POETRY: war photographer Flashcards
(37 cards)
“Darkroom”
literally a developing room. Connotations of a bleak, grim place.
“Finally alone”
finally suggests a longing for solitude. Enjambement gives emphasis to the loneliness of the job.
“Spools of suffering”
alliteration emphasises suffering, doesn’t actually contain suffering but is instead just photographs on a film reel.
“Ordered rows”
suggests rows of tombs or ranks of soldiers, suggests horrors of war
“Only”
suggests loneliness, solitude
“Red”
suggests blood, a sanctuary lamp and violence
“Softly glows”
peaceful atmosphere contrasts warzone
“As though this were a church”
churches are places of sanctuary, so too is the darkroom a quiet place of contemplation
“he/a priest”
just as a priest sends a message of peace, so too does the photographer want to end conflict
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.”
single, minor list sentences, functional like his work, each place is like a roll-call emphasising suffering
“All flesh is grass”
biblical reference from isaiah, explains transitory nature of humanity and general apathy towards death in society, futility and brevity of life
“He has a job to do.”
short statement sentence, reflects his matter-of-fact approach to his
work.
“Solutions slop in trays”
solution is ambiguous, could be answer to problems or developing fluid, the pictures could draw attention to the atrocities of war/help to solve conflict
“Tremble then”
suggests anxiety, fear but has steadiness on warzone, trauma
“then/though seem to now”
enjambement emphasises contrast in poem
“Rural England.”
rural suggests tranquility, countryside, contrast with war horrors
“Ordinary pain”
juxtaposition, trivial pain treated with sunshine, contrasts the serious war pain
“Dispel”
suggests shallowness of UK issues
“Fields” and “explode”
create contrast, fields suggest rural, tranquil conditions and explode suggests pain and destruction, mines
“Running children”
could be reference to Nick Ut’s photograph from the vietnam war, featuring two naked children running from a napalm attack
“Nightmare heat”
suggests terror, emphasises severity and oppressive atmosphere. Also suggests horror experienced by the photographer
“Something is happening.”
continuous present tense, simple sentence, creates drama and tension, ambiguous
“Stranger’s features”
no link to the victim, disconnect and no familiarity, represents victims of war
“Twist”
pain, deformity, anguish and horror, suggests dying in pain
