War Photographer Flashcards
Context
War photographers fulfil a very dangerous job; They put their lives in danger to capture images on the severity of war. Many have been killed and injured but they see it as a necessary sacrifice in order to present the information to the audience at home. The problem is that the picture doesn’t always tell the full story and is becoming less powerful in desensitised western society.
Plot
The poem follows the journey of the man who returns from a war torn land to develop his photographs. The pictures remind him of his experiences and the atrocities which are happening abroad. The violence in the warzone contrasts the nonchalant attitude of the western world. The photographer is dismayed as he leaves to go to work again.
Form
Narrative
Third person perspective
Flashback
Enjambment
Rhyming couplets and non rhyming lines
Simple sentences
Structure
4 stanzas
Tone
Detached
Cynical
Fear
Frustration
Disgust
Theme
Power of humans
Power of memory
War
PTSD
Death
Education
Key Quote-“spools of suffering set out in ordered rows”
His photographs are filled with images of pain and suffering caused by war. The ordered rows suggest that the photographer is trying to interpret and make sense of what he as recorded. Alternatively, these photos are set out in a uniform fashion, similar to war graves. The idea of creating order from suffering brings in the idea of hypocrisy as if he is trying to control an incontrollable situation. Also the inclusion of the adjective ordered emphasises the photographers methodical, almost robotic ways of working. This could refer to how the western society has become so sensitised that the photographer isn’t affected by the pictures anymore
Key quote-“All flesh is grass”
This is a biblical quote that is used to illustrate that the word of God is eternal and consistent compared to human life which is transient and brief. This continues the religious theme of the funeral metaphor and signifies the transient nature of life, especially during times of conflict, when one death can mean so little. The photographer ties in with religious imagery as he spreads an important message with his photos as a priest spreads his message through the word of God. Alternatively this could be a metaphor for dead bodies that did not return to their homeland. Instead corpses decompose in foreign fields turning into grass the will remain long after the battle has ended.
Key quote-“He remembers the cries of this man’s wife, how he sought approval without words to do what someone must”
As the photograph begins to come to life, so does the photographers memories of the incident. The incident highlights the moral dilemma and ethics of war photography. The man has a right to privacy but the photographer doesn’t speak the native language and has a job to do so he takes the picture without permission. Alternatively, without words could signify that the photographer was too shocked and horrified to find words to express what he wanted to say in any language. It raises the question of whether photographing the dead and intruding people’s misery in wars is moral or ethical
Key quote-“ From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where he earns a living and they do not care”
It is implied that the photographer is numb to the significance of his task, similar to the editors and readers. Impassively reinforces this. Alternatively, it could imply sadness and hopelessness- the photographer may care but the readers don’t. His work has become meaningless, hence his depression, a symptom of which is numbness. There is also irony as he earns a living and lives on the back of exploiting those who are not living. Although the aeroplane flies the photographer from assignment to assignment, there is no aeroplane for the photographers emotions. He is still spiritually suffering with those who he photographed. The repetitive assonance of aeroplanes, stare, care and where creates a feeling of dreary repetitiveness, reflecting the drudgery that his job has become. The poem ends on a sad negative note.
Can compare to…
Remains- realities of war
Kamikaze- war
Poppies effects of war
Exposure- experience of conflict
