Cosy/Valentine comparison essay GCSE 2024

So seen as though many people are predicting Cosy Apologia and/or Valenting will come up on monday for Eduquas WJEC English Literature paper 1 i have done an essay plan, however i am missin an introduction as i am struggling to write one that will get me the grade 9 with enough context and summary of the poem, if anyone could help me out that would be great, Thank you! :smile:

This is the rest of my essay :smile:

P1: domestic objects
Both of the poems use domestic objects to portray love. Duffy uses an extended metaphor of a domestic onion to express love. "I give you an onion". This highlights the pain that love can bring, as when you cut an onion, it makes you feel pain in your eyes and cry, however , when it is not cut open and treated gently with care, it is a ‘moon‘. This metaphor is used by Duffy to highlight the light that love can bring, the moon has links with fertility in some cultures which suggests the idea of a happy relationship bringing children to a couple. It could also express a sense of pain from Duffy herself as she is a lesbian and is writing this poem to her partner, she may be hinting at the pain she feels due to the fact that she is unable to be fertile naturally in this same sex relationship despite the love she feels. Duffy goes on to say that the onion was wrapped in ’brown paper’, during the war, children were given brown paper parcels to put their belongings in when evacuating. In this time of intense fear everything the children had in their possession was inside this brown paper, therefore, Duffy could be expressing that in this gift, she is giving to her partner everything that she has to give conveying her intense love for this person. So despite seeming boring and plain, it is enough for her. In her own poem Dove states that she "could pick anything and think of you" (referring to her husband). Their love is further reinforced by domestic objects when she talks about a ‘lamp’. This could be symbolic of the warmth, hope and light that their love brings, just as a lamp gives out light and warmth and inspires hope into peoples hearts. The poems could both use domestic objects because both of the poets want to defend their relationship and want others to accept their relationships. Both of the poets criticise modern society for thoughtless gifts such as red roses/satin hearts and prompts us to think of more thoughtful gifts, and Dove suggests our busy ‘post-post modern’ society should pause for a moment to appreciate the simplicity of love and appreciate it for what it is.
P2: Idealization vs. Realism
Dove idealises love through the use of cliches, this may be because of society disapproving of Dove's mixed race relationship with her husband. To prove that there relationship is ordinary and like any other, she uses cliches and stereotypical fairy-tale ideas, which can be seen when she compares her husband to a knight in shining armour, describing him to be "standing in silver stirrups" with his "chainmail glinting". This highlights her adoration of her husband, and how she sees him as a protector who keeps her safe
On the other hand, Duffy shows a view of love that is against cliches. the post infers that cliché gifts like "roses" and "satin hearts" are thoughtless, she even stresses this message by placing the line "Not a cute card or a kissogram" in a stanza on its own. Instead, Duffy shows a more truthful representation of love that explores the positives and the negatives, as it reveals the pain that love can cause, even suggesting that love can "blind you with tears". However, this does not seem to bother her, she knows that pain is an inevitable part of being in love and therefore she accepts it in order to be with the person whom she loves. To look at it from a different point of view, the tears could be those of happiness, like the ones many coupes shed on their wedding day, by leaving it up to interpretation, Duffy allows the reader to decide for themselves on whether pain or happiness is the cause of the tears.

P3: structure
Dove Echoes romantics formal structure and uses enjambment to show the poets free flowing thoughts, this implies the poem is being written as she thinks/speaks almost on the spot. In addition, is quite a traditional format showing how she wants to display her love as ‘content’ and ordinary, nothing special to anyone else but to them, it is enough. In Valentine, we see that It is written in free verse, not only meaning the length of the stanzas and lines vary reflecting how her relationship can be viewed as unconventional or unusual by some as it is same sex, but also that love is not straight forwards but erratic and unpredictable, she also highlights this when she uses the words ‘lethal’ and ‘knife’ at the end of a poem, which is a stark contrast to the previous lines of the poem discussing marriage/love and shocks a reader with this unexpected turn of phrase, but also highlights the unpredictable nature of relationships. In addition it may connotate that perhaps she has more freedom being a lesbian
Conc:
In summary, while both poems explore love, they do so from different angles. “Valentine” challenges clichés and portrays love’s complexities, and challenges while “Cozy Apologia” celebrates enduring love through everyday objects and idealized imagery. Nothing special is needed to announce or celebrate their love because it is perfect and enough as it is. Their distinct voices enrich our understanding of love’s multifaceted nature.