poems war photographer Flashcards
“spools of suffering”
Suggests the pictures are physically painful to look at
“In his darkroom he is finally alone”
Shows he is in a dark place
Inverted to emphasise the word alone
“ordered rows”
Shows he is trying to organise these chaotic images
“The only light is red”
Emphasises his loneliness as it is the ‘only’ light
The colour red represents a sacramental lamp and begins the extended metaphor of him being religious
“as though this were a church”
Shows that he feels calm in the dark room
“a priest preparing to intone a mass”
‘priest’ shows that his job is a vocation and that he feels it is important
This quotation shows that he has to handle his work with care and respect, like a priest
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.
All of these are war zones separated by a full stop to show each is a separate memory
“All flesh is grass.”
Biblical quotation saying that man’s life is short in comparison to God’s.
This shows that everything he sees in front of him is death
“He has job to do.”
This is a blunt, simple sentence to show that he has to treat his job simply.
“Solutions slop”
Chemical solutions to develop photos, suggests he is thinking of solutions to war.
“did not tremble then
though seem to now.”
Enjambment used to create a contrast-shows that he is only emotional after taking the photos when he can be
“Rural England.”
Contrasts with the places in stanza 1
“ordinary pain”
Oxymoron used to show that at home in England it’s not real pain he feels but only unhappiness
“simple weather can dispel”
Just a sunny day can fix all your problems in England
“nightmare”
Contrasts between quiet England and the horrors of where he works
