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Carol ann duffy – war photographer questions.

37. Look at lines 1—6. Analyse how imagery is used to create a serious atmosphere. (2)

There is a massive simile in these lines when it says ‘as though this were a church and he/ a priest”. Here the war photographer is being compared to a priest and his dark room is a church. This suggests that the work he is doing there is very hard work and involves a lot of thinking. The work is slow and takes patience, much like a priest who must spend his time meditating about Christ and tell the people about God.

OR There is a metaphor that describes the photo reels as ‘spools of suffering’. All the photos are of dead people or war or horrible events that have happened because of war. This creates the serious atmosphere because it shows the materials he is dealing with and what he must share with the world.

OR There is a metaphor when it says ‘spools of suffering set out in ordered rows’. The orderliness of the film camera reels are being compared to the gravestones in a graveyard. This is supposed to make us think of death and the needless suffering involved in war. This makes the poem serious as it shows that Duffy is talking about the impact of war.

OR There is an image created when the dark room is described as ‘red’. The word choice here has a double job. It literally describes the dark room as they use red lights so as not to affect the photos during development. It also has connotations though of blood and suffering and the wars that the photographer has photographed. Again, setting the serious tone of the poem as we think about dying.

38. Look at lines 7—12. Analyse how Duffy conveys the photographer’s perception of the difference between life in Britain and life in the war zones abroad. (4)

Duffy makes life in Britain sounds safe. This is done when Duffy says ‘Rural England’. The words are capitalised making it seem like its own little kingdom and sounds strong. The rural bit makes it seem like it’s in the middle of nowhere and it is far away from all the people. It sounds idyllic. We associate rural with farming life which is organic and natural and peaceful.

In contrast the war zones are made to sound scary and terrifying. This is done when it says ‘running children in a nightmare heat’ to describe the napalm attack. The word choice of ‘nightmare’ shows that this was a dangerous and frightening experience. The ‘heat’ shows how uncomfortable the physical experience of the bomb was. The ‘running children’ shows people moving away quickly in fear of the bomb.

39. Look at lines 13—18. Analyse the use of poetic technique to convey the distressing nature of the photographer’s memories. (2)

There is a short sentence to begin the verse – ‘something is happening’. The shortness of it suggests that he has no control over what is going on, it suggests his memories just come to him unbidden. This suggests his distress at these memories as he doesn’t know what memory is going to hit him.

OR The use of the word ‘twist’ to describe his memory of a dying stranger’s face shows the photographer’s distress as it suggests the memory moves in an uncomfortable way. ‘twisting’ is something we’d associate with a worm or snake and these things are seen as disgusting, we would push them away, much like he’d push the memory away if he could.

OR The use of the phrase ‘half-formed ghost’ shows discomfort at the memories. They are ghosts, which can show they are of people now dead, or also of times that he doesn’t wish to remember, times he has laid to rest so to speak. They are ‘half-formed’ as they come from his past but could also be half-formed as he tries to suppress them

40. Look at lines 19—24. Analyse how the use of poetic technique highlights the British public’s indifference to the suffering shown in the newspapers they read. (2)

The public’s indifference to the suffering in the photos is shown in the contrasting numbers. The photographer has ‘a hundred agonies’ – a hundred photos of suffering – to show but these are whittled down to ‘five or six’ by the newspaper. This shows that the editors are just looking for an illustration, something that will look fleetingly good with the article, or just to fill up paper space.

OR The contrast between the atrocities of the photos and the indifference of the public is given in their response to seeing the photos. We are told their eyes ‘prick with tears between bath and pre-lunch beers’. There is a suggestion here that they cry in reaction to the photos as they get teary eyes. However, this is just a stock reaction to seeing something sad. They really don’t care, and this is shown as they’ve still spent time have a leisurely morning bathing and then going for a nice lunch. If they really cared about the images they would get up and do something real in response instead they just get on with their own self-obsessed life.

