Structure

• There is a half rhyme between as “the tears” occur “between the bath and pre-lunch beers”. This creates an unsatisfying sound which shows the horrific speed with which people return to their privileged lives after glancing at the photos. The half rhyme also increases the pace of the line to contrast with the long, drawn out process of developing the photos to show how no one cares about these issues as much as he does.
• The poem ends by describing the photographer returning to the warzone he came from on “the aeroplane”. This cyclical structure creates a sense of futile repetition and continuation of past mistakes and acts as evidence that the photographer’s work has not changed anything, leaving the listener with his realisation “he stares impassively at where he earns his living and they do not care”. In this way, the poem ends on a defeated note.
• Duffy uses a tight form of six lines per stanza as well as a constant ABBCDD rhyme scheme. This rigidity of the form is at odds with the chaos caused by conflict and perhaps reflects the order of “rural England”. As this structure does not change throughout, it can be interpreted that war photographers lack the power to change anything as his work falls upon an unreceptive audience.
• The structure also reflects the meticulous way in which the photographer works, as he places his photos into “ordered rows”. His sombre, careful ritual is perhaps his way of trying to maintain a sense of normality or attempting to control his thoughts, emotions and memories, which perhaps threaten to overwhelm him (his hands “tremble” in anticipation of what will be revealed and therefore relived).
• The poem is written in the third person despite it describing an emotionally fraught moment for the man. This reflects the feelings of detachment the photographer experiences at the scenes of conflict, which allow him to continue with his job. The speaker sets himself off from the British public by the use of the accusatory pronoun “they”. He appears a solitary figure who is alienated from his fellow citizens.