rose nor a satin heart,” is a declarative text, short and sharp to emphasize the absence implied in “Not” and to juxtapose completely with the title. “Valentine,” through its subject matter, implies gifts, a “red rose,” as well as love and it is here that the opening line serves even more strongly to juxtapose with the title. After all, Valentine's Day is famous for its consumerist tone, everything is exaggerated and overused to meet the expectations that couples must meet. “A satin heart” is a common gift, something purchased, in keeping with “Valentine’s Day”; by declaring "No", Duffy moves away from the negative side of "Valentine" without delivering a message of love instead; instead, she successfully uses the title to create ideas and then rejects them all, arriving not at love instead of consumerism or consumerism instead of love, but somewhere outside of those two borders. As a result, the reader is left with a feeling of dissatisfaction and no idea of ​​what the narrative voice's view on love actually is. On the other hand, in "Havisham", Duffy uses the title to create ideas which she then extends through the opening lines. However, the singular title still produces the same effect as Valentine on the reader. Miss Havisham, the eponymous character of Great Expectations is abandoned at the altar and for the rest of her life voluntarily remains in her wedding dress, never leaves her residence and keeps breakfast on the table, leaving herself and the food decompose throughout the book. . Therefore, the reader understands that in this poem, love is a negative thing, always desired by Havisham, but a misunderstood and hated concept because she was so close to having it but never fully understood it. Readers view Miss Havisham as an "old maid" and the lack of reciprocated love in her life is made clear in the first line with the oxymoronic accusation of "beloved darling bastard." and, again, the use of the word “Not”. “Havisham” also creates a sense of identity. By removing the pronoun, Miss Havisham is reduced to her surname. This leaves the term "Miss" implied, which also implies Havisham's relationship status as single and unmarried. Additionally, it reminds the reader and Miss Havisham herself that she has been abandoned. It's her maiden name and she will never take anyone else's name, as she would have done if she hadn't.