War photographer

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Created by
bea

Cards (17)

  • Overall summary:

    - A war photographer is developing photos of war-stricken locations around the world, he reflects on the morality of his job as he contemplates the apathy of the western world that view his photographs in the media.
    - Duffy uses the poem to critique how the western world has become desensitised and indifferent to the suffering of war, she juxtaposes the overt agony ride within war zones with the impassivity of those in England.
  • Stanza summary:

    - A war photographer is in his darkroom preparing to develop film pictures of war zones around the world, the lighting would be dim and red to avoid damaging.
    - The photographer begins to place the film in chemical solutions to develop it, there is an allusion to the famous "Napalm Girl' photograph to convey to the reader the importance of his work.
    - The film begins to develop and faint images start appearing, the photographer begins to remember the tragedies he witnessed
    - Once developed, the photographer reflects on how the photographs will be received in England, they will be presented in newspapers but ultimately overlooked and ignored.
  • Context:

    - War photographer was published in 1985, it references the Vietnam war which ended in 1975 so would still be in the living memory of Duffy's readership.
    - line 12: "running children in nightmare heat" is an allusion to Nick Ut's 'Naplam girl" photograph. This was a photo of a nine year old girl (Kim Phuc) running naked towards the camera in agony during the Vietnam war, it received a lot of attention.
    - Duffy may have been critiquing how over the time the impact of war photography is depleting, emphasising that this single famous photograph is not enough recognition of the suffering all over the world.
    - Duffy was the UK's poet Laurette from 2009 to 2019, the first female to hold the title.
    - it is important to note that she was appointed to the role as she didn't support and advocate for the traditional convention, she was not an establishment poet- much of her poetry was strongly feminist.
    - she was also known to be friends with a war photography which likely inspired this poem.
  • Poem:

    In his darkroom he is finally alone
    with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.
    The only light is red and softly glows, as though this were a church and he
    a priest preparing to intone a Mass.
    Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass.

    He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays beneath his hands, which did not tremble then though seem to now. Rural England. Home again 10 to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel,
    to fields which don't explode beneath the feet of running children in a nightmare heat.

    Something is happening. A stranger's features faintly start to twist before his eyes,
    a half-formed ghost. He remembers the cries of this man's wife, how he sought approval without words to do what someone must
    and how the blood stained into foreign dust.

