war photographer Flashcards
(14 cards)
‘dark room […] red light’
This is dark imagery which has evil connotations which highlights the evil and immorality of war.
The imagery of the red light reflects the blood and gore on the battlefront and that the photographer has become accustomed to it, just like it is part of the scenery
‘church […] to intone a mass’
Religious metaphor is extended through the poem
It portrays the man’s job as ritualistic to show that he works in a controlled fashion but also that he restores order to the chaos of war through his photography.
The religious metaphor contrasts the evil of war to highlight the lack of morals that people in power have to evoke it.
His job is sanctified to show that not only does he deal with death as a priest does at a funeral, but it also shows that he saves people by spreading awareness.
‘spools of suffering’
The metaphor is used to highlight the vast amounts of horror and tragedy that he faces due to his job.
Suffering could be a double entendre in the sense that the suffering that he works with is not only that of those in the war zone but also his own trauma and emotions due to memories that haunt him.
The sibilance creates connotations of evil to refer to the evil of war and it also reflects the sound of the spool so we can imagine the environment.
‘ordered rows’
The imagery used here reminds of soldiers in the military or war memorials in uniform lines.
It is in juxtaposition to the chaotic description of the horrors of war, maybe this is the photographer trying to make sense of the war itself?
‘All flesh is grass’
There is a continuation of the religious metaphor which this biblical reference from Isaiah.
The biblical reference highlights the fragility of life and the circle of life and through the assimilation between the corpse and the ground we have an image of graves and death in our minds just as the photographer would.
Comparing a prosaic description of the dead body to the beautiful description of the grass and nature is used to highlight our ignorance towards the true horrors of war
‘Beirut.Phnom Penh.’
This is short and emphatic to highlight the gravity of war; the use of caesura forces the reader to pause and consider each of the tragedies which contrasts and criticises the usual dismissal that we have towards these situations.
The use of plosive sounds reflects the gunfire of a battleground, and the clause ‘breaks the peace’ of the religious metaphors to highlight immorality
‘Home […] to ordinary pain’
The comfort of home is compared to pain in an oxymoronic fashion
This criticises the trivial complaints that many of us have from the comfort of our own homes and puts them into perspective.
It highlights the ignorance that many of us have towards greater problems such as war, as it often makes us feel uncomfortable or emotions that we do not want to.
‘twist before his eyes a half-formed ghost’
This is a nightmarish and frightening imagery which reflects the horros of war.
The idea of a half-formed ghost could be reflection of the people in the picture, that by the time the photographer has returned home, they have probably died because of the environment that they live in.
It could also allude to the idea that the picture is only half of a memory in the sense that a picture cannot capture emotion and his work will never truly do justice to the horror that people face.
‘he earns his living […] they do not care’
This is an emotive ending which provokes thought from the readers
It highlights the fact that the photographers work is futile despite his efforts to evoke thought and consideration among his audience
It shows that he works just to produce content rather than real change.
‘rural england’
The use of caesura lack of connection and compassion that many people have towards the horrors of war.
It provokes the thought that many people living in war-free countries are very separate from war and so in many instances they fail to have a grasp of the real horrors of war.
‘tears between [..]pre-lunch beers’
The use of half-rhyme assimilates hard emotions with comforting experiences of the western world and takes on a dismissive tone to reflect that of the photographer’s audience.
This speeds up the tempo of the poem and highlights the lack of effect that the horrors have on people who access this man’s content
‘he remembers the cries of this man’s wife’
The use of enjambment through the poem reflects the man reminiscing on the horror of war
It reflects the structure of media or news articles and is used to reflect the lack of effect that his content has on the audience. This is further illustrated through the use of the ominous third person which shows a lack of connection.
CONTROLLED AND NEAT STRUCTURE
The poem has 6 lines per stanza for 4 stanzas
This controlled and tight structure is a juxtaposition to the chaos of war
It reflects the photographers job which is to impose order to the horros of war.
The constancy of the structure could be reflective of his efforts and their futility.
‘he is finally alone […] looking from the aeroplane
the poem takes on a circular structure as it starts and ends with the photographer travelling to or from the war zone.
This reflects the futility of his efforts to impact his audience which he cannot escape despite his efforts.
