War Photographer

• Context:

  War Photographer depicts the solitary experience of a photographer at home in England developing photographs taken in conflicts around the world. The poem comments on the personal distress of the photographer at what they have seen in warzones, and how people back home respond.
• Juxtaposition: The neat structure contrasts sharply with the chaotic subject matter of war, emphasizing the photographer's struggle to bring coherence to a world filled with violence.
• Cyclicality: The poem opens with the photographer returning from war and ends with him flying off again, reinforcing the repetitive, inescapable nature of his work. This structure also mirrors the apathy of the public, whose engagement with such suffering is fleeting and cyclical.
• • Enjambment: The frequent use of enjambment reflects the continuous and uncontrollable flow of suffering, suggesting that the trauma cannot be neatly contained, just as the photographer struggles to suppress his emotions.
• Analysis of "darkroom": The word "darkroom" is both literal and metaphorical. It represents the physical space where the photographer develops his photographs, but it also symbolizes his mental and emotional isolation. The darkness could suggest the heavy burden of the memories he carries, foreshadowing the haunting images that follow.
• "Finally alone": This phrase suggests a sense of relief, yet it is bittersweet. It implies that he can only process his emotions away from the distractions of society, which trivializes the suffering he has witnessed.