War Photographer Flashcards
‘In his dark room he is finally alone’
The word ‘Finally’ shows how he is constantly haunted by his experiences and this allows him to escape them
‘Spools of Suffering set out in ordered rows’
This is sibilance emphasising the dark nature of the photos and their content
‘The only light is red and softly glows’
Connotations with blood and violence and the red light and glow can give a sense of a safe place
‘A priest preparing to intone a mass’
To juxtapose the idea of church with Warzone as this also emphasises the scale of horror he has seen
‘All flesh is grass’
This is a metaphor to emphasise the scale of death and fragility of life linking to the thought that this life is as meaningless to people at home mowing grass
‘Beneath his hands which did not tremble then’
Irony because he had a steady hand when taking the photo in a dangerous position however he is now at home trembling in a safe position because he is suffering with PTSD
‘Home again to ordinary pain which simple with can dispel’
Stereotyping the typical British weather that would effect many people within Britain contrasting to the Warzone he has just been in
‘Of running children in a Nightmare heat’
This is a couplet emphasising the venerability and danger these children are in
‘Before his eyes a half formed ghost’
This is a metaphor showing the still faint origins of the Photo but also implies that the subject may well now be dead now
‘How he sought approval without words’
The personal pronoun of ‘he’ emphasising a nameless person that is one of many but also a sense of detachment and guilt within the tone
‘A hundred agonies in black and white’
This is a pun of dark humour with link towards Black and White in the newspapers but also emphasis on the morality as War is black and white
‘he stares impassively’
‘Impassive’ showing that he is without emotion and feels helpless
‘he earns his living and they do not care’
collective pronoun creates a finalising emphasise to his statement
The use of old photos with the process of having to be in a dark room and let it dry creates a dark and sinister atmosphere
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The poem contrasts from the perspective of being in the Warzone and also being in a place of comfort at home
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