War Photographer

in his dark room he is finally alone

This opens the poem and immediately unsettles the reader due to the use of trochaic meter, where the first syllable is stressed. The darkroom is a literal place for developing old film, but it is also used symbolically to suggest the photographer's purpose is dark, raising questions about his morality. The phrase 'finally alone' suggests the photographer is pleased to be on his own, perhaps indicating a dislike of humanity due to the horrors he has witnessed.

with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows

This line uses iambic meter, contrasting with the opening trochaic meter and further unsettling the reader. The 'spools' literally held the film negatives, but 'spools of suffering' is a powerful metaphor for the pain captured in the photographs. The alliteration of the soft 's' sound in 'spools of suffering set' is a sibilant, which here is both soft and sinister, suggesting the problematic nature of observing and recording suffering without intervention. 'Ordered rows' creates a semantic field of a graveyard, alluding to death and the photographer profiting from it, which is a central moral dilemma of the poem.

Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass.

The list of place names (Belfast, Beirut, Phnom Penh) initially follows an iambic rhythm ('Belfast Be-rut Phnom Penh') but is preceded by a trochaic rhythm ('a priest pre-paring'), unsettling the reader. The list progresses from a city (Belfast, Northern Ireland) to a larger city (Beirut, Middle East) and then to a whole country (Phnom Penh, Southeast Asia), suggesting an escalation of conflict. 'All flesh is grass' is a biblical allusion often used to excuse death by implying that death is a natural part of life. If there is no God (as Duffy may be ironically suggesting earlier), then this metaphor becomes a tragedy, devaluing human life and suggesting it is worthless to the perpetrators of war.

A stranger's features faintly start to twist before his eyes, a half-formed ghost.

This describes the photograph developing, with the image appearing like a 'half-formed ghost' as it becomes more solid in the solution. The semantic field of death is continued here, reminding us that the person in the photograph is likely dead. The photographer then remembers the cries of the man's wife and his own feeling of seeking approval to photograph the execution, highlighting a moral dilemma. Duffy had in mind a famous image of an execution, emphasizing the ethical questions around war photography.

The reader's eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.

The internal rhyme in this line ('tears' and 'beers') creates a 'jolly' feeling, which is ironic given the serious subject matter. The word 'prick' suggests the tears are few and don't fully form, indicating a lack of deep emotional engagement from the readers. Duffy suggests that modern people depend on the suffering of others but ultimately ignore it, perhaps medicating themselves to avoid facing their consciences. Despite the photographer's efforts to evoke empathy and change the world, his work has little lasting impact on the readers. This line highlights the tragic irony that the photographer's efforts to expose the horrors of war are largely ineffective.

Key themes in 'War Photographer'

The poem explores the damaging effects of war on those who report it, highlighting the psychological trauma experienced by journalists. It also emphasizes the indifference of readers towards the suffering depicted in war photography.

Duffy's intention in 'War Photographer'

Duffy aims to critique the complacency and inaction of society towards war and suffering, suggesting that this indifference perpetuates the cycle of conflict.

Comparison with 'Charge of the Light Brigade'

While 'War Photographer' critiques war and the media's role in portraying it, 'Charge of the Light Brigade' supports patriotic propaganda, glorifying death and heroism in battle.

Comparison with 'Exposure'

Both 'War Photographer' and 'Exposure' examine the psychological toll of war on those reporting it and address the audience's indifference to the horrors faced in conflict, prompting reflection on societal responsibility.