War Photographer Flashcards
“In his darkroom he is finally alone”
‘his’ and ‘he’s - use of third person pronouns creates a divide between reader and subject
‘Darkroom’ - establishes setting; this is where photos are developed
‘Dark’ - has connotations of fear, death and suffering which connect to the wars that he covers as part of his job
‘Finally alone’ - the word choice of ‘finally’ suggests that he has been eager for this moment
One reason for this is that he is now finally able to see if he has managed to capture any powerful images
However, the word ‘alone’ which highlights the unusual nature of his job and perhaps his nature or personality, as most humans avoid being isolated whereas he seems to welcome being cut off from others
The enjambment also emphasises the word ‘alone’ by placing it at the end of the line and this introduces the theme of isolation developed later in the poem
“spools of suffering set out in ordered rows”
The sibellence draws our attention to the words “spools” and “suffering” linking the ideas that his work/art is directly linked to the pain caused by war
‘Spools’ of film conjures an image of war cemeteries in which headstones are laid out in neat and regular rows
This also helps create an impression of the photographer’s personality – he is clearly methodical and professional in his work.
In another sense, the way he sets out the spools could also connect to the idea of trying to impose order on the chaos of war.
‘Order’; contrasts chaos of war
‘Rows’ soldiers lining up
He is Trying to restore order from chaos
“The only light is red and softly glows,”
- The red light of the darkroom also has connotations of the light that burns continuously in Catholic churches to symbolise the presence of Christ.
- This helps introduce the extended metaphor in this stanza comparing the photographer to a priest preparing for mass.
- Red also has connotations of blood, reminding us of the nature of the photographs that he is developing.
“as though this were a church and he a priest preparing to intone a Mass.”
- Duffy compares the photographer to a priest and there is a definite sense of ritual in the way he develops his film.
- He handles the spools with the same respect that a priest would use to prepare for communion and there is a definite spirituality to this process.
- This religious imagery is effective in not only conveying the dedication the photographer feels towards his occupation but also because, like a priest, his vocation and career exposes him to death and suffering on a regular basis. In addition, the comparison to the priest also highlights that he is devoted to his work.
- Aside from the function of the light to help process the films and protect the images he has taken, there is a suggestion that the darkroom is a place of sanctuary for the photographer, just as a religious or spiritual person might look for solace in a church after being confronted with the sorts of horrors that the photographer must endure.
- mass is usually peaceful in contrast of chaos of war
- Darkroom is a sanctuary, developing film is a spiritual process, he is devoted to his work.
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.”
- a list of the places where the photographer has recorded images of conflict. Duffy’s deliberate use of full stops here makes the word seems like newspaper headlines, drawing attention to the numerous acts of violence and war committed in these cities which have been reported on and, presumably, documented by the photographer.
- Setting the words out in this way also connects to how the photographer separates the pictures in the final stages of the developing process.
- All places of terrible conflict. Blunt nature of sentencing reinforces horror
“All flesh is grass.”
Quote from New Testament – emphasises religious imagery, highlights fragility of life.
“beneath his hands which did not tremble then though seem to now.”
- The implication of these lines is that in order to function and do his job properly in the field, the photographer must be able to distance himself from the subjects of his photographs.
- That is why his hands did not shake when he was taking the pictures, despite the horrific sights he was capturing on film.
- There is ambiguity created when one considers why his hands might shake now.
- Duffy does not provide a definite answer – one possible interpretation could be that he is now able to let down his guard in the privacy of the darkroom as he finally allows himself to react to the terrible suffering he was forced to witness and record.
- However, a less flattering interpretation for him shaking could be that he is tense as he finally gets a chance to see if he has managed to take any pictures that might enhance his professional reputation or make money from publications eager to print them.
“Rural England. Home again to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel”
- The second half of this stanza develops a contrast between Rural England and the war zones that he visits.
- The words are placed in a short sentence to draw attention to the place that he calls home.
- The English countryside has both positive and negative connotations.
- It is associated with desirable qualities like peace and tranquillity but can also be seen as monotonous and boring.
- He is aware that UK citizens may well have nothing more serious to complain about than the weather and that our complaints can be “dispelled” by the sun coming out.
- The “ordinary pain” might be physical (e.g. aching joints or rheumatism) which a warmer temperature can ease.
- The ordinary pain might also refer to a gloomy mood, which again can be changed by weather improving.
