War photographer

Question 1

what is the context for war photographer ?

Answer 1

• She is friends with two war photographers, which inspired her to explore the challenges and emotional toll of their work.
• The poem was published in 1985, ten years after the Vietnam War ended.
• The line “running children in a nightmare heat” references a famous photo of a girl fleeing a napalm attack.
• That photo had a huge impact, leading to public outcry and anti-war protests.
• Duffy contrasts that past reaction with modern society, where war photography is often ignored.
• The poem highlights the disconnect between those who witness war firsthand and the public who consume it through the media.

Question 2

what is the perspective in war photographer and how is it used for effect ?

Answer 2

• The poem is written in the third person, even though it describes a deeply emotional moment.
• This creates a sense of detachment, mirroring the photographer’s need to emotionally distance himself from the horrors he witnesses.
• It reflects how he must separate emotion from duty in order to do his job.
• The photographer is presented as a solitary figure, isolated in both war zones and at home.
• The use of the accusatory pronoun “they” distances him from the British public.
• This suggests he feels alienated and disconnected from those who consume his work without understanding its true emotional weight.
• The contrast between his intense experiences and the public’s indifference emphasises his loneliness and moral conflict.

Question 3

what is the form in war photographer and how is it used for effect ?

Answer 3

• The poem uses a rigid structure: four stanzas of six lines each and a consistent ABBCDD rhyme scheme disorder.
• The structure could also reflect the calmness and safety of “rural England”, where he processes traumatic memories.
• The unchanging structure might suggest that nothing ever changes — despite his efforts, the horrors he captures are ignored by the public.
• The rhyme and regularity mirror the photographer’s careful, methodical approach — seen in the phrase “ordered rows” when arranging photos.
• His ritualistic behaviour shows a need for control, helping him process the trauma and emotional weight of his job.
• His “trembling hands” reveal how fragile that control really is — the act of developing photos causes him to relive the suffering.

Question 4

how is cyclical structure in war photographer used for effect ?

Answer 4

• The poem ends with the photographer returning to the warzone on “the aeroplane”, just as it began with him coming back to England.
• This cyclical structure suggests futility and repetition — his efforts to raise awareness have changed nothing.
• Highlights the endless cycle of conflict and how the horrors he witnesses are quickly forgotten by the public.
• The closing line “he stares impassively at where he earns his living and they do not care” reinforces his emotional detachment and the public’s apathy.
• The tone becomes defeated, contrasting with his earlier sense of duty shown in “to do what someone must”.
• The religious imagery in stanza one (comparing him to a priest) gives his work a moral weight, which is sadly unacknowledged by those who view his photos.
• The structure and ending emphasise the emotional toll on the photographer and the lack of meaningful change caused by his work.

Question 5

how does Duffy present the war photographer’s internal conflict in War Photographer?

Answer 5

• The photographer struggles to reconcile his peaceful life in “rural England” with the horrors he has witnessed in war zones.
• He views England through the lens of conflict, noticing that roads “don’t explode” and there is no “nightmare heat” — emphasising the stark contrast.
• The simile “as though this were a church and he a priest preparing to intone a Mass” reflects his sense of duty — like a priest, he connects the public to distant suffering.
• Although he is physically distant from the “hundred agonies” of war, he feels emotionally conflicted and isolated.
• He is disturbed by the indifference of the English public, who enjoy “baths and pre-lunch beers” while others suffer in “foreign dust”.
• The final line, “he stares impassively… and they do not care”, shows his emotional numbness and bitterness.
• The collective pronoun “they” creates an accusatory tone, suggesting his frustration and possibly making the reader feel guilty or uncomfortable.
• His internal conflict is fuelled by the tension between his moral responsibility and the public’s apathy.

Question 6

how does Duffy present the photographer’s response to conflict in War Photographer?

