War Photographer Flashcards
what is the theme?
isolation (war)
how do we know that the photographer is isolated?
- “finally alone”
- “as if he were a priest”
- “they do not care”
how does the auto make use of contrast in the opening verse?
“red” usually symbolises danger and warning. This is in contrast to the word “softly” which connotes gentleness and comfort
also “spools of suffering contrasts to “ordered rows” - agony and chaos vs calm order
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.”
all war zones. The minor sentences and alliteration give them more impact. Putting the minor sentences next to each other creates an effect similar to listing, where it emphasises the amount of war zones he has been to and also suggests that they are possibly all starting to lose their individuality to him.
how do we know the photographer is detatched and is no longer shocked by what he sees?
“All flesh is grass” “he has a job to do” "impassively" “his hands, which did not tremble then" “a stranger’s features"
how does the author create contrast between the war zone and home in the second verse?
“blood”, “cries” “explode” “nightmare heat” vs “ordinary” “simple weather” “rural”
which phrases show the lack of concern from people in the UK?
pick out”
“prick with tears”
“they do not care”
what makes the closing lines effective?
rhyming couplet to create sense of finality. also it is ambiguous – who is the “they”? Shows the theme - he does not fit into either the war zone or home. He is isolated and cannot connect to either set of people.
what makes the opening lines effective?
“finally alone” shows the character and theme well - isolated, but wants to be. “spools of suffering” is a striking metaphor and alliteration which makes us want to find out what they contain.
“a stranger’s features faintly start to twist before his eyes, a half formed ghost”
The word “stranger” reminds us of the photographer’s detachment – he did not get to know this man and connect with him. “Twist” is ambiguous, as the photo is not yet clearly developed but the word also suggests the man’s face is contorted in agony. The metaphor of “half formed ghost” again reminds us that the photos I still faint, but also suggests that the man is now dead.
“the blood stained into foreign dust”
The word “foreign” reminds us that people in the more developed parts of the world do not empathise fully with these images because they see them as happening far away.
