Leaving Certificate Ordinary Level – Excellence in English Language and Literature
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This poem would fi t well into a collection of poems about love or marriage.
The poem explores the changing face of love from something that ‘promises light’ to a ‘fi erce kiss’, the scent of which ‘will cling to your fi ngers,/cling to your knife’.
There is a suggestion that marriage may not lead to happiness: the loops of the onion ‘shrink to a wedding ring’ as they grow smaller. The word ‘shrink’ is negative and suggests marriage may diminish love. The way in which the idea of marriage is raised is offhand: ‘Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring,/If you like.’
1. Why does the poet choose an onion as a gift for her lover?
(10)
2. Choose one image from the poem that particularly appealed to you. Explain your choice. (10) 3. In your opinion, which one of the following words best describes the poet’s view of love? Honest
Negative Unromantic Support your answer with reference to the poem.
4. Imagine you are the person for whom this poem was written. Write a letter to the poet in which you express your feelings about the gift of an onion and all it symbolises.
