War Photographer Flashcards
‘Darkroom’
Sets a foreboding atmosphere from the first line.
‘As though this were a church and he a priest preparing to intone a mass’
This religious simile reveals that he is aware of the impact that his photos have on the public. There is also a parallel between the job of a priest and the job of a war photographer: both are exposed to death and suffering. This simile also suggests that his mood is sombre.
‘All flesh is grass’
A phrase from the Old Testament, often interpreted as meaning that life is transitory (fleeting).
‘He has a job to do.’
This reinforces the business-like tone created by the monosyllables and the short sentence.
‘Solutions slop’
Sibilance to develop the harsh atmosphere.
‘Which did not tremble then though seem to now.’
It seems that at the scene of the conflict, he was calm, yet is now agitated. Perhaps because he will soon relive the conflict through the photos he is developing.
‘A stranger’s features faintly start to twist before his eyes’
This literally refers to the process of the photograph coming into focus in a developing tray, but also gestures towards perhaps his dying agonies.
‘A half-formed ghost’
The image has not yet fully appeared on the photo paper, also alludes to the fact that he has died.
‘He remembers the cries’
Auditory imagery used to create a horrific image.
‘A hundred agonies in black-and-white… pick out five or six’
The agonies of war are curated for the Sunday supplementary papers. Seems distasteful.
‘Sunday’s supplement’
Sibilance emphasises the readers’ frivolous nature.
‘Prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers’
The rhyme between ‘tears’ and ‘beers’ imitate a singsong rhyme, emphasising how the readers ‘do not care’.
How does the perspective affect the poem?
It’s written in third person, despite describing an emotionally fraught moment for the man. This reflects the feelings of detachment the photographer experiences at the scenes of conflict, which allow him to continue with his job.
How does structure and form affect the poem?
- Duffy uses a tight form of six lines per stanza, as well as a constant ABBCDD rhyme scheme. This rigidity is at odds with the chaos caused by conflict. As the structure doesn’t change throughout, it can be interpreted that war photographers lack the power to change anything as his work falls upon an unreceptive audience.
- The poem has a cyclical structure. It ends with the photographer returning to the warzone he came from on “the aeroplane”. This creates a sense of futile repetition and continuation of past mistakes and acts as evidence that the photographer’s work has not changed anything.