41. Referring closely to this poem and to at least one other poem by Duffy, discuss how she explores the link between the past and the present. (10)

Duffy likes to create links between past and present in her poems. In War Photographer she creates a link between past and present as the photographer is working on developing his photos whilst reflecting back to when he actually shot them in the war-torn zones of the world. Duffy also looks at the link between past and present in Originally. Here she thinks about how she identifies herself today after moving from Scotland to England as a child and having to reintegrate herself in a new area. In War Photographer we get a sense of the link between past and present when the photographer is working in his room and keeps remembering things from his past. We are told he keeps seeing ‘half-formed ghosts’. This is effective as it tells us the word choice ghost tells us that the people he is remembering are dead now. The idea that they are half-formed also shows that they are memories, he isn’t hallucinating, just remembering their image faintly. The idea that these memories are ghosts also shows that he is haunted by them. He cannot forget the horrible things he has seen whilst in the war-zones and he often wants to be able to do more. It shows the link between past and present as the photographer is constantly reminded of what he has seen. In Originally, the speaker shows us she is linking back to the past by taking us straight into a memory. She begins saying “We came from our own country’. This is in past tense and shows she is talking about something that has already happened. As the theme of the poem is identity, her opening sentence also shows that Scotland and Scottishness is what she first identified with. She takes possession of it here, calling it her ‘own country’. She then starts the second stanza with a statement saying, ‘All childhood is emigration.’ This shows us that the speaker is grown up now and talking from this adult perspective. Her word choice of ‘emigration’ to describe childhood shows us that she feels childhood and adulthood are clearly linked but she reflects that we change as people during these two times in our life. For her this was also a physical shift as she moved from one country to another, but she is also encapsulating the mental and emotional changes that would have happened in this time. Finally, she then talks about the present by talking about how strangers react to hearing her talk. She says “Where do you come from?/Strangers ask. Originally?” The question is a normal question people ask each other when they first meet someone new. The ‘originally’ is placed on its own as it shows that people can still hear the Scottish lilt to her voice. It shows that she feels she is always seen as slightly other because her accent is mixed. This shows a link between past and present as it shows her childhood upbringing will always be physically present in her voice as her accent.

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War Photographer / Remains Essay

(grade 5-6).

Both ‘War Photographer’ and ‘Remains’ explore memories. In the second stanza of ‘War Photographer’, Duffy creates a vivid image of one of the photographer’s memories by writing ‘running children in a nightmare heat’. Duffy’s words create graphic, powerful imagery of innocent children caught up in the middle of a warzone, running in agony and terror away from a chemical weapon. Duffy suggests through these words that the photographer's mind is always filled with powerful and upsetting memories of the terrible things he witnessed while taking photos in warzones. Armitage makes clear the soldier cannot forget the memory of shooting the looter by writing ‘probably armed, possibly not’. Armitage’s repetition of these words in the poem emphasise that this particular memory, of whether or not the looter is armed, is very important. It is important because the soldier is wondering whether or not he needed to kill the looter. If the looter was not armed, the soldier killed an innocent person, who posed no threat to him. Armitage’s use of the word ‘possibly’ indicates that the soldier cannot be sure that the looter was armed, and runs this memory over and over in his mind. Armitage’s repetition of these words also emphasise the power of this memory, as it keeps flooding back into the soldier’s mind, even when he is home on leave. It is clear from both poems that being in or near war can deeply affect people, leaving them with lasting trauma.

Both ‘War Photographer’ and ‘Remains’ explore guilt. In the third stanza of War Photographer, Duffy makes the photographer’s guilt clear by writing that he sees a ‘half-formed ghost’ when he develops one of the photographs. Duffy’s imagery in the words ‘half-formed’ helps the reader to imagine the photograph slowly developing in front of his eyes. Her use of the word ‘ghost’ implies that the photographer is being haunted by the memory of this man and the cries of the man’s wife when she realised her husband was dead. Duffy suggests he feels guilty because he was not able to do more to help this man or his wife; all he could do was stand by and take a photograph. Similarly, in the closing lines of ‘Remains’, Armitage makes the soldier’s guilt clear by writing ‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’. Armitage uses the blood as a symbol of the guilt that the soldier feels; the soldier feels he has blood on his hands because he killed a person who could have been innocent. Armitage could have chosen to end the poem with this line because he wanted to demonstrate that the soldier cannot remove the image of the looter’s blood from his mind, and that the guilt he feels for killing the looter will stay with him forever.

Both poems explore struggle . In the final stanza of ‘War Photographer’, Duffy conveys the struggle of the photographer, who feels angry that his readers are not more moved by his pictures by writing ‘reader’s eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre lunch beers’. Duffy’s use of the word ‘prick’ to describe the readers’ emotions indicates that they barely cry when they see the photographs. Duffy’s suggestion is that, when we are so far removed from war, we cannot fully understand the pain that people go through. Duffy’s use of the words ‘bath’ and ‘beers’ remind the reader that in England we have many luxuries that people in warzones don’t have. This makes it very easy for us to forget the terrible lives that other people have, because we can go back to enjoying our own luxurious lifestyles. The struggle in Remains is different. In Remains, Armitage presents the soldier as deeply traumatised by what he experienced at war. Remains makes clear the soldier struggles to forget what he saw and did by writing ‘the drink and drugs won’t flush him out’.Armitage’s use of the word ‘flush’ implies that the emotions the soldier feels are like toxins within his body that he wants to get rid of. It is clear that the soldier has become reliant on addictive substances as a way of coping. Armitage conveys to his readers the terrible trauma that many soldiers experienced and tells the reader how difficult it was for them to return to normal life when they returned.

