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WAR PHOTOGRAPHER |
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 aMass.
Belfast Beirut Phnom Penh
He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays
beneath his hands which did not tremble then
though seem to now. RuralEngland
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 bath and pre-lunch beers.
From aeroplane he stares impassively at where
he earns a living and they do not care.
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
He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays
beneath his hands which did not tremble then
though seem to now. Rural
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 bath and pre-lunch beers.
From aeroplane he stares impassively at where
he earns a living and they do not care.
By- Carol Ann Duffy
Write your analysis on the poem above keeping in mind the FLIRT concept.
Analysis -
ReplyDeleteThe poem "War Photographer" contains four stanzas, with the rhyming sequence ABBCDD. The poet has used this rhyming scheme to make clever connections between the words that are rhyming, for example, "feet" and "heat" or "rows" and "glows"; both display relevance to each other, thus creating a flowing effect in the reader's mind. The lines are of ordinary length, so they don't stand out as much.
The poet presents the traumatizing feelings of a war photographer and the scarring process of this occupation. It is shown so when the poet, skillfully using a form of analogy, says "and he a priest preparing to intone a Mass". This, in very literal words, compares the photographer in the process of developing his photos to a priest preparing for a funeral. Earlier in the stanza, the poet has portrayed an ironic tone "spools of suffering set out in ordered rows", which clearly talks of the gruesome photos set out "in ordered rows", showing that they are well organized which is unimportant in that case. In the first stanza the author has created a serene mood, several times symbolizing death..."Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh"; here the poet combined skillful alliteration with a tactful mention of places where the bloodiest of wars happened, to further show that the photographer indeed has "spools of suffering". Again, the poet uses a metaphor; "all flesh is grass" in which she very effectively linked a simple thing such as grass to flesh, depicting that the dead bodies have encompassed the grass.
In the second stanza, the poet paints a picture of rural England, a calm countryside, to juxtapose the dark descriptions of war. This shows the insignificance of the "ordinary pain" faced by the people back home, comparing it to the atrocities and agonies of war. This may also serve the purpose of a kind of nostalgia effect the poet was trying to achieve, specifically using "rural" England, which is known for its mountains and meadows.
The author has creatively used time lapses to add thrill and emotions to the poem. "Something is happening", this is a good example of how the poet made the poem 'twist'. The choice of vocabulary used in this stanza creates a ghastly tone, "a half-formed ghost". In the next few lines he refers to digging a grave for a stranger who had died in the war. The use of "stained" here skillfully portrays how the blood of that soldier made dirty or gruesome impact forever, as the word "stain" is often used to talk about a mark or dirt. "Foreign dust" is again used to put emphasis on how the "blood stains", or makes an imprint on foreign land that the soldiers had come to fight on.
In the fourth and last stanza, the poem comes to a conclusive yet effectively ironic statement about the printing of these photos the photographer has taken. It shows the insignificance of these photos for which he toiled so hard; as "the editor will pick out five or six" and they will induce "tears", after which she sarcastically adds "between baths and beers" which are luxurious and recreational activities.
The general theme in this poem portrayed the hardships and paradoxes of war photography and how it sometimes goes in vain even after the person has been scarred both physically and emotionally. It sets a tone of irony and grave matters.
- Mariam Nadeem
Well written Maryam. You reflect a thorough understanding of the text and are able to analyse the thoughts of the reader as well as the intentions of the author; however in order to improve your writing style, make a conscious effort to use varied sentence beginnings. Below is the link to a few examples.
Deletehttp://classroom.synonym.com/vary-sentence-beginnings-4155.html
Also mention the type of language features that the author uses. E.g. metaphors, similes, alliteration… etc.
Good luck with your assessment :)
War photographer was written by Carol Ann Duffy, depicting the perception of a photographer during war. It is a simple poem consisting of four paragraphs, with a constant rhyme scheme. The simplicity of the words yet holds a deeper meaning.
ReplyDeleteDuffy often taps into the symbolic associations of ordinary words. In the first stanza the photographer is in the 'darkroom' and the 'only light is red'. The process of developing a photograph is turned into something ominous. She skillfully utilizes imagery to associate ‘light is red’ to the bloodshed occurring on the battlefield. Similarly, ‘ordered row’ may seem innocent in any other text. However, it compels the reader to think about graves. Instead of mentioning ‘all is grass’, Duffy elaborates it further to fabricate a vivid image of the horrendous war. Adding ‘all flesh is grass’ she describes the quantity of dead soldiers.
'Fields... explode beneath the feet of running children in a nightmare heat', 'Ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel'. These handful of words enables the readers to appreciate the blessing they have, by comparing the arduous job of a soldier to an ordinary mans ups and downs in life. Our sufferings are not even compatible to the torture a soldier goes through. Causing guilt to built within the reader. The author phenomenally uses imagery to convey her message across. Duffy makes us relate and react by using vivid, disturbing description, and by guiding us through the feelings of the photographer himself...
Through a flashback, Duffy generates an imagery of the photographer emotions at the spot. ‘A half formed ghost’ acknowledges the readers’ regarding the death of a soldier, through the photographer’s point of view. As we further read on we see that he even helped bury the soldier along with the now widowed wife, as it clearly states ‘what someone must’. As the photographer believes it would be the appropriate act of kindness towards their deceased soldier. Duffy incorporates generalism in ‘foreign dust’. Obviously, blood is nowhere near to be found in dust. Claiming it to be foreign. Nonetheless, blood only merges with dust when someone is shot, injured or massacred.
Consequently, the last paragraph narrates the photographer’s journey back home. ‘A hundred agonies in black and white’,showcases that he has taken numerous images carrying a gruesome as well as deep story within them. Furthermore, ’tears between bath and pre-lunch beers’ narrates the moment when people around the world will get acknowledged about the conflicts taking place around the world. For a moment they will get emotionally affected by it, and suddenly the next moment they will forget all that they have read. Continuing, to live their life. Whereas, in reality the incident will stay forever in the eyes of those who have experienced it.
this poem in some ways mirrors the sense of the photographer's attempt to order his strong emotions. The form is a way of containing, controlling and dealing with the anger and pain the poet feels. This idea is re-enforced by the fact that the poem starts with the photographer home from an assignment and ends with him off on one again. The poem is circular, a closed loop where nothing can change.
Excellent attempt Noor. To aim even higher you must include alternative interpretations, personal view and also explicit more clearly with evidence why the poet has chosen certain styles at specific places. Good luck. I'm sure you will do well.
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