War Photographer Flashcards
What is the context of war photographer
Poem published in 1985 10 years after the end of the Vietnam war
“Running children in a nightmare heat” is a reference to the famous photo of a girl in a napalm attack
The Photo had a large impact on the public who protested and campaigned against the war
Constrasts with society today in which war photography is largely ignored
“He stares impassively at where he earns his living and they do not care”
Cyclic structure-creates a sense of futile repetition and continuation of past mistakes and acts as evidence that the photographers work hasn’t changed anhtjing leaving the listener with his realisation that they don’t care
Poem ends on a defeated note
“He stares impassively at where he earns a living and they do not care”
Third person despite it describing an emotionally fraught moment for the ma.
Reflects feelings of detachment the photographer experiences at the scenes of conflict allowing him to continue with his job
Speaker sets himself apart from the British public by the use of the accusatory pronoun “they”. He appears a solitary figure who’s alienated from his fellow citizens
How is the response to conflict presented in war photographer
Sibilant alliteration in “solutions slip in trays” has a dual meaning
Literal meaning that he’s developing photos in the dark
However the implicit meaning is that he’s trying to offer solutions to the conflicts that he witnessed by raising public awareness of them, an awareness that might in turn lead to the public putting pressure on the government to help end them
How is suffering presented in war photographer
Duffys use of Sibilance in “spools of suffering” creates impression of true nature of war being hushed and quietened so people can continue with their everyday lives
By describing the fact hori Graphene as having to pick out 5’or 6 photos Duffy shows how the public will only want to see a few photos before the reality of the situation is too horrifying to continue viewing- shows how people don’t care about suffering that doesjt directly impact them undermining the mental and psychological suffering war photographers experience
How is the extensive scale of conflict presented in war photographer
Duffys use of asyndetic listing in “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh” refers to a wide range of conflicts. The plosives in the list create an aggressive sound highlighting the way in which war impacts a wide range of people
“A priest preparing to impart a mass”
Juxtaposition throughout the poem between the semantic field of violent and religious imagery to suggest that people arnt doing enough to prevent war
Photographer is compared to (quote) which reminds the listener of the Christian value of peace but it’s an opposition to the descriptions of violence also featured in the poem
Implies that people are hypocritical because in theory they are against violence but are Dong nothing to stop it when it occurs
His struggle is further shown in this simile as if like a priest is connecting humanity to god the photographer is duty bound to connect people at home to those suffering at war
