War Photographer Flashcards
Analyse form in War Photographer
Duffy’s poem, at face value, seems very ordered, with equal stanza length. Perhaps she is trying to reflect how the war photographer captures all this horror into such even photos – this links to why there are 4 stanzas of 6 lines, 6’’ x 4’’ is a common photo size. Alternatively, it could be showing that the war photographer has to keep in all their emotions, unable to show pain as he has to carry out his job
Analyse the opening of War Photographer
Duffy begins by highlighting the pain the photographer feels and his desire to be isolated. He’s glad to be in his ‘’dark room’’ and ‘’finally alone’’. Duffy implies he’s pushed everyone away, with ‘’finally’’ representing his desperation to be alone – implying that no one would possibly understand what he has seen.
Analyse language in War Photographer
Whereas, Duffy uses a very tight, ordered structure. There’s juxtaposition between this ordered structure and the chaotic nature of war – perhaps representing that the war photographer has become emotionally numb to the horrors he has seen. Furthermore, the juxtaposition reflects the pressure of doing his job, being a war photographer, and the pressure of wanting to help these ‘’strangers’’ but can’t.
Analyse structure of War Photographer
Duffy also describes ‘’spools of suffering’’ set out in ‘’ordered rows’’ to remind us of the devastating consequences of war, that have also consumed the photographer. The sibilance is almost sinister in this metaphor, again reflecting how the horrors of war are captured in this image – reminding us of his potentially dark moral purpose. Furthermore, ‘’ordered rows’’ alludes to cemetery – specifically the graves of soldiers in rows, perhaps Duffy shows us that the trauma of the soldiers lives on, causing mental turmoil in people like the photographer
Analyse the ending of War Photographer
Duffy, in the end of her poem, criticizes how some people actually don’t care about the conflict or the soldiers that have died – claiming he ‘’earns his living and they do not care’’.
‘’living’’ is almost ironic – as the photographer pictures the dead.
Perhaps she wants to show how his attempts to highlight the horrors of war are futile, with ‘’they’’ being ambiguous, who is ‘’they’’? It could be the government or even the ignorant public, who she believes can’t grasp the reality of war.
