war photographer - carol ann duffy

Question 1

Give a plot summary for War Photographer.

Answer 1

war photographer - carol ann duffy:

• a war photographer develops his pictures in a darkroom under a soft red light; there is a serious and church-like atmosphere
• he shakes slightly, although he didn’t when he was in the war zone
• he remembers the context of each photograph
• he is aware that only a few photos will be used, and the readers will be sad for a few moments and then move on without a care

Question 2

What inspired Carol Ann Duffy to write War Photographer?

Answer 2

war photographer - carol ann duffy:

• based War Photographer on her friendship with a war photographer, and she was intrigued by the challenges they saw without being able to help.
• she wanted to show the contrast between the war zone and our safety at home
• she often wrote about unheard voices
• she was critical of violence

Question 3

What does “all flesh is grass” mean?

Answer 3

“all flesh is grass” - a biblical phrase from the Old Testament that means human life is brief
- Duffy was a Catholic

Question 4

Give six key quotes in War Photographer.

Answer 4

war photographer - carol ann duffy:

• “spools of suffering set out in ordered rows”
• “red” “dark”
• “all flesh is grass”
• “a stranger’s features faintly… twist… a half formed ghost”
• “a hundred agonies… pick out five or six”
• “prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers”

Question 5

Give four relevant points about structure and form in War Photographer.

Answer 5

war photographer - carol ann duffy:

• rhyming couplets
• cyclical structure
• enjambment (not between stanzas)
• third person

Question 6

Give three key themes present in War Photographer.

Answer 6

war photographer - carol ann duffy:

• effects of conflict
• inner conflict
• suffering