War photographer - Carol Ann Duffy

Question 1

Briefly describe what the poem is about.

Answer 1

It’s about a photographer who has returned home to England after time spent in war zones. While developing his photos, he remembers a dying man he photographed, and seems frustrated about his how his photos will be viewed by the public, who don’t seem to care.

Question 2

What message do you think the poem conveys about war?

Answer 2

War is presented as horrific and painful. Duffy highlights how it can leave an impact on the lives of those involved, and that those who aren’t involved can become desensitised to it.

Question 3

Find a quote from the poem that highlights how important the photographer’s job is.

Answer 3

The photographer is described as doing “what someone must” (line 17)

Question 4

In line two, the narrator describes “spools of suffering set out in ordered rows”. What effect does this description have? Explain your answer.

Answer 4

• This description is a paradox —the
  photographer is imposing order on the chaos
  of war. This conveys the tension that the
  photographer feels between the suffering he
  documents and the calm, orderly way in
  which he documents it.
• The “ordered rows” have connotations of
  war graves, which reinforces the idea that
  the photographer cannot escape the
  memories of war.

Question 5

How does Duffy’s use of caesurae affect the mood of the poem?

Answer 5

Duffy uses caesurae to slow the pace, which helps the career mournful mood. In the first stanza, Duffy users caesurae to separate the names of war zones forcing the reader to slow down and consider each war zone in turn, echoing the solemnity of a funeral “Mass”.

Question 6

Give the effects created by the plosive sounds.

Answer 6

Duffy uses plosives to mimic the sounds of the poem’s setting. Duffy uses the repeated plosive sounds in “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.” to evoke the sound of gunfire. Duffy also uses caesurae to slow the pace, drawing attention to the plosive sounds and their effect.

Question 7

’ Using the first person in a poem is the best way to help the reader sympathise with the speaker.’
Discuss this statement.

Answer 7

The first person can make a poem feel more personal. However Duffy’s use of the 3rd person in ‘war photographer’ creates a distance between the photographer and the reader. This emphasises the photographer’s feeling of isolation, evoking the reader’s sympathy in a different way.

Question 8

Why do you think Duffy chose a regular rhyme scheme?

Answer 8

The regular rhyme scheme echoes the care and order involved in the photographer’s work, as well as highlighting the contrast between this order and the chaos he documents.

Question 9

How is imagery used to create mood?

Answer 9

Dorothy uses religious imagery to create a sombre mood. Duffy uses this imagery to establish the mood at the start of the poem, but doesn’t include it elsewhere.

Question 10

What do you think Duffy is referring to in the phrase “A hundred agonies in black and white” (line 19)?

Answer 10

Duffy is referring to the developed photographs taken by the photographer.

Question 11

Describe how the mood of the poem changes between the third and fourth stanzas.

Answer 11

In the third stanza, the mood is sorrowful as the photographer remembers a dying man he photographed. In the fourth, stanza as he thinks about how the photographs will be used, the tone becomes bitter and sarcastic.

Question 12

What is the effect of the internal rhyme “tears” and “beers” on line 22?

Answer 12

By rhyming “tears” and “beers” in the same line, Duffy highlights how quickly any tears the readers may have are replaced by a return to everyday life.

Question 13

How does Duffy use language to describe the photographer’s home in rural England?

Answer 13

Duffy uses neutral, and unemotional language to describe the peace and safety of England with its “ordinary pain” and “simple weather”. She uses sound to highlight the difference between England and war zones — plosives in the place names “Belfast” and “Beirut” contrast with the soft consonants of “Rural England”.

Question 14

How effective do you find Duffy’s use of emotive language in the poem? Explain your answer.

Answer 14

Duffy’s use of emotive language is effective in conveying the horrors of war, for example by describing how the man’s “blood stained into foreign dust”. The noun “blood” is strong and graphic, and the verb “stained” makes the reader think about the lasting impact of war. Duffy reinforces this effect by describing the photographer’s own emotional reaction to his memories — his hands “tremble” as he develops the photos.

Question 15

Why do you think Duffy uses religious imagery?

Answer 15

The image of a “ priest preparing to intone a Mass” makes the poem seem solemn, conveying the photographer’s seriousness. It also implies that developing the photographs is like a ceremony or ritual for him — a way of remembering the suffering he’s observed.