WAR PHOTOGRAPHER

War Photographer - Context

Duffy was the ​poet Laureate​ from 2009 to 2019. She is friends with two famous war photographers hence why she is interested in the difficulties and responsibilities posed by their role.

The poem was published in 1985, ten years after the end of the Vietnam war. Acontemporary reader would be aware that the line ​"running children in a nightmare heat"is a reference to a famous photo of a girl in a napalm attack.

War Photographer - Form

A tight form of ​six lines per stanza​ as well as a ​constant rhyme scheme​ to highlight the differences between ​"rural England"​ and a warzone. As this structure does not change throughout, it can be interpreted that photographers lack the power to change anything as his work falls upon an unreceptive audience.

This structure is also reflected in the meticulous way in which the photographer works, as he places his photos into ​"ordered rows"​. This shows him trying to gain normality in his situation or control his thoughts and memories.

War Photographer - Structure

The poem ends by describing the photographer returning to the warzone he came from "the aeroplane".​ This creates a ​cyclical structure​ which gives a sense of futile repetition and continuation of past mistakes. This acts as evidence that nothing the photographer has done has changed anything, leaving the listener with his realisation ​"he stares impassively at where he earns his living and they do not care".

Remains - Structure: Blame

At the start of the poem, the speaker begins trying to excuse what he did and share the blame with others; making it clear it wasn't only him and wasn't his decision. This is reflected in the phrases: "myself and somebody else and somebody else", "all three of us"​ and​ "three of a kind"​. These repeated references to there being other people present for the decision​ alleviate his responsibility​, and the ​speaker works to syntactically and structurally dominate the stanza with other people to minimise his own role​.

Remains - Structure: Use of Enjambment

Armitage's use of ​enjambment​ such as in ​"and I swear // I see every round as it rips through his life"​ builds up to ​violent imagery​. It also suggests that the speaker isunable to separate out events, just as the sentences flow on his memories cause the past to flow into the present. He continues to be haunted by what he did and this moment will continue to hold influence over the rest of life, unable to be isolated nor forgotten. It's also notable that the ​enjambment occurs at key moments​ and specifically break up the sentences about death and suffering. This suggests that the pain he witnessed breaks him just as it breaks the structure.

Remains - Context

"The Not Dead" was a documentary about the impact of war on soldiers. It was created in order to raise awareness about PTSD and encourage more recognition of it in society. Released a poetry collection of the same name featuring the poems from the series. Based on Guardsman Tromans who fought in Iraq in 2003 and suffered from PTSD as a result of their service.

The poem and documentary coincided with changing public opinion as people were starting to oppose war. At this time the Iraq war was condemned as unnecessary, and potentially due to US oil greed. The poem helped raise awareness and incite sympathy