war photographer Flashcards
1
Q
stanza 1:
“dark room”
A
- double entendre
- refers to the dark room for photography and the dark actions committed in the battlefield
2
Q
stanza 1:
“mass… grass”
A
- half rhyme, shows how traumatised the war photographer is
- religious imagery, he sees himself as a priest blessing the corpses of the soldiers since no one else has
- makes his job feel more important and cares about it
3
Q
stanza 2:
“he has a job to do”
A
- declarative, emphasises the importance of his job
- talks to himself in second person, he is convincing himself that he has to do this, demonstrates how he hates his job as he puts himself in danger
- “job”, euphemism, he is stopping himself from focussing on the graphic details of his job
4
Q
stanza 2:
“solutions”
A
- double entendre/pun, refers to the liquid solutions to put photos in and implying his photos are the solution to end war through raising awareness
5
Q
stanza 3:
“stranger’s features”
A
- normally of no importance, but this being in the first line shows it is in the forefront of the war photographer’s mind
- demonstrates that everyone has a story, makes us feel sympathy for those he photographs
6
Q
stanza 3:
“twist”
A
- infers that the stranger felt pain and agony
- suggests the physical representation of a mutilated body
- this followed with the metaphor, “half formed ghost”, shows how the death of this stranger is following him
7
Q
stanza 4:
“black and white”
A
- many think about war in a binary way
- public reaction: even though the victims of war cry, first world countries do not care
8
Q
stanza 4:
“prick”
A
- small insignificant emotions that are very superficial but also what they feel is only a fraction of what the war photographer sees
- victims of war are easily forgotten
9
Q
describe the structure in war photographer
A
the use of iambic and trochaic pentameters to give the poem a rhythm which is broken in the last stanza to unsettle the reader
