Battle of the Poems :o

While reading 180 More Extraordinary Poems For Every Day, I was able to view different and similar perspectives poets share. Whether, they be on romance or even death each poet shares their unique approach to certain situations as seen in their poetry. "Valentine" by Carol Ann Duffy and "Ever After" by Joyce Sutphen are prime examples of an instance in which poets share similar and dissimilar views to the ways a relationship functions. More specifically how dynamics and roles change after one has ended in contrast to one that has began.

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In  the poem "Valentine" the narrator is in a relationship with their significant other while on the other hand the narrator in "Ever After" is a divorcee. Each both share the idea that love is bitter at times. With "Valentine" using an onion to describe the way the relationship work and Sutphen opting to use a cake and its layers to make her comparison. 

Another instance in differences between both works of poetry are the poets approach to dynamics in couples. "Ever After" speaks about the dynamics a relationship more specifically the dynamics after one has ended. "Valentine" looks at the dynamics during a relationship which one can infer has just began to flourish mostly due to some of the language the poet uses. In "Ever After" the word ex is utilized while "Valentine" utilizes the phrase "we are" a various amounts of time.

Both poems also entail the female perspective on love at various ages. One could assume the narrator in "Ever After" is an older woman ,while "Valentine"' comes from a younger girl possibly one in their late teens early adulthood. This will be an interesting aspect for me to examine and see how perspectives change as one ages.

While, at first seeming a bit difficult I feel that it will be quite fun to analyze both poems and try to get more in depth with these similar and different directions the poets took when writing on the subject of dynamics and relationships.