Elaine Ding and David Saunders

 Complex structure  Uniform and orderly structure  Shows that the poem lacks spontaneity and parallels the lack of passion in the relationship.  Provides and element of nostalgia, as the writer and reader have time to reflect.  Phrases on different lines for emphasis  Enjambment to create flow  Development of different distances  Pace quickens when the husband approaches, and slows down later on, linking to her more positive feelings towards him.

 Transition from physical feelings in the beginning, to more powerful emotional feelings in the last stanza.

 Clear structure, yet uneven and un- orderly stanza sizes –  Written in first person, addressed to the reader!  single words or phrases form sentences  structure allows readers to assume that the writer is preoccupied by something else.  No time to reflect – structure indicates spontaneity and passion  Seven stanzas represent the different layers of an onion.

 “Not a red rose or a satin heart”  “I am trying to be truthful”  “Not a cute card or a kissogram”  All break away from typical expressions of love – emphasis by separating them in single stanzas.  All positive and ‘conventional’ aspects of love, and this displays irony, as they are segregated and isolated from the rest of the poem.  Paralleling the experiences of unrequited love.

 Stanzas represent the various layers of an onion.  In turn symbolizing the many layers of love  Transition from physical aspects to more emotional aspects.  General transition from larger (4-5 line) stanzas, to small (3 line) stanzas – echoing the gradual decrease in an onions size.