Poem - War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy

What is the poem about?

A photographer who has returned home after photographing war zones - it explores the emotional and psychological impact of war

What is a darkroom?

Where photographers would develop their photographs

What is symbolism?

When something is supposed to represent something else - to show a hidden meaning

What is the symbolism in “in his darkroom”?

The photographer is physically in his darkroom (photography room) but the reference to ‘dark’ symbolises the dark place the photographer is in mentally/psychologically

Why does the photographer not feel okay? He is back home safely.. so wouldn’t he be happy with that?

He is physically home, but he is so traumatised that mentally he is still in the war zones - he is never going to feel fully okay.

Finish the quote - “spools of suffering set out in..”

ordered rows

What does it mean to suffer?

Too be in extreme pain and distress

The photographer orders his photographs - Think of what the photographs are of - What is strange about the photographer putting them into neat rows?

It highlights the contrast between what’s in the photos, and the safety and structure he is wanting - he is trying to comfort himself - by “tidying” them up, he is lessening how awful the photos seem

What is alliteration?

The repetition of the same sound at the start of words

What is sibiliance - and what’s the impact of it?

The ‘s’ sound - it’s supposed to sound quite peaceful and calming

What is important about the quote “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh”?

They are places where wars have been

Naming them brings value to them - shows that what happened there is important
It also shows us that the photographer has experienced many wars and been to many places

What is a metaphor?

A comparison from one thing to another WITHOUT the words like or as

What technique is in “all flesh is grass”?

A metaphor

Is it true.. “all flesh is grass”?

No - humans can not grow back like grass can

Why might the photographer be comparing humans to grass? - “all flesh is grass”

He could be trying to comfort himself - comparing humans to something so worthless/replaceable - trying to tell himself that he shouldn’t care and he shouldn’t be so upset about it

Is this poem just about the one war photographer?

No, this poem is supposed to represent/symbolise all of those that go to war and witness the horror which is seen in war zones

What does it mean to be emotionally detached?

When a person can not emotionally connect to something - they seem to not care - this is often a coping mechanism for those with trauma (a way for how they cope with their trauma)

Would you say that the war photographer is emotionally detached - Why?

Yes - He has to be emotionally detached, otherwise he would completely fall apart and not be able to do his job - it would get too much

The poem references people back home seeing the photos in the newspaper - the “sunday supplement” - What is the difference between the war photographer and the people back home?

The people reading the paper are only seeing the photos, whereas the photographer was at the war zones, seeing the reality of it, seeing the horror right infront of him

What is the importance of this quote? - “The reader’s eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers”

The people back home will briefly feel upset - but then they carry on with their ordinary lives - they will not be as traumatised as the war photographer - they can carry on as normal and not be affected

The people that see the photos in the paper.. do their lives actually change?

Most likely not

It is likely that they do not know the people in the photos, they were not there - they are not emotionally connected to the situation
They will feel a little upset because the images are upsetting, but it doesn’t actually change their lives

What is a stanza?

What paragraphs are called in poems

The poem is very structured - It has four stanzas each with exactly 6 lines - What is the importance of this poem being so structured?

It reflects what the war photographer is wanting - He is wanting his life and the way he feels to be neat, ordered - His life is filled with so much chaos and misery

Mentally and psychologically he is a mess, and all he wants is an escape from it.