War Photographer Flashcards
Who wrote the poem ‘War Photographer’?
Carol Ann Duffy
Why does Carol Ann Duffy present the photographer as relieved to be alone?
Because he needs time to digest what he has witnessed.
The photographer arranges the photographs into ‘ordered rows’ because…
…he wants to bring order to the chaos he’s seen.
Carol Ann Duffy compares the photographer to a priest because…
…she thinks photographs can carry a message like a mass.
‘All flesh is grass’ means…
…life is fragile. It can come and go.
Why did the photographer’s hands not tremble when he took the photographs?
Because he had to remain professional and get the job done.
Which country was the photo ‘Napalm Girl’ taken in?
Vietnam
Why does Carol Ann Duffy describe the image of the dying man as ‘a half-formed ghost’?
Because the image is slowly developing in front of him, the man is now dead so seems like a ghost and the photographer finds the image haunting.
Why do you think the wife allowed the photographer to take a picture of him dying?
She wanted the world to see his suffering, give them a message and make them stop and help.
Why does the photographer describe his job as doing ‘what someone must’?
He feels that the world must learn of the horrors of war.
He feels he has a responsibility.
What is the theme of the poem?
Isolation and Suffering
What effect does the religious imagery create?
Conveys his dedication to his occupation
Shows how he is too often exposed to life and death
What is Sunday’s supplement?
A regular additional section placed in a Sunday newspaper
What is the colour of the light in the darkroom and what does it connote?
Red - connotations of blood and pain
Fill in the blank: “A stranger’s features ______ start to twist before his eyes,”
faintly
Fill in the blank: “The reader’s _______ prick with tears between the ____ and pre-lunch _____”
eyeballs; bath; beers
What was War Photographer based on?
Vietnam War
Fill in the blank: “…beneath his hands, which did not ____ then though they seem to now.”
tremble
Which quote shows our increasing indifference to the victims of conflict?
“stares impassively…and they do not care”
Fill in the blank:
“to fields which don’t explode beneath the feet ______________”
of running children
Which religion is symbolized by the red light?
Catholicism
He goes home to what?
‘Ordinary pain’
What does Duffy mean by ordinary pain?
Westerners have it easy
The imagery of ‘fields that don’t explode…running children’ is a reference to what?
The Napalm Girl
‘The Nightmare Heat’ in this line refers to what?
The gas burning her body.
In the third stanza, the photographer experiences something strange, this is
Flashback
What’s the effect of the verb ‘prick’ to describe the readers reacting to the pictures?
They are affected only for a moment
What is the inspiration behind the poem?
Duffy’s own friendship with a war photographer
What does Duffy explore in the poem?
The complex and potentially controversial role of a war photographer, who is so close to horrific events but can do nothing to help
What are the four focus points of the poem?
1) The photographer
2) The images of war zones
3) The lack of care of those living a safe life
4) Brief reflection of the nonchalance (lack of interest or empathy) towards the suffering
What rhyme scheme does the poem follow?
ABBCDD
What could the rhyme scheme reflect?
The photographer’s futile attempt to establish order in a chaotic and distressing situation
Give examples of images of pain in the poem:
“Running children in nightmare heat”
“Cries of this man#s wife”
“Blood-stained”
“Fields which don’t explode beneath feet”
Give examples of images of comfort in the poem:
“Rural England”
“Ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel”
“Sunday supplement”
“Eyeball’s prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers”
What are some of the contrasts Carol Ann Duffy draws in War Photographer?
Images of pain vs images of comfort
Comfortable and safe lives of those not experiencing war vs horror of those experiencing war
Give an example of the use of caesura in the poem:
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.”
What is the effect of caesura/one-word sentences?
Gives the poem a stop-start feel.
Could reflect the casual and dismissive tone of those unaffected by suffering.
What could the poem’s neat and ordered form on the page mimic?
The way war photographers have to have a practical, emotionless approach to their work as they face the chaos of war
What quote from War Photographer suggests the speaker feels relief?
“Finally alone”
What quotations show that the photographer is associated with a priest?
“as though this were the church and he / a priest, preparing to intone a mass”
“The only light is red and softly glows”
What is the quotation “the only light is red and softly glows” a reference to?
The continuous red light in catholic churches that symbolises Christ’s presence.
What does the quote “All flesh is grass” highlight?
The scale of bloodshed
It also creates a gruesome image in the reader’s head
What quotation is also a quote from the bible and means that human life is temporary?
“All flesh is grass”
What quotation does the photographer refer to children and why?
“Running children in nightmare heat”
To remind the reader of the innocent lives affected by war
What quotation uses sibilance and why?
“Spools of suffering set out in ordered rows”
The photographer is trying to make sense of something so horrific, which is emphasised by the sibilance
What quote is designed to make the reader understand the intensity of suffering caused by the war?
“A hundred agonies in black and white”
What poems could you compare to War Photographer on the theme of reality of conflict?
Remains
Bayonet Charge
Poppies
What poems could you compare to War Photographer on the theme of conflicting emotions?
Kamikaze
Remains
The Emigree
