"War Photographer" Poem Analysis Flashcards
(18 cards)
Translation–Lines 1-2
“In his dark room he is finally alone with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.”
-The poem narrates the moment a ‘War Photographer’ begins to develop the photographs taken in warzones.
-A dark room is a room with low lighting designed for processing film.
-The narrator describes the spools of film containing images which display the tragedies of those in conflict.
Duffy’s intention–Lines 1-2
“In his dark room he is finally alone with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.”
-Duffy alerts readers to a moment of relief for the photographer when he is alone in his dark room.
-This implies the photographer’s distress in the external world.
-Duffy highlights the many painful images the photographer has taken in conflict which he is about to process.
Translation–Lines 3-5
“The only light is red and softly glows,as though this were a church and he a priest preparing to intone a Mass.”
-Duffy sets the scene with soft red light and religious imagery.
-She compares the photographer’s task with a religious ceremony.
-Taking Mass or taking the sacrament is a ritual in Catholicism which represents sacrifice.
Duffy’s Intention–Lines 3-5
“The only light is red and softly glows,as though this were a church and he a priest preparing to intone a Mass.”
-Duffy evokes a solemn mood to present the significance of his work.
-She compares the processing of photographs of war with a religious ritual of sacrifice.
-The allusion to sacrifice highlights the sacrifice of those in the photographs.
Translation–Line 6
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass.”
-The poet lists several places of conflict, referring to Ireland’s troubles and civil wars in Lebanon and Cambodia.
-The line, “All flesh is grass”, is a biblical reference which suggests life is temporary.
Duffy’s Intention–Line 6
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass.”
-Duffy’s list of warzones connects the photographer’s “spools of suffering” to particular places, highlighting the reality of the persona’s job.
-Duffy refers to a famous photograph, “The Terrors of War”, to remind readers of the power photography can have.
-The biblical line alludes to the fleeting lives of those in the photographer’s photos.
Translation–Lines 7-8
“He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays beneath his hands, which did not tremble then”
-Here, the narrator tells us the photographer sees his work as a job which must be completed, a duty.
-The photographer, now developing the photographs, feels the impact of his memories where before he had to keep a steady hand.
Duffy’s Intention–Lines 7-8
“He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays beneath his hands, which did not tremble then”
-The narrator begins to explain the photographer’s feelings to his task to convey the perspective of a ‘War Photographer’.
-The narrator explains that he finds it emotionally painful to remember the conflicts he has witnessed.
-Whereas before he had to stay in control, here, the photographer begins to weaken.
Translation–Lines 9-12
“though seem to now. Rural England. Home again to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel, to fields which don’t explode beneath the feet of running children in a nightmare heat.”
-The narrator comments on how life in England is ordinary compared to warzones.
-Duffy refers to the weather as something that causes people pain but can easily change.
-The narrator refers to a warzone filled with landmines and bombs.
-The reference to children running through “nightmare heat” alludes to a famous photograph of a child running from a bomb in Phnom Penh.
Duffy’s Intention–Lines 9-12
“though seem to now. Rural England. Home again to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel, to fields which don’t explode beneath the feet of running children in a nightmare heat.”
-These lines present a contrast between life in the English countryside and life in warzones to show the photographer’s displacement.
-The phrase “ordinary pain” contrasts the violent action of “children running” to show the problems in England as trivial compared to those in areas of conflict.
-Duffy’s contrast of bad weather and “nightmare heat” shows how different things are in England compared with war torn areas.
-She highlights the devastation of conflict on vulnerable children.
Translation–Lines 13-15
“Something is happening. A stranger’s features faintly start to twist before his eyes,a half-formed ghost. He remembers the cries”
-The persona describes the moment the photograph begins to develop and the image of a man caught up in conflict begins to form on the film.
-This reminds him of the moment he took the photograph.
Duffy’s Intention–Lines 13-15
“Something is happening. A stranger’s features faintly start to twist before his eyes,a half-formed ghost. He remembers the cries”
-These lines depict the slow-forming image reminding the photographer of the horrors of conflict.
-The “half-formed ghost” implies the person in the photo was killed in conflict.
-Duffy depicts the agony of the man and how vividly clear the memory is to the photographer, conveying the suffering experienced by all involved in conflict.
Translation–Lines 16-18
“of this man’s wife, how he sought approval without words to do what someone must and how the blood stained into foreign dust.”
-The persona refers back to the moment he asked if he could take the photograph.
-He refers to the man’s death in vivid description.
Duffy’s Intention–Lines 16-18
“of this man’s wife, how he sought approval without words to do what someone must and how the blood stained into foreign dust.”
-Duffy depicts the difficult moment the photographer intruded into others’ tragedy.
-The speaker implies a sense of duty to take the photograph.
-The modal verb “must” shows his sense of moral obligation to try to change things.
-The vivid description implies the photographer is haunted by the images and highlights again the distance between England and the war zones.
Translation–Lines 19-22
“A hundred agonies in black and white from which his editor will pick out five or six for Sunday’s supplement. The reader’s eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.”
-The narrator represents the tragedies in the photographs as numerous and with much suffering.
-Referring back to the photographer’s job, the narrator tells readers that of all the images developed, only a few will make it into the newspaper.
-Duffy describes how the readers respond to the photographs: a temporary sadness that is quickly replaced by daily activities.
Duffy’s Intention–Lines 19-22
“A hundred agonies in black and white from which his editor will pick out five or six for Sunday’s supplement. The reader’s eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.”
-Referring to the many photographs, Duffy emphasises the death toll and impact of war to evoke sympathy from the reader.
-Indirectly taking on the voice of the photographer, the narrator suggests the response from the readers, despite the sacrifices of those involved, is brief and temporary.
-Duffy implies the English public are desensitised to war and the individual suffering of those involved.
Translation–Lines 23-24
“From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where he earns his living and they do not care.”
-The poem ends with the photographer back on the aeroplane going to his next job.
-The description of the photographer, looking down “impassively” on England, tells us he feels numb towards his homeland.
-The third-person reference “they” refers to the public below.
Duffy’s Intention–Lines 23-24
“From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where he earns his living and they do not care.”
-Duffy’s poem ends without resolution to show the futility of the photographer’s job and the continuous and unrelenting nature of war.
-Duffy’s cynical tone comments on how the public have become numb and desensitised to tragedy in war.
-She suggests the photographer does not feel similar to his compatriots at home and is therefore left isolated and frustrated.