Answer 6

• Sibilance in “solutions slop in trays” suggests hope that photography can raise awareness and spark change.
• “Twist” shows the emotional pain in the images and in the photographer himself.
• “Half-formed ghost” metaphor symbolises both the dead and the haunting nature of memory.
• Juxtaposition of religious imagery and violent lexis highlights the moral conflict and public hypocrisy.
• Photographer is compared to a priest, suggesting a sacred duty to reveal truth and suffering.
• Society appears passive and uncaring, despite claiming to value peace.
• The photographer feels a mix of pain, responsibility, and frustration.

Question 7

‘spools of suffering’ - War photographer - suffering

Answer 7

• The sibilance in “spools of suffering” creates a quiet, hushed tone, suggesting that the true nature of war and its pain is silenced or overlooked.
• This reflects how the public is shielded from the brutality of war, allowing them to continue their daily lives without confronting the reality of suffering.
• “Spools” also implies that this suffering is repeated and endless, yet people continue to ignore it.

Question 8

‘pick out five or six’ - War photographer - suffering

Answer 8

• The photographer “picks out five or six” photos, which suggests that the public only engages with a limited selection of suffering before it becomes too overwhelming or difficult to process.
• This reflects how people limit their emotional involvement and avoid confronting the full scale of suffering that does not directly affect them.
• The photographer’s selection of images highlights how suffering is often curated to fit the public’s comfort levels, minimizing the discomfort caused by the reality of war.

Question 9

‘In his dark room he is finally alone’ - War photographer - impact on civilians

Answer 9

• The sinister tone is established by the darkroom setting and the phrase “finally alone”, implying that even in a place of supposed solitude and safety, the photographer is still haunted by the violence he has witnessed.
• The darkroom is symbolic of the emotional isolation the photographer feels, as he is physically alone but still unable to escape the horrors of war.
• The color imagery of “red” and “softly glows” has violent connotations, suggesting that even in a space meant for reflection and development, the photographer is still confronted by the lingering violence.
• The photographer’s solitude throughout the poem emphasizes how he feels isolated in processing his emotional trauma, implying that the impact on civilians is often invisible and unacknowledged by those back home.

Question 10

‘Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh’ - War photographer - extensive scale of conflict

Answer 10

• The asyndetic listing of “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh” refers to a range of conflicts across the globe, showing the vast and global scale of war.
• The plosives in this list (the hard “b” and “p” sounds) create an aggressive, harsh tone, emphasizing the violent impact of war on many places and people.
• The caesura (the pauses between each city) forces the reader to pause and reflect on each location individually, highlighting the personal and unique suffering of each conflict, while also emphasizing the sheer number of places affected by war.

Question 11

‘the tears’ occur ‘between the bath and pre-lunch beers’ - War photographer - futility

Answer 11

• The half rhyme between “the tears” and “between the bath and pre-lunch beers” creates an unsatisfying and incomplete sound, symbolising how insignificant the suffering seems to the public.
• The half rhyme speeds up the pace of the line, contrasting with the slow, laborious process of the photographer’s work, symbolising how quickly people return to their comfortable lives after briefly engaging with the horrors of war.
• This quick return to normality shows how disconnected the public is from the pain and suffering captured in the photos, underscoring the futility of the photographer’s efforts to create lasting awareness.
• The contrast between the process of developing photos and the fleeting attention the public gives to the suffering illustrates the lack of genuine concern for global conflict.
• This will work well for your flashcards! Let me know if you need any more quotes or additional a

Question 12

‘blood stained in foreign dust’ - War photographer - impact on civilians

Answer 12

• The phrase “blood stained in foreign dust” creates a powerful image of violence and death in a war zone, linking the suffering of civilians to the physical environment of conflict.
• The word “blood” suggests intense violence and the loss of life, while “foreign dust” evokes a sense of alienation, showing how the suffering is far removed from the comforts of home and seen as distant by those in more peaceful places.
• The use of “foreign” highlights the separation between the civilians in war zones and those unaffected by the violence, emphasizing the public’s detachment from the ongoing conflicts in distant lands.
• The image of blood and dust may also symbolise the invisible, ignored suffering that goes unnoticed by those who are shielded from the consequences of war, illustrating the public’s indifference to foreign suffering.
• This format should help you easily grasp the