(Grade 8-9)

Both ‘War Photographer’ and ‘Remains’ explore the haunting power of memories. In the second stanza of ‘War Photographer’, Duffy creates a vivid image of one of the photographer’s memories by writing ‘running children in a nightmare heat’. Here, Duffy’s words create graphic, powerful imagery of innocent children caught up in the middle of a warzone, running in agony and terror away from a chemical weapon. This poetic image was inspired by a real-life photograph captured by a war photographer in Vietnam. Through this evocative imagery, Duffy suggests that the photographer's mind cannot shake the distressing memories of the terrible pain he witnessed while taking photos in warzones. Similarly, Armitage makes clear the soldier cannot forget the memory of shooting the looter through his use of the poem’s refrain: ‘probably armed, possibly not’. Armitage’s repetition of these words emphasise that this particular ambiguous memory, of whether or not the looter is armed, is haunting him. If the looter was not armed, the soldier would not have needed to kill him. Therefore, he is plagued by a feeling of potential guilt; ihe could have killed an innocent person, who posed no threat to him. Armitage’s repetition of these words throughout the poem also emphasise the power of this memory, as it keeps flooding back into the soldier’s mind, even when he is home on leave. It is an unwelcome and persistent reminder that is contributing to his post-traumatic symptoms. It is clear from both poems that being involved in or an observer of war can deeply affect people, leaving them with a lasting mental struggle.

Both ‘War Photographer’ and ‘Remains’ explore the intensity of guilt. In the third stanza of War Photographer, Duffy makes the photographer’s guilt evident by writing that he sees a ‘half-formed ghost’ when he develops one of the photographs. Duffy’s powerful metaphor helps the reader to vividly imagine the photograph slowly developing in a chemical solution in front of his eyes, while the word ‘ghost’ implies that the photographer is being psychologically haunted by the memory of this man and the terrible cries of the man’s wife. Perhaps Duffy suggests that the photographer feels guilty because he was not able to do more to help this man or his wife; all he could do was carry out his role by capturing the moment with a photograph for the media. TSimilarly, in the closing lines of ‘Remains’, Armitage makes the soldier’s guilt clear by writing ‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’. Armitage uses the blood as a symbol of the guilt that the soldier feels; the soldier feels he has blood on his hands because he killed a person who could have been innocent. Armitage could have chosen to end the poem with this line because he wanted to demonstrate that the soldier cannot remove the image of the looter’s blood from his mind, and that the guilt he feels for killing the looter will stay with him, or metaphorically stain him, forever.

Both poems explore an inner conflict or struggle . In the final stanza of ‘War Photographer’, Duffy conveys the struggle of the photographer, who feels infuriated that his readers are not more emotionally moved by his pictures by writing ‘reader’s eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre lunch beers’. Duffy’s use of the word ‘prick’ to describe the readers’ emotions indicates that they barely cry when they see the photographs, or that their emotion is transient because they cannot empathise with the people in the photographs as they are so far removed from conflict zones. Duffy’s use of the words ‘bath’ and ‘beers’ remind the reader that in England we have many everyday luxuries that people in warzones don’t have. This makes it easy and almost inevitable for us to forget the terrible lives that other people have, because we are so engrossed in our own luxurious lifestyles. While there is an emotional struggle for the soldier in Remains, the nature of the strife is different. In Remains, Armitage presents the soldier as deeply traumatised by what he experienced at war. Remains makes clear the soldier struggles to forget what he saw and how he behaved by writing ‘the drink and drugs won’t flush him out’.Here, Armitage’s use of the word ‘flush’ implies that the emotions the soldier feels are like toxins within his body that he wants to eject. It is clear that the soldier has become reliant on addictive substances as a way of coping with the devastating effects of war and its violent agony. Armitage conveys to his readers the terrible trauma that many soldiers experience, and exposes to the reader how difficult it is for soldiers to adapt to normal life when they return from war.

