Suffering (WP + Blessing)

Question 1

Paragraph 1 points

Answer 1

• in wp the suffering is caused by the atrocities of war
• in blessing the suffering is caused by the immense scarcity of water

Question 2

“A hundred agonies in black and white”

Answer 2

Emotive language: has connotations of pain, death and unimaginable horrors
Descriptor: portrays how the suffering of a huge amount of people has been etched into the speaker’s brain
Enjambment: mirrors the overwhelming flood of suffering

Question 3

“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.”

Answer 3

Plosive sounds: words mimic the sound of gunfire, attacking and invading him. The suffering he has seen means that the photographer has symptoms of PTSD
Caesuras: reinforces the weight of human suffering, highlights the global nature of conflict across Europe, the Middle East and Asia

Question 4

“The skin cracks like a pod. There is never enough water”

Answer 4

Simile: comparison emphasises the dehydration and fragility of the community suffering because of a lack of water
Imagery: creates a vivid visual image of dryness and pain, helping the reader physically feel the harshness of the environment
Staccato rhythm: reflects the bleak, grim reality of drought and the suffering it causes. While most lines of the poem use enjambment, this line breaks the flow and draws attention to the bitter reality for people living in the Global South

Question 5

“Imagine the drip of it”

Answer 5

Imperative verb: directly addresses the reader, pulling them into the experience. Creates a sense of urgency, the speaker is pleading for the reader to understand her situation
Onomatopoeia: mimics the sound of water flowing slowly. Emphasises the rarity of water. Appeals to the reader’s auditory senses
Pacing: slows the pace of the poem, reinforces the weight of even a single drop of water

Question 6

Paragraph 2 point

Answer 6

• In both poems, suffering has profound and prolonged impacts. In ‘War Photographer’, the speaker’s suffering is internal and he is deeply affected even after leaving the war zone
• In contrast, in ‘Blessing’, the community experiences physical suffering. They are momentarily relieved of their suffering when the municipal pipe breaks

Question 7

“spools of suffering” in “ordered rows”

Answer 7

juxtaposition of “suffering” and “ordered”: there is a contrast between the emotive language and his actions, the photographer is trying to organise the trauma he has seen.
Alexandrine: his pent up emotions are overflowing

Question 8

“All flesh is grass”

Answer 8

End stopped line: speaker is blocking himself from thinking about the suffering he has witnessed
Biblical reference: attempt to rationalise the horrors by highlighting the cyclical nature of life and how flesh returns to the earth when we die

Question 9

with pots, // brass, copper, aluminium, // plastic buckets, // frantic hands”

Answer 9

• Asyndetic listing: reflects the chaos of people grabbing whatever object they can find. -Highlights the desperation and lack of resources in the community
• Juxtaposition of valuable “brass, copper” and cheap “aluminium, plastic” emphasises that everyone, regardless of status is affected. - Suggests how community’s suffering is amplified by economic hardship and inequality
• Adjective “frantic” conveys panic, anxiety, and chaos. People lose their dignity because they are reduced to scrambling for a basic necessity.
• Dramatic build up from inanimate objects to human involvement: shows rising tension that ends with human desperation. Mirrors how the community is willing to fight to end their suffering (even temporarily)

Question 10

the blessing sings // over their small bones”

Answer 10

Personification: blessing is personified as if it can sing, giving it life. This contrasts with the suffering in the poem, because water is sacred and divine. Suggests that even amidst hardship, the community experience beauty and emotional uplift
Metaphor: emphasises the vulnerability of children, highlighting the physical suffering caused by poverty
Gentle sound in “sing”, “small” and “blessing”: create a soothing lyrical tone, symbolising a brief moment of peace during a long life of suffering. However, the adjective “small” reminds the reader that the fragility of the community will not be cured by one burst water pipe.

Question 11

Introduction

Answer 11

• WP four regular stanzas with AABBCDD rhyme scheme
• reflects order the photographer tries to impose on the chaos of war
• blessing uses irregular structure with free verse and uneven stanza lengths to reflect unpredictable nature of suffering and relief