'Valentine' and 'Stealing', by Carol-Ann DuffyFOR IDEAS ONLY, DO NOT COPYIn 'Valentine' and 'Stealing', Carol-Ann Duffy uses a metaphor extent which helps the reader understand what the poet is trying to convey and understand what the narrator's feelings are. Both poems also focus on the thoughts and emotions of the "speaker", both are structured as conversation pieces, meaning you could simply use it to talk to someone and imagine the person's reactions who he speaks to. Duffy also never reveals the gender or identity of either person. In "Valentine", she uses an onion to explain love, going from the idea that it's really romantic to how it's deadly. “It’s a moon wrapped in brown paper” for example. . Duffy used a moon because it is almost always associated with romance in movies and films. The “brown paper” is the skin of the onion, which means that she takes care to mention all aspects of the onion, and the fact that it is a gift, because, traditionally, you wrap the presents. In "Stealing", Duffy uses a snowman to depict the thief's emotions, relating to how they are both cold inside. “A companion/with a mind as cold as a piece of ice/in my own brain.” »The thief thinks the snowman suits him, because the snowman reflects what he thinks about himself. This means that the thief feels numb with an inner cold, that he cannot feel anything, or thinks that he cannot, as is proven later in the poem. Both poems are conversations, although aimed at different people. “Valentine” addresses the speaker's other half, who is anonymous to the reader. The guy from “Stealing” seems to talk to anyone he thinks will listen. “Valentine” and “Stealing” both have tones that change throughout the poem. For example, "Valentine" begins by saying that love is happy, that it is great, and it feels like the first part of the poem should be read in a slightly romantic tone, but reveals more about the poet's feelings as it goes on. as we learn about her relationship and how "possessive and loyal" she is. “Possessive” is a word that makes it seem like the relationship is trapping Duffy, away from the world. Possessiveness is generally a bad thing in a relationship, because it means the man or woman is too adamant about their other half talking to or spending time with someone else, whereas "loyal" is something that most relationships aspire to or that makes people happy. with their lives because both are faithful.