Both Duffy and Armitage use structure to reflect an attempt to control difficult emotions . In ‘War Photographer,’ Duffy deliberately uses a tight stanza structure with a clear rhyme scheme to mirror the order the photographer is trying to restore in his own mind. He is described as putting his photographs into “ordered rows,” just as Duffy carefully brings order to the poem. Perhaps she is suggesting that this sort of organisation is the only way he can eliminate the chaos and distress he struggles with. In Armitage’s poem, the soldier is less successful in containing his emotional outpourings. While the poem begins in an ordered way with regular stanza structures, it descends into irregular and erratic stanzas to perhaps symbolise his inability to control the traumatic memories which continue to flood his mind.

Chris Hondros: War Photographer Essay

Introduction.

Chris Hondros is one of the most famous US-based photographers who dwelled on the military situation in the Middle East during the beginning of the 21 st century. Hondros’ biography seemed to precede his professional successes in war photography due to the fact that both his parents were child refugees after World War II. 1 The photographer’s works developed over time, leaving the audience with mouths open wide because Hondros was never too scared to participate in the war process and stand in the middle of the battlefield to take the most thought-provoking and thrilling pictures. The feelings of presence and participation that are characteristic of Hondros’ photography allowed him to convey important messages about human life and situations that cannot be ignored. The most common process for Hondros was to capture live emotions, which required the presence of people in the majority of photographs. 2 Chris Hondros’ typical photographs tended to focus on distinct war situations, and the current paper is going to review the common topics that allowed the photographer to capture the most important split seconds of history by permitting the audience to relive those moments through unique imagery and style of photography.

Before getting to the three most common topics in Hondros’ camerawork, it may be indispensable to evaluate Hondros’ contribution to war photography. The famous motto that you cannot do war photography from a distance served him well, because Hondros always tried to push the boundaries in terms of how close he could get to military actions. Hondros died to a mortar attack in Lybia but he never backed down from the challenges of war photography, as he aimed to capture the moment as-is. This unrepeatable bravery made Hondros a living legend among other photographers due to Hondros’ dynamic preparedness to share the brutal realities of war with the Western citizens who might have been unaware of the factual situation. This leads the author of the current paper to discovering the key three topics that have to be covered in order to evaluate Hondros’ contribution to war photography during the first decade of the 21 st century: the image of war, human emotions and suffering, and the lives of the innocent during the war.

The Image of War

Hondros had always had an interesting approach to picturing the war in his photographs and the war in Iraq was not an exception (see Appendix A). The image of a US Marine taking down the portrait of Saddam Hussein is one of the most famous pictures of 2003. The fact that the action takes place in a school shows how the allegedly sacred places become unsafe during the war and then serve as the last resort of hope for those who are defending. Hondros carefully places both the Marine and the portrait in the middle of the scene in order to focus on their virtual fight. Defeated Saddam Hussein has no chance but to descend, as there is no one else in the room (and probably in the whole country) who could stop the US Marines from achieving their objectives. Even if the Marine is actually checking for any explosives, it shows how the situation in the country changes when the war comes in and spoils the lives of all people from the ordinary citizens to high-profile governmental activists.

On the other hand, the cognitive dissonance that Hondros creates while showing both a school classroom and a fully equipped US Marine also serves as a reminder of the fact that there is no such place where one can hide from war. The warm colors in the photograph may represent the allegedly “hot” political and military situation in the country. Hondros discloses minimum information to the viewers and only shows the classroom, the portrait, and a picture that was most likely painted by a young student from that school. The war came too unexpectedly, and no one had time to wipe the backboard either. This also shows how Hondros operates natural illumination and creates a visually attractive exposition with the help of mere straight lines that populate the whole photograph. Even though the photograph looks peaceful, the background that it carries speaks volumes in terms of how the war changes everyday lives and destroys the future of many children who were never prepared for the most brutal lesson in their life.

Human Emotions and Suffering

Another photograph that can be easily seen as one of the best works ever made by Hondros is a picture of an Iraqi girl whose parents were killed moments ago right in front of her (see Appendix B). The moment of pain and despair that the photographer captured is most likely to show the audience that no one’s future is promised, especially during military conflicts that produce collisions of cultures, religions, and worldviews. It is evident from the photograph that the girl was caught by surprise, and the accidental death of her parents affected her immediately. With no chance to take a step back and reflect on the situation, she sits there, covered in the blood of her parents, and cries in agony because her whole world had just been destroyed in a matter of split second owing to a drastic accident. The fact that Hondros captured such emotions also shows that he was able to take the most devastating seconds of human lives and turn them into a photography masterpiece.

