War Photographer Flashcards
Context of War Photographer
Poem published in 1985, 10yrs after the Vietnam War - contemporary readers are aware that it seems to reference a famous photo of a girl running from a napalm attack “running children in a nightmare heat” - which led to public outrage & the end of the war
Key quotes of War Photographer
“All flesh is grass” - phrase from Old Testament, meaning life is trasitory (temporary), imagery of bodies scattered across the land
“A stranger’s features faintly start to twist before his eyes” - the literal process of a photograph coming to life BUT also may be remembering a face/familiar with one of the dying soldiers in the photograph
“Half-formed ghost” - could reflect how the photograph is not yet fully formed OR the dismembered bodies of the dead soldiers
“Blood stained into foreign dust” - meaning: the soldiers shouldnt have died there. “stained” implies the long lasting effects of war
*"”A hundred agonies in black-and-white”**
“they do not care” shows how the public move on with their lives after seeing the war photographs. Rhyming “tears” and “bears” shows how quickly any tears readers may have from the war photographs are replaced by a swift return to everyday life
Structure & form of War Photographer
Structure of 6 line stanzas and consistent rhymne scheme does not change throughout the poem - this could be an allusion to the fact that war photographers lack the power to change anything as their work falls upon an unreceptive audience
6 stanzas also representing the physical layout of photographs.
Also reflects the meticulous ways the photographer works (“ordered rows”) - perhaps imagery to war graves
Cyclical structure - creates a sense of futile repetition of past mistakes/continuous pain & proves that the photographers work does not change anything
Caesura to slow the pace much like the solemn/mournful mood of a funeral
