War Photographer

Theme: War, Trauma vs. Reminiscence, Empathy, Ethics and War

Structure: Stanzaic poem - each stanza has six lines. Rhyme scheme: abbcdd

Annotations: First Stanza: The protagonist takes on the role of a war photographer, who will commence printing the photos of war that he had taken recently. His spools contain the suffering images of the war victims. The light in his room is red (infrared to print the photos). Duffy compares the infrared light to a church light. The last line contains names of places that are infamous for violent conflicts. By putting their names abruptly one after the other, images flash across the mind of the reader, similar to the photographer, reminding them of terrible violence.  "All flesh is grass." suggests that the conflict was bloody, so much so that the bodies slain became indifferentiable from the grass.

Second Stanza: It is the duty of the photographer to capture and print the photos of war. Although he has resolve, his hands that did not shake before now tremble. His mind goes to his home, rural England. The peacefulness of England is contrasted with the violent atmosphere of the places where the photographer went to click photos. England's rainy weather "dispels" the horrors of war faced elsewhere in the world.

Third Stanza: The photographer starts to hallucinate. The faces in his photos twist into a ghost before him. This shows that he is perhaps traumatized by the violence he must have been going through on a daily basis due to his job. The imagery used paints a vivid image in the reader's mind, giving a glimpse into the photographer's mind who hears and sees the war before him, even though he is safe and away from the conflict. The screams, blood and violence have affected him deeply.

Fourth Stanza: An editor will pick out five to six photos from all the photos taken. Traditionally, photos were in black and white. In this context, these photos contain only suffering. Once published, (English) readers' eyes will moisten when they see the photos. The scene then shifts back to the photographer where he is on a plane, going to another war-torn area to click pictures. His money comes from photographing the suffering of people in war-torn areas. His job might have made him emotionally numb as he "stares impassively" at the area. However, in spite of taking photos, the ones who see them do not care for the suffering masses.

Stylistic Devices: 

• Similie: "The only light is red and softly glows,/as though this were a church and he/a priest preparing to intone a Mass."
• Alliteration: "Spools of suffering", "Belfast. Beirut", "Without words to do what someone must"
• Enjambment: "as though this were a church and he/a priest preparing to intone a Mass."
• Caesura: "Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass."
• Assonance (e sound): "weather can dispel...beneath the feet...which his editor will pick...Sunday's supplement...his living"
• Metaphor: The darkness of the room is a methaphor for the photographer's emotional state of mind.

Global Issue: Peace as a privilige only for the rich

England is away from conflict and violence that the photogrpaher takes photos of on a daily basis. The English only see his photos, shed a few tears, and go about their day. In the last line, the author says that in the end, the viewers do not care for the victims.