As one may see, the person in the photograph is the main character in the miniature story offered by Hondros. Even though the girl is not positioned in the center of the picture, she is still the most important moving force of Hondros’ work. A reflection of the girl’s hand is also captured perfectly, with no shade of blur, which may be seen as symbolizing the girl’s hope to see the light again in the future. Nevertheless, half of her face is in the dark, depicting the actual face of war, where the suffering is both visible and invisible. The girl’s trauma is going to affect her life majorly because she saw her parents die right in front of her, and the viewers may even see slight traces of blood on the girl’s hands. If it was not for Chris Hondros, the photograph would have most likely portrayed a mere crying girl, but the work in Appendix B is much deeper because it leaves the audience afraid of what is there back in the darkness. The strongest feelings of human suffering were actually placed in the background, as Hondros only captured one side of the girl’s face and no dead bodies were placed in the frame.

The Lives of the Innocent during the War

The concept of human pain and suffering may be easily transformed into the topic of how the innocent living beings persevered through the war and found their way out. The third photograph by Hondros that perfectly outlines the notion of war photography (see Appendix C) features a little Afghan girl, who is left with no parents right in the middle of a military conflict, with a local group of Kuchi tribal nomads being her only support. Again, typically of Hondros, the human is placed in the center of the frame in order to highlight the fundamental role of human beings, even if the photo is taken in the middle of a war. The girl seems to be lost and anxious, but she has not lost her charm and still looks beautiful, especially with a slight trace of a smile on her face. The calm background should not fool the audience, as the ruins around the girl directly hint at the destruction caused by war. She is just an innocent human being who happened to participate in all this.

On the other hand, even though the photograph seems rather plain, there are several details that are important for a more thorough understanding of the message that Hondros tried to convey. For instance, a UNICEF (United Nations’ Children’s Fund) brochure that is intentionally left halfway out of the frame to indicate how the poor girl is detached from the society by the force of war and is almost certainly never coming back to her normal life. Another important detail in the photograph is the presence of an excessive amount of lighting that creates a nimbus around the girl’s head. She is an innocent living being that did not choose to participate in the war but has to go through all the hardships in order to survive. It is not clear if Hondros’ intention was to introduce any Biblical references, but the willingness to depict the girl as innocent and peaceful was unconditionally real. The photographer’s imminent attention to detail allowed him to capture the horrors of war while taking a picture of a little Afghan girl who stood in the middle of ruins filled with light and slender tranquility.

Chris Hondros’ influence on war photography cannot be underestimated. As a progeny of child refugees of World War II, the photographer was most likely destined to see many battlefields and capture the most important moments. The fact that Hondros died right in the flashpoint during a US military operation shows that he was a devoted photographer, who always put artistry and high-quality work before anything else. The theme of human emotions and suspicions became central in Hondros’ photography because he perfectly depicted the anxiety and traumas that wars have always brought to humanity. The current paper discusses the image of war that he was able to create and the drastic difference between how the military forces and the innocent population get through the times of military conflicts. The photographer’s most shared aphorism revolved around the idea that decent war photography could not be made from distance. The cultural heritage in the form of timeless photographs that Chris Hondros had left behind after his untimely death will forever serve as a reminder of the horrors and hardships of war that ordinary people face because of hopelessness.

Appendix A: A U.S. Marine Takes Down a Portrait of Saddam Hussein

A U.S. Marine Takes Down a Portrait of Saddam Hussein

Appendix B: U.S. Soldiers Killed an Iraqi Girl’s Parents

U.S. Soldiers Killed an Iraqi Girl’s Parents

Appendix C: An Afghan Girl

An Afghan Girl

Works Cited

  • Kamber, Michael. Photojournalists on War: The Untold Stories from Iraq . University of Texas Press, 2013.
  • O’Flaherty, Erin E. The Art of War: The Impact of Aesthetics in War Photography . Dartmouth College, 2012.
  • O’Flaherty, p. 46.
  • Kamber, p. 39.
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, February 17). Chris Hondros: War Photographer. https://ivypanda.com/essays/chris-hondros-war-photographer/

"Chris Hondros: War Photographer." IvyPanda , 17 Feb. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/chris-hondros-war-photographer/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Chris Hondros: War Photographer'. 17 February.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Chris Hondros: War Photographer." February 17, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/chris-hondros-war-photographer/.

