War Photographer Flashcards
“dark room”
Metaphor - he is developing the photos in a dark room as you can’t expose the film to light or it will get ruined. Also metaphorical for the room he has depressing thoughts in- he is affected by their suffering and it is traumatic for him to witness it in such close proximity. Begins a very sinister, unsettling and unpleasant mood.
“finally alone”
Isolation is a peace to him.
“spools of suffering set”
Sibilance. It mimics the hiss of a snake, which symbolises evil. Creates a very sinister mood.
“suffering”
Metaphor. The photographs he takes are of war and pain, implying that the photographs contain suffering in them.
“ordered rows”
Graves and soldiers also come in ordered rows. The fact he has ordered these photographs suggests he feels they are very important.
“only light is red”
Red light can be present in dark rooms as red light does not affect film sheets.
“red”
Symbolic of death, danger, blood. Red lights are often a warning.
“church”
Reinforces the idea that the room is a sanctuary for him- somewhere you go to seek solace and peace.
“a priest”
Just as priests liberate people by teaching them the truth of God, so too does the photographer liberate people by exposing them to the horrors of war. Priests are also very important, implying that the photographer feels his job is very important. Dunking the photograph into a chemical liquid is also reminiscent of a baptism.
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.”
Listing. Places where conflict has arisen. Minor sentences creates a pause which further creates a sombre mood and tone- it makes us think of the conflict in these places. Alliteration mimics the sound of gunfire.
“All flesh is grass.”
Because of the war, many dead bodies lie to decompose in the grass. Bodies litter the ground. Rhyming ‘grass’ with ‘mass’ intertwines the two lines and creates a very biblical sentence. Also suggests that once we die, our bodies go back to nature- a very religious idea. Also suggests the human body is very fragile, like grass- easily cut down.
“He has a job to do.”
Opening sentence emphasises the necessity the photographer feels towards his job- he takes it on himself to educate people.
“though seem to now.”
Expresses the shock and horror experienced by the photographer. Although he was desensitised at the time of capturing these photos, the horror is coming back to him now- he’s reliving the moment.
“Rural England.”
Suggests the photographer is really well off as he can afford to live in rural England- he is very privileged and wealthy, he never has to experience the horrors of poverty and war. It makes him feel quite like an imposter for telling himself he must fulfil this job despite being so wealthy.
“ordinary pain”
UK pains such as politics. We don’t understand how it feels to suffer on the same degree as these foreign places- we don’t need to fear war, bombardment and death.
“children”
Children are affected by the war, also dying through starvation, bombardment, and warfare.
“Something is happening.”
Emphatic sentence It’s enigmatic: designed to make the reader question what is happening. It is a transferred epithet of the photographers own feelings from his experience during wartime.
“twist”
Painful experience, like the twisting of a body: cracking bone and flesh.
“A hundred agonies in black and white.”
Metaphorical. The photographs are capturing the agonies of the people. He is also in agony witnessing it.
“his editor”
Suggests he has no control over the fate of these images.
“five or six”
Flippancy. Suggests that the paper and the readers don’t fully grasp the importance of his work. They are devaluing it.
“Sunday’s supplement”
Not even the main section of the paper- suggests a lack of importance. Frivolity of a Sunday is also emphasised- readers are more focused on their own day, not the photographers work, which feels very selfish.
“prick”
The readers are kind of upset, not really upset. They hardly cry, as their own life takes over.
“impassively”
He has no control over anything. He feels guilty due to his privilege as he sells his picture in the UK of people suffering.
“pre-lunch beers”
Shows privilege as its very frivolous and indulgent. The people in the photographs cannot have this lifestyle- it shows a contrast between our lives.
