Poetry War Photographer Flashcards
(5 cards)
‘spools of suffering set out in ordered rows’
‘spools of suffering set out in ordered rows’
‘sss’-The sibilance in ‘spools of suffering’ mirrors the sound of a camera shutter. very tools of his trade have become intertwined with the atrocities he has captured on film.
‘Spools’- Film from camera - live suffering of human beings has been bottled up by the photographer’s lens into these small cylinders, but, seen through the photographer’s eyes, they unwind back into life-size memory, not just images but triggers for memories of the real people and real horror depicted.
‘ordered rows’ - imagery linking to mass graves and coffins. Perhaps he’s trying to take control of a chaotic situation he is powerless in. He can’t intervene and stop the autocracies of war.
‘running children in a nightmare heat.’
‘running children in a nightmare heat.’
‘Children’-Symbol of innocence. We should protect them but not in this image. This is subverted imagery as the children and ‘running’ in pain when their supposed to be protected from the evil of war.- Napalm accidentally dropped on School. Traumatic images
‘Nightmare’- Adjective+Metaphor- Subtle imagery as she wants the reader to imagine the horror. Duffy will not describe it to the reader as she believes we are to decenitsised to images of suffering. We are to used to suffering and war that society has stopped caring.
‘a priest’
‘a priest’
‘priest’-Religious metaphor + Extended metaphor - Compares himself to a priest as he believes he is dedicated to exposing the reality of war like a priest who is dedicated to a religion. Perhaps his job links to a priest as he is surrounded by death. Supported by ‘Mass’
‘prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers’
‘prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers’
‘prick’-This shows the quick, fleeting sadness experienced by the readers of the paper. They may be slightly upset, but it is quickly forgotten. This shows the Western attitude to wars which do not directly affect them.
‘tears’…..’bears’-The internal rhyme in ‘tears’ and ‘beers’ creates an ironically ‘nursery-rhyme’ tone. Perhaps this is to show how they are detached from these events as if they are not real – like a nursery rhyme. ‘Pre-lunch beers’ also shows how privileged the readers of the newspapers are, creating a contrast between their lives and the lives of the war victims. Does this to show that we are decentisised
structre/form/context
Form=cynical- to reflect his approach to work. He cant get emotionally involved,
Frequent use of enjambment – perhaps suggests the nature of the topic is one that is difficult to discuss/remember.