1. IvyPanda . "Chris Hondros: War Photographer." February 17, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/chris-hondros-war-photographer/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Chris Hondros: War Photographer." February 17, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/chris-hondros-war-photographer/.

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Creating meaning in the poem: 'War Photographer' by Carol Ann Duffy

Creating meaning in the poem: 'War Photographer' by Carol Ann Duffy

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War Photographer

CAROL ANN DUFFY

  • War photographers fulfil a very dangerous job; they put their lives in danger to capture images of the severity of war.
  • Many have been killed and injured but they see it as a necessary sacrifice in order to present information to an audience ‘at home’.
  • The problem is that a picture does not always tell the full story and is becoming less and less powerful in desensitised Western Society.
  • The poem follows the journey of a man who returns from a war-torn land to develop his photographs.
  • The pictures remind him of his experiences and the atrocities which are happening abroad.
  • The violence in the war zones is contrasted with the nonchalant attitude of the Western world.
  • The photographer is dismayed, as he leaves to go to work again.
  • Third person perspective
  • Both rhyming couplets and non-rhyming lines
  • Simple sentences
  • Four stanzas
  • Animal imagery
  • Frustration
  • Power of humans
  • Power of memory

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"War Photographer" Essay

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                        "War Photographer" Essay                        

Choose a poem which explores the theme of loneliness or isolation. Show how the poet explores the theme and discuss, to what extent, your appreciation of the theme was deepened by the poet's treatment.

In your answer you may refer closely to the text and to at least two of the following; theme, imagery, contrast, mood or any other appropriate feature.

"War Photographer", a moving poem by Carol Ann Duffy, explores the theme of isloation. The poem, based on an interview the poet had with "War Photographer", Don McCullin, reveals the dilemma within his work and how this work results in his isolation. Through the use of theme and imagery, Duffy successfully deepens the reader's appreciation of the theme of isolation.

The opening line of the poem is ambiguous. Duffy, choosing not to expose the true and horrific nature to war, instead introduces the Photographer's "darkroom" where he will develop the photographs he has taken:

"In his darkroom he is finally alone"

This could suggests that the photographer uses his "darkroom" to reflect on the darkness of the events that he has winessed. The words "finally alone" imply that this place is a sanctuary for him, a haven to escape the brutality of warfare which he, himself has seen and captured.  Metaphorically, this "darkroom" could signify a confessional box in a church in which he feels he can face up to his sins and seek forgiveness for his work which he considers expoitative. In this first line, the reader is instantly given a real insight into this photographer's isolation, he chooses to isolate himself as he cannot face the public who don't understand the moral dilemma within his work.

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        The theme of religion is predominent throughout the poem. The Photographer is repeatedly compared to a priest as they share many similarities both in their work and their isolation. Duffy suggests that the developing of these photographs is closely linked to the work of a priest:

        " The only light is red and softly glows/ as though this were a church and he/ a priest preparing to intone a mass."

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The red light mentioned here, literally meaning the infra-red light in the darkroom, interestingly is often refered to as a "safe-light" which could further suggest the photographer's need to isolate himself away from the world. The word "softly" reveals the comfort and security the man feels when he "finally" gets to the developing stage of his work in a safe and secluded room. This "light" also has religious connotations as it could be interpreted as the small red candles in a chapel to represent the holy spirit. The reader is given the impression that the photographer, much like a priest, is a man on a mission – preparing to spread the words of truth. While revealing this, the two such different occupations become linked through the photographer and the preist's self inflicted isolation. They have both in a way, sacraficed themselves for the greater cause of informing the nation.

As the developing process progresses, so do the photographer's thoughts and memories of the horrors he has witnessed. The imagery used to represent this gives the audience a real insight into his line of thought and reveals the extent of which his work affects him psychologically:

"A stranger's features/ faintly start to twist before his eyes

a half-formed ghost"

The impersonality of "a stranger's features" reveals the widespread perception of these people as meerly another victim of a war-stricken country rather than a fellow human being. The fact that the victim appears to him "faintly" suggests that this is how the memory is coming back to him while the almost onomatopoeic use of "twist" implies real and immense suffering. This is all materializing "before his eyes" which reinforces that it was he, himself that took the photograph and therfore stood by and witnessed this tradgedy. An almost haunting atmosphere is given by the use of "ghost" while it could be a subtle reference to the spirit of Christ (often refered to as the "Holy Ghost") and its presence during Mass, it also suggests that the photographer will forever be reminded of these images – the price he must pay for doing his job. This gives the reader a deeper understanding of the photographer's moral dilemma in his work which inevitably keeps him secluded. It suggests that it's his knowledge of the world's problems and the public's ignorance of such problems that isolate him.