- The war has made everyday life seem meaningless and trivial in comparison to the suffering experienced by others.
“To fields which don’t explode beneath the feet of running children in a nightmare heat.”
- The injustice and suffering of war is exemplified when he notes how our children don’t have to be fearful of landmines when they play, unlike many of the subjects of his photographs.
- This connects to the idea of the photographer feeling that his job is important and that he might be able to influence the public if he manages to capture a devastatingly powerful image.
- However, later in the poem, Duffy draws attention to just how indifferent we have become today when similar images fail to resonate with us.
- This final line highlights the injustice the photographer feels and alludes to a guilt which is bubbling to the surface.
- The last image of running children refers specifically to an image from the Vietnam war.
- A line laden with guilt.
“A stranger’s features faintly start to twist before his eyes a half-formed ghost.”
- Word choice “twist” – unnatural movement or contortion of the body – develops unease in reader.
- A man in his dying moments – between this life and the next.
The word-choice of “stranger’s” is interesting as it draws attention to the fact that this man was unknown to the photographer but he still intruded on his most intimate moments before his death. In addition, the photographer’s detachment is also made clear as, initially, he cannot even remember this man, which also highlights how much pain and suffering he has seen and how he has become desensitised to it. - The word-choice of “twist” can also be interpreted in differing ways. Firstly, the man’s features are twisted as they are hard to make out due to the photo moving about in the chemicals as it is being developed.
- However, if your features are twisted it can also mean that you are suffering intense pain which is what the subject of the photo was experiencing.
- This image is clever as it both describes the way the figure is gradually appearing on the paper as the photograph develops, while also alluding to the man’s death and how he no longer exists and has effectively become a ghost.
- In addition, “half-formed” also has two possible meanings.
- Again, the man in the picture is not fully formed as the photo is developing and only gradually revealing his image.
- However, he may well also be missing a limb or other body part due to the injuries inflicted upon him in the war-zone.
“and how blood stained into foreign dust.”
- The word-choice of “dust” has religious connotations. Therefore, dust has come to symbolise the frailty of life and is also associated with graves and death (e.g. “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” which is part of Christian funeral rites). This connects to how the soil in this foreign war-zone has been turned into a mass grave due to the levels of death and destruction.
- In addition the word-choice of “stained” has connotations of corruption and damaging something irreparably, perhaps due to the loss of innocence experienced in war, as well as the fact that it leaves a legacy that, like a stain, is difficult to erase.
“The reader’s eyeballs prick
with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.”
- Duffy extends the indifferent and uncaring response demonstrated by the editor to include us, the readers of the newspapers, intentionally creating a sense of bathos (when something serious becomes trivialised) when describing how our eyeballs prick with tears as we see the images but we still go on with our typical weekend routine and socialise with friends, etc.
- The word-choice of “prick” suggests a momentary feeling of pain which highlights how we have an emotional response to the images but it does not last very long.
- In addition, this again suggests that, despite the photographer’s worthy ambitions to provoke a response to war and perhaps change the world, the audience for his work is not really affected in a long lasting or profound manner by what he shows them.
“From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where
he earns his living and they do not care.”
-The poem ends with a rhyming couplet to draw attention to the ideas and, in particular, the words “where” and “care”.
- This reminds us that the photographer is unsettled both at home and in the warzones that he covers and that he is isolated from others.
- When he is working, he has to maintain a professional detachment from the people that he films.
-Moreover, when he is home, it seems like he is finding it increasingly difficult to relate to those around him who are consumed by trivial elements in their life compared to the people that surround him in the warzones that he covers.
- However, the word-choice of “impassively” suggests that the photographer himself is indifferent to both the suffering of his subjects and, perhaps, life and other human beings in general.
- Duffy seems to be inferring that his isolation at home and abroad, and his detachment from others in his work and home life,has resulted in him becoming cold and distant.
- Ending with “they do not care” finishes the poem with an anti-climactic or disillusioned tone, where the photographer seems to be beginning to realise that his work is not making the difference he hoped it would and that the editor and readers are not really affected by what he is doing.
- The idea of “earns his living” is a clever way of reminding the reader of the manner of his work – he earns his living by taking pictures of the dead and dying, which creates a sense of irony.
Themes
Order vs Chaos
War is wrong
destruction
ignorance
Other poems
WP +Mrs T - Loss of innocence