    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.
    From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where he earns his living and they do not care.
  • Theme of pain and suffering:
    - The metaphor "spools of suffering set out in ordered rows" creates the imagery of war graves.
    - It is paradoxical that the chaotic suffering of war is wielded into an ordered form; the pain of war is placated for the eyes of the western world - visually incising - trying to critique - we expect suffering to be ordered in a way which is appealing
    - The sibilance of "spools of suffering" is a metaphor for the ways in which the agonies of war were silenced as the 's' sound is reminiscent of whispering - it's placated - whispering to silent to agonies - reducing pain so it is sellable and appealing.
    - The emotive metaphor "a hundred agonies in black and white" shows what these photographs represent for the photographer, they are crystallisations of excruciating pain and suffering.
    - The noun "agonies" is used as a metonym (when something is referred to as a thing/concept strongly associated with it, instead of its actual name) for the photographs, we see the juxtaposition between how the photographer views them and how the western world views them.
    - The phrase "black and white" is comparatively less emotive and less graphic. - It is also reminiscent of something historical and could perhaps be a criticism of war and how we as humans are not learning from the past- sticking to old ways - continuing on - so detached - no empathy
  • Theme of detachment from conflict:
    - The imagery of a "half-formed ghost" has a dual meaning. It could perhaps be a graphic depiction of a body ravaged by war - stripped of humanity. Not only does the noun "ghost" have ominous and harrowing connotations it is a metaphor for how the suffering never becomes real for the Western world, it remains faint, distant, and supernatural - can't fathom, don't seem real in the eyes of the readership.
    - (Alternatively, it is a more literal allusion to a developing, but still faint image.)
    - Duffy employs an extended dichotomy between religion and violence throughout the poem.
    - The two diametrically opposed ideas stand to represent the distance between the war zones and England.
    - The semantic field of religion created by "church", "priest", and "Mass", harshly juxtaposes the rhetoric of war created by verbs such as "explode", "tremble" and "twist".
    - This could be representative of the way that the photographers role is almost ceremonial, he has to make the concept of death palatable almost mirroring a Priest at a funeral - not too harrowing - but not too nice - everything is perverted.
    - Alternatively, it could be used to expose the hypocrisy of those in the western world who claim to endorse the Christian values of peace but allow the suffering to happen.
    - The Biblical reference "All flesh is grass" (Isaiah 40:6) explains the transience of human life - lives of those at war are fleeting, just like the fleeting attention of those on the home front.
    - It also critiques how in times of conflict; the gravitas of individual deaths reduces. The bodies are referred to through the noun "flesh" which dehumanises and collectivises them- they are not recognised as individual people.
  • The theme of the vastness of conflict:
    - The plosive listing of war zones "Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh" shows the global scale of conflict. Despite happening worldwide, war is still overlooked and ignored- this war photographer is a microcosm for the people who continually have to witness this belligerence and relentless cycle of war.
    - Moreover, the caesura coupled with the plosive sounds creates a staccato sound to mirror the gunfire within war zones - auditory imagery - immerse reader - they cannot ignore it
    - By reducing conflicts to a single proper noun, Duffy highlights how the details and idiosyncrasies of different conflicts are overlooked. People forget that there are individual lives affected.
  • Form:

    Equal stanzas:
    - There are four stanzas of equal length with a regular rhyme scheme.
    - The poem is "set out in ordered rows" much like the photographer's spools of film. - This could be a metaphor to reinforce the way order and structure is artificially imposed over the chaos and disorder of war- created to be visually appealing + palatable + harrowing enough to produce a response, but not too much to ruin their day
    + it is a dehumanising approach as they do not recognise the suffering of these people but instead care about who can captivate the best photo to galvanise the most money.
    - (Alternatively, it could be Duffy conveying that as a poet, she empathises with the role of a photographer, taking care of the presentation of her message.)
    - The lack of change to the rigid form throughout the poem could be a metaphor for the photographer's failure to change the perspectives and actions of his audience, he is powerless - detachment from conflict.

    Regular rhyme:
    - there is a regular ABBCDD rhyme scheme to once again reinforce this imposed order over the chaotic suffering of war.
    - even audibly, the notion of war is softened to the reader much like the horrors within the photographs made palatable to his unreceptive audience.
  • Structure:

    Cyclical structure:
    - There is a cyclical structure as the photographer returns via an "aeroplane" to a warzone.
    - This conveys the enduring cycle of war and agony that stands unchanged despite the photographer's efforts to evoke sympathy from his audience.
    - The image of an "aeroplane" is metaphorical within itself as it detaches the photographer from the people of England, he is alienated in the sky and seemingly operated in a liminal realm where he is not within the war zone but cannot assimilate with the impassive looks in his country of origin - war has the ability to ostracise everybody involved whether they are in the conflict or not.

    Enhancement and caesura:
    - The enjambment represents the gradual revealing of the image as the photograph develops.
    - Caesura is used to reiterate the notion of detachment, for example, "Rural England" is separated between two full stops. This highlights how overtly isolated "rural England" was from the war zones by installing a visual and audible barrier between it and the rest of the poem - barrier of ignorance.
  • Comparison with poppies theme:

    similar:
    - Both are written from the perspective of people outside of the conflict-external narrators - more universal poem, both can consider the different viewpoints of numerous within society
    - Both narrators are deeply emotionally affected by the prospect of war.
    - Both grapple with the concept of memory.