The Second stanza winesses the photographer faltering to develop the photograph. His emotions reveal to the audience that there's a reluctance within his work, that he forces himself to develop them just as he forces himself to do the job because he knows he must. The dilemma he faces everytime he takes a photograph is introduced in this stanza:

"He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays

beneath the hands which did not tremble then"

The abruptness of the ceasura in this first line reveals that the photographer, when he goes through the developing process, must keep his wits about him and remind himself of why he must get on with it while the use of "tremble" further reinforces his reluctance to do the job. The audience is given the impression that the photographer gets little job-satisfaction from taking these photographs. It's this job which cuts him off from the rest of the world as virtually him alone knows these horrors and is willing to damage himself psychologically for the chance to see others taking an interest in, not his work, but what his work represents – the effects of war on the human race on a personal and up-close level. He is willing to isolate himself for this cause.

Carol Ann Duffy's "War Photographer", an account of a photographer isolated by his moral dilemma, succesfully deepens the audience's appreciation of the theme of isolation itself. Through the effective employment of theme and imagery, Duffy explores his dilemma and how it isolates him from the rest of the world. Yet, he continues with his work to try and change the public's perception of these victims as meer foreigners. The photographer, with the hope that his work will one day make a difference, continues to take photographs in the face of evil and soul destroying suffering.

Word count – 984 words

"War Photographer" Essay

Document Details

  • Word Count 1074
  • Page Count 3
  • Subject English

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War Photographer

By carol ann duffy, war photographer quotes and analysis.

In his dark room he is finally alone / with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows. Speaker

Duffy sets the scene by describing the setting of the poem. "War Photographer" takes place in a darkroom, where a man is developing his photographs from his experiences on the battlefield. Although he is "finally alone," in a calm environment away from the constant action of the battlefield, he is "with" the photographs—they are developing in front of him and constantly present in his mind, haunting him. The photographs are described as "spools of suffering," which gives us some indication of what they might contain. They are arranged in "ordered rows," invoking a graveyard and also foreshadowing their gruesome content. The word "suffering" is the key word in this quote: it is more abstract than the concrete description of the photographer, and it introduces a key theme throughout the poem, which is the suffering caused by war.

Rural England. Home again / to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel, / to fields which don't explode beneath the feet Speaker

In this stanza, Duffy emphasizes the difference between the photographer's current location and his previous position on the battlefield. Here, the photographer is only concerned with everyday worries, rather than the extreme worries of the ground potentially exploding beneath his feet. The speaker describes this pain as "ordinary," suggesting that while the photographer has accepted some level of difficulties and suffering in everyday life, this contrasts with the deeper horrors of war which cannot be "dispel[led]," or banished, by inevitable changes such as changes in the weather. By referencing "weather," Duffy also contrasts natural features of life with the artificial, man-made horrors of war. This builds on the religious theme throughout the poem, suggesting a question of whether God or man is responsible for the centuries of warfare that have periodically plagued the world throughout human existence. She also suggests there is some adjustment when returning home after warfare. While the photographer reflects on being at home, he is quickly reminded by contrast of the dangers that he has faced in his work.

From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where / he earns his living and they do not care. Speaker

The final two lines in the poem, which stand together as a rhyming couplet, reflect the poem's dual themes of the photographer's trauma and his audience's ambivalence. The photographer imagines himself in an "aeroplane" (a British and archaic term for airplane), symbolizing his distance from his audience. The photographer's travels in an airplane also reflect the constant movement and trauma associated with his work: as he lists the multiple war zones he has witnessed in Line 6 ("Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh"), it is implied that these places begin to blur together in his memory of the traumas he has witnessed, as represented by the blurriness of the images he produces. In addition to imagining himself in this symbolic aeroplane, the photographer "stares impassively" out of the plane, symbolizing his role in war as an objective observer who simply documents the atrocities that play out in front of him—a photographer who "earns his living" from making art and news out of suffering. This description has a component of irony, as the poem explores the photographer's emotional experience of his work, belying his supposedly objective role. In a final twist, Duffy notes that the photographer is staring impassively at his own home country, where people "do not care" about the wars occurring abroad. This final line implicates the audience in the photographer's impassivity and contains an implicit call to action to speak or act out against war, rather than passively accepting it.

