Karteikarten
War photographer
Karten in diesem Stapel (18)
- 1"Darkroom"the word choice of "darkroom" could refer to the literal meaning of where the photographer is developing his photographs however may also connotate the serious, brooding, dark place: perhaps suggesting the job takes him to a dark place mentally so the "darkroom" mirrors the mental mood of the photographer (anxiety, stress, horror ...)
Also creates a gloomy atmosphere at the start of the poem.
Additionally it may refer to the moral darkness in him, he sees his job as cruel at times, this is symbolised through "darkroom" - 2"finally alone"Inversion is used to emphasise the "alone" part which reflects the loneliness of his job: separated from his subject, his editor and his readers, also due to the fact he is never alone in his job. The word "finally" suggests he has been longing for solitude.
- 3"spools of suffering set out in ordered rows"Alliteration used (repetition of the "R" sound) mirrors the repetition of the spools of film laid out on the photographer's table: each sound is clearly and methodically marked out: mirroring the repetitive, meticulous arrangement of the canisters of film.
The "ordered rows" may be the photographer's way of getting some order into his life which is usually chaotic and disorderly due to his job.
May also create an image of mass graves, ranks of soldiers creating a symbolic link to the horrors of war which are depicted on the films themselves. - 4"the only light is red and softly glows""only" builds on the idea of loneliness and solitude.
"red" symbolizes danger or blood which is what the photographer deals with in his photos.
"softly glows" adds to the genteel atmosphere of the safe, quiet lonely room back home. - 5"as though this were a church and he a priest preparing to intone a MassThe metaphor comparing the dark room to a church suggests this is his place of solitude and sanctuary, it's a place for reflection and a place to feel safe. *just as a church ... so too ...
Comparing the photographer to a priest preparing for a Mass perhaps suggests that the work that the photographer does is comparable to spreading the word/ truth of God: serious, worthy life-changing work. The image is extended by the biblical quotation which ends the stanza, - 6“Belfast.Beirut.Phnom Penh”The punctuation/list is blunt and functional like a photographers work
- 7“All flesh is grass.”Metaphor.
Suggests just like grass flesh can also be cut and that all flesh eventually returns to the earth - 8“Solutions slop in trays”the word "slop" connotes that it is messy, that there is no easy fix to war, the symbolism of the solutions in trays being uncontrollable and messy mirrors the idea Duffy is trying to convey that the war photographer can't control war, despite trying to help there isn't much that can be done by one person
- 9“beneath his hands which did not tremble then though seem to now”the fact his hands didn't tremble then- then being whilst doing his job in a war zone- highlights that he was so consumed by his job he didn't have time to think, he had to just react. Contrastingly, the fact his hands now tremble tells us, that because he is home to a normal, quiet life (compared to his working life) he has time to reflect and the fact he can't control the movements of his hands convey just how much he has been affected by his experiences of war. It is ironic as the darkroom appears to be his place of sanctury, however he can't find peace here, he is always carrying the guilt of his work with him.
- 10“Rural England”The use of a minor sentence here creates a contrast, rural makes us think of inner cities, full of people and life. However this is a complete contrast to the "fields" previously mentioned which is urban, and we know there is little to no life there as there are landmines. This is a contrast between the photographer's home and where his job takes him.
- 11Home again to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispelpain is something unexpected, it is a reaction to something unpleasant, it definitely isn't normal.And the writer suggests the pain he is feeling is much more meaningful than their everyday pain which can be lifted by the sun coming out.
- 12“in a nightmare heat”A well known photograph of children running away from her napalm attack in VIetnam which helped end the war
- 13“a half-formed ghost”the word "ghost" tells us that the photographer feels haunted by this person. It may also be because the person has died so he is literally a ghost.
- 14“how he sought approval without words to do what someone must and how the blood stained into foreign dust”"without words" tells us that the photographer is being respectful, it may also suggest that he didn't need words, it just felt right to honor this man's life.
"to do what someone must" tells us that it would be disrespectful not to take a picture of this, in a way its honoring this man's life, if he didn't then there would be no mark of his death. This relates back to the photographer being compared to a preist, by taking a picture he is creating a memorial of the man's life. This also tells us that the photographer is compassionate. - 15“A hundred agonies in black - and - white”The black and white suggests it is simple, straightforward, this contrasts from the messy, uncontrolable idea given by the word "slops" in the second stanza.
- 16“from which his editor will pick out five or six for Sunday's supplement”"Five or six" is contrasting to the hundred agonies previously mentioned which tells us how little the Western World see of these agonies compared to how many there actually are. The word "or" tells us the editor doesn't really care how many pictures are put in or if the message is getting through to people or not, he simply wants to fill his newspaper. This puts a critical tone in the editor for showing a lack of simpathy for the suffering in the world. The "sunday suppliment" is the part of the paper which isn't considered to be real news, its the extra bits put in to fill out the newspaper. This creates a critical tone towards the Western World as it highlight the fact we don't care about the suffering, we don't consider it "real news".
- 17“The reader's eyes prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers”The fact the reader's eyeballs "prick" tells us that they feel slightly upset for the people living in these countries however they don't feel upset enough to fully cry, it tells us that they don't really care enough to do much about it. This again puts a critical tone on the readers as their lack of emotion towards the suffering highlights their lack of morality, they are being selfish.
- 18“From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where he earns a living and they do not care”The fact he stares "impassively" tells us the photographer either doesn't care as he must turn off his emotions in order to do his job or is may be that he has finally given up as he knows that the Western World doesn't care and he has conformed to be like the rest of society as he feels there is no good in trying to care as is won't make a difference.
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- Beschreibung
- Highers English Karteikarten am War photographer , erstellt von Ryan Murray am 12/04/2018.
- Erstellt von
- Ryan Murray
- Aufrufe
- 19
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