War Photographer

• War Photographer


  A poem by Carol Ann Duffy about a war photographer contemplating his job whilst developing photos
• Religious simile


  This religious simile reveals that he is aware of the impact that his photos have on the public. There is also a parallel between the job of a priest and the job of a war photographer: both are exposed to death and suffering. The simile also suggests that his mood is sombre.
• Photographer's state of mind

  It seems that at the scene of the conflict he was calm but now he is agitated, perhaps because he will soon relive the conflict through the photos he is developing.
• "All flesh is grass"
• "Something is happening"


  This line literally refers to the process of the photograph coming into focus in a developing tray but also gestures towards perhaps his dying agonies.
• Photographer remembers the cries of the man's wife
• "The reader's eyeballs prick with tears"


  The choice of the word 'eyeballs' instead of eyes suggest the act of crying after seeing the photos is almost mechanical, a reflex. It suggests they are not truly affected by the photos - it is only the physical process of secreting tears that they go through; they don't have a genuine, non-superficial emotional response. 'Eyeballs' is also ugly, which reflects the ugliness of the reader's disingenuous response.
• The setting of the darkroom creates a foreboding atmosphere
• Conflicts referenced


  • The Troubles in Ireland
  • The Siege of Beirut (part of the Lebanese Civil War)
  • The Cambodian Civil War
• "He has a job to do"

  He has business to complete. This is reinforced by the businesslike tone created by the monosyllables and the short sentence.
• Contrast between rural England and war zones

  In 'rural England' problems are trivial and a sunny day can make it all better. This contrasts with the wartorn settings he has been in, where pain, both emotional and physical, is devastating.
• "A half-formed ghost"


  The man is a 'half-formed ghost' in that his image has not yet fully appeared on the photo paper. The phrase also alludes to the fact that he has died.
• Photographer is aware his presence and camera might seem intrusive
• "A hundred agonies in black-and-white"


  The agonies of war are curated for the Sunday supplementary papers. This seems distasteful.
• "The reader's eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers"


  The use of alliteration emphasises the readers' frivolous nature. The singsong rhyme 'beers' and 'tears' also suggests this.
• The readers' tears seem disingenuous to the photographer