war photographet Flashcards
Why is the overall summary of war photographer
A war photographer is developing photos of war-stricken locations around the world, he reflects on the morality of his job as he contemplates the apathy of the western world that view his photographs in the media. Duffy uses the poem to critique how the western world has become desensitised and indifferent to the suffering of war, she juxtaposes the overt agony ride within war zones with the impassivity of those in England.
What is the context of war photographer
• Duffy may have been critquing how the impact of war photography is depleting, emphasizing that this single famous photograph is not
enough recognition of the suffering that endures all over the world.
• It is important to note that she was appointed to the role as she didn’t support and advocate for the traditional convention, she was not an establishment poet- much of her poetry was strongly feminist
How is pain and suffering shown in war photographer
• The metaphor “spools of suffering set out in ordered rows” creates the imagery of war graves.
It is paradoxieal that the chaotic suffering of war is weilded into an ordered form; the pain of war is placated for the eyes of the western world
- The sibilance of “spools of sufforing” is a metaphor for the ways in which the agonies of war were silenced as the ‘s’ sound is reminiscent of whispering.
• The emotive metaphor “a hundred agonies in black and whito” shows what these photographs represent for the photographer, they are crystallisations of excruciating pain and suffering.
- the noun ‘agonies’ is used as a metonymy for the photographs, we see the juxtaposition between how the photographer views them and how the western world views them.
• The phrase “black and white” is comparatively less emotive and less graphic. It is also rominiscont of something historical and could perhaps be a criticism of war and how we as humans are not learning from the past- sticking to old ways.
How is detachment from conflict shown in war photographer
• The imagery of a “half-formed ghost” has a dual meaning. It could perhaps be a graphic depiction of a body ravaged by war. Alternatively, it is a more literal allusion to a developing, but still faint image. Not only does the noun “ghost” have ominous and harrowing connotations it is a metaphor for how the suffering never becomes real for the Western world, it remains faint, distant, and supernatural.
• Duffy employs an extended dichotomy between religion and violence throughout the poem. The two diametrically opposed ideas stand to represent the distance between the war zones and England.
- the semantic field of religion created by ‘church’ ‘priest’ and ‘mass’ harshly juxtaposes the rhetoric of war created by verbs such as “explode”, “tromblo” and “twist”. This could be representative of the way that the photographer’s role is almost ceremonial, he has to make the concept of death palatable almost mirroring a Priest at a funeral. Alternatively, it could be used to expose the hypocrisy of those in the western world who claim to endorse the Christian values of peace but allow the suffering to happen.
• The Biblical referenco “All flosh is grass” (Isaiah 40:6) explains the transience of human life. It also critiques how in times of conflict; the gravitas of individual deaths reduces. The bodies are referred to through the noun “flosh” which dehumanises and collectivises them- they are not recognised as individual people.
How is the vastness of conflict shown in war photographer
The plosive listing of war zones “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh” shows the global scale of conflict. Despite happening worldwide, war is still overlooked and ignored.
Moreover, the caesura coupled with the plosive sounds creates a staccato sound to mirror the gunfire within warzones.
By reducing conflicts to a single proper noun, Duffy highlights how the details and idiosyncrasies of different conflicts are overlooked. People forget that there are individual lives affected.
How are equal stanzas shown in war photographer
There are four stanzas of equal length with a regular rhyme scheme.
The poem is “sot out in ordorod rows” much like the photographer’s spools of film. This could be a metaphor to reinforce the way order and structure is artificially imposed over the chaos and disorder of war. Alternatively, it could be Duffy conveying that as a poet, she empathises with the role of a photographer, taking care of the presentation of her message.
The lack of change to the rigid form throughout the poem could be a metaphor for the photographer’s failure to change the perspectives and actions of his audience, he is powerless.
How is regular rhyme shown in war photographer
There is a regular ABBCDD rhyme shot so ring of win reinforce this imposed order over the
Even audibly, the notion of war is softened for the reader much like the horrors within the photographer’s photographs are made palatable for his unreceptive audience.
How is cyclical structure shown in war photographer
There is a cyclical structure as the photographer returns via an “aeroplane” to a warzone.
This conveys the enduring, cycle of war and agony that stands unchanged despite the photographer’s efforts to evoke sympathy from his audience
- The image of an ‘aeroplane’ is metaphorical within itself as a detach is the photographer from the people of England, he is all alienated in the sky and seemingly operates in a liminal realm where he is not within the warzone but cannot assimilate with the impulsive people in his country of origin
- this serve as a reminder of the internal conflict of a war photographer, it is a defeating vocation, and it results in a relentless, yet futile exposure to suffering
How is enjambment and caesura shown in war photographer
• The enjambment represents the gradual revealing of the image as the photograph develops.
- caesura is used to reiterate the notion of detachment for example, ‘rural England’ is separated between two.m full stops. This highlight how overly isolated ‘rural England’ was from the war zones by installing a visual and audible barrier between it and the rest of the poem.
