War photographer

• “Running children in a night heat”

  • Refers to a famous photo of a girl in a napalm attack
  • large impact on the public who protested and campaigned against the war.
• “He has a job to do”

  • reflects feelings of detachment, he separates himself from the war
  • “they”- he is alienated from his fellow citizens- as most people in England don’t know the experiences of war
• “Ordered rows”

  • Reflects the meticulous way in which the photographer works
  • Careful ritual he is attempting to control his emotions and memories- overwhelming.
• “Belfast, Beirut, Phnom Penh “

  • References to several conflicts all over the world
  • the caesura in between helps to slow down the pace, forcing the reader to reflect on the tragedies
• “Hundred agonies in black and white”

  • “Black“ and “white” shroud the importance of the agonises.
  • makes it easier to ignore “they do not care”
  • trivialises the tragedies
• “Solution slop in trays”

  • sibilance brings out the double meaning
  • “Solutions” could also represent the western world’s will to help war-torn countries but because the “slop” it suggests that no one is willing to help as ”they don’t care
  • ”solutions” allude to the chemicals used to kill enemies or civilians