    Different:
    - War Photographer: The suffering of war is seen more explicitly and vividly, yet he is helpless. His powerful emotions extend from inner conflict and trauma from witnessing the horrors of war.
    - Poppies: The mother's powerful emotions stem from maternal love and the loss of her son to war
  • Comparison with poppies form:
    Different:
    - Poppies: Written as a dramatic monologue; it is a stream of emotions and is much rawer than War Photographer - imbued with a sense of grief.
    - The lack of regular rhyme or rhythm presents it as unfiltered and personal, which contrasts the imposed order of War photographer.
    - War photographer has a rigid rhyme scheme portraying how they try to arrange the chaos of war.
  • Comparison with poppies structure:

    Similar:
    - both use a combination of enjambment + caesura.
    - They explore the idea of trying to control and restrain the emotional and tumultuous nature of war- repress emotions - make more sellable

    Different:
    - Poppies: The caesura captures the speaker trying to restrain and control her emotions, yet the overall effect is a chaotic and disjointed poem to mirror her emotional state.
    - War Photographer : The caesura is used to depict detachment and isolation. It builds a oarrier between the anarchy of war and the comparative serenity of England - barrier of ignorance - living in serenity/ barbaric environment.
  • Comparison with Poppies context:
    Similar:
    - Both poets have been alive and writing during the 21st century. They have similar awareness of contemporary political events. - It could be argued that both poets are trying to imbue a seemingly distant war with an emotional meaning, as their readership is detached from the war discussed whether this is spatially or temporarily.

    Difference:
    - Poppies: A historical poem with allusions to the First World War, i.e.
    "Armistice Sunday". It was written for a collection of 21st Century war poems - published almost a century later, at the time of writing, the war would've been fleeting from peoples living memory- it may have been written to ensure it remained a prevalent topic.
    - War Photographer set at the time of publication, in the present, modern day.
    The reader would have first-hand experience of the themes discussed - more relatable.
  • Comparison with Remains theme
    Similar:
    - Both poems discuss the traumatic effects of war, and how they are relentless and haunting. They both explore personas that have first-hand experience of a war zone but are no longer within it-interrogating how the graphic horrors stay with them.
    - Remains: Is narrated by an ex-soldier therefore it more overtly discusses the theme of guilt as he contributed to the suffering of others.
    - War Photographer: Persona was instead just an observer.

    (arguable within remains he becomes an observer of his former self)
  • Comparison with remains form:
    Similar : Mostly comprised of regular stanza lengths (quatrains in Remains, Sestets in WP) - They are both written in the present tense to bring war into the current moment- exploring the haunting effects of trauma.

    Difference:
    - Remains: Is a dramatic monologue, written in the first person. Its rigid structure does not reach completion as the final couplet falls short- it is unfinished to metaphorically portray the never-ending effects of war + soldiers never fully finish their life as they are mentally fragmented and broken.
    - War photographer: Is a stanzaic poem (4 stanzas with six lines in each) - more ordered.
  • Comparison with Remains structure:
    Similar: Both poems use caesura to depict separation from a war zone.
    - In Remains: there is an attempt at detachment e.g. Then I'm home on leave." -
    yet as the line continues after it this barrier is never really created - continuation of the line mirroring the continuousness of his suffering.
    - In WP the caesura stands to represent the barrier between war zones and the western world.

    Difference:
    - Remains: Has no regular rhyme scheme to give the impression of reciting a story- it also depicts the power of emotions and how PTSD can be an overwhelming chaotic force.
    - War Photographer: Depicts an attempt to give structure to the chaos of war through the regular rhyme scheme.
  • Comparison with remains context:

    Similar:
    - Both Armitage and Duffy have been Poet Laurette- they both have messages which would reach a vast audience thus their poetry has a purpose to teach, criticise or raise awareness.

    Difference:
    - Remains: looks at the PTSD of a soldier who served in Iraq- this was an area of speciality for Armitage as he also wrote a collection of poems to accompany a Channel 4 documentary on PTSD.