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War Photographer Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for War Photographer is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

what does the religious imagery in stanza 1 suggest about the photographer and his work

The priest imagery is a means of the photographer himself making sense of his work and using metaphor to shield himself from reality, which adds a further layer of meaning. Characteristic of those grappling with trauma, the photographer is unable...

why is the phrase "running children in a nightmare heat" effective

This seems like a powerful metaphor for the effect of war on children.

Study Guide for War Photographer

War Photographer study guide contains a biography of Carol Ann Duffy, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

  • About War Photographer
  • War Photographer Summary
  • Character List

essay question on war photographer

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What does it mean to claim the US is a Christian nation, and what does the Constitution say?

FILE - A statue of Benjamin Franklin is seen at The Franklin Institute, Feb. 10, 2015, in Philadelphia. Franklin, like some other key founders, admired Jesus as a moral teacher but would not pass a test of Christian orthodoxy. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - A statue of Benjamin Franklin is seen at The Franklin Institute, Feb. 10, 2015, in Philadelphia. Franklin, like some other key founders, admired Jesus as a moral teacher but would not pass a test of Christian orthodoxy. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

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Many Americans believe the United States was founded as a Christian nation, and the idea is energizing some conservative and Republican activists. But the concept means different things to different people, and historians say that while the issue is complex, the founding documents prioritize religious freedom and do not create a Christian nation.

Does the U.S. Constitution establish Christianity as an official religion?

What does the constitution say about religion.

“(N)o religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” (Article VI)

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” (First Amendment)

FILE- President Joe Biden, with from left, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., pray and listen during the National Prayer Breakfast, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. Johnson has spoken in the past of his belief America was founded as a Christian nation. Biden, while citing his own Catholic faith, has spoken of values shared by people of “any other faith, or no faith at all.” (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

If it says “Congress,” does the First Amendment apply to the states?

It does now. Early in the republic, some states officially sponsored particular churches, such as the Congregational Church in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Within a few decades, all had removed such support. The post-Civil War 14th Amendment guaranteed all U.S. citizens “equal protection of the laws” and said states couldn’t impede on their “privileges or immunities” without due process. In the 20th century, the Supreme Court applied that to a number of First Amendment cases involving religion, saying states couldn’t forbid public proselytizing, reimburse funding for religious education or sponsor prayer in public schools.

What does it mean to say America is a Christian nation?

It depends on whom you ask. Some believe God worked to bring European Christians to America in the 1600s and secure their independence in the 1700s. Some take the Puritan settlers at their word that they were forming a covenant with God, similar to the Bible’s description of ancient Israel, and see America as still subject to divine blessings or punishments depending on how faithful it is. Still others contend that some or all the American founders were Christian, or that the founding documents were based on Christianity.

That’s a lot to unpack. Let’s start at the top. What about the colonies?

Several had Christian language in their founding documents, such as Massachusetts, with established churches lasting decades after independence. Others, such as Rhode Island, offered broader religious freedom. It’s also arguable whether the colonies’ actions lived up to their words, given their histories of religious intolerance and their beginnings of centuries-long African slavery and wars on Native Americans.

What about the founders?

The leaders of the American Revolution and the new republic held a mix of beliefs — some Christian, some Unitarian, some deistic or otherwise theistic. Some key founders, like Benjamin Franklin, admired Jesus as a moral teacher but would fail a test of Christian orthodoxy. Many believed strongly in religious freedom, even as they also believed that religion was essential to maintain a virtuous citizenry.

Were the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution based on Christianity and the Ten Commandments?

References to the Creator and Nature’s God in the Declaration reflect a general theism that could be acceptable to Christians, Unitarians, deists and others. Both documents reflect Enlightenment ideas of natural rights and accountable government. Some also see these documents as influenced, or at least compatible, with Protestant emphasis on such ideas as human sin, requiring checks and balances. In fact, believers in a Christian America were some of the strongest opponents of ratifying the Constitution because of its omission of God references.

Were most early Americans Christian?

Many were and many weren’t. Early church membership was actually quite low, but revivals known as the First and Second Great Awakenings, before and after the Revolution, won a lot of converts. Many scholars see religious freedom as enabling multiple churches to grow and thrive.

Were Catholics considered Christian?

Not by many early Americans. Some state constitutions barred them from office.

How did that change?

Gradually, but by the time of the Cold War, many saw Catholics, Protestants and Jews as God-believing American patriots, allied in the face-off with the atheistic, communist Soviet Union.

Was it only conservatives citing the idea of a Christian nation?

No. Many proponents of the early 20th century social gospel saw their efforts to help the needy as part of building a Christian society. During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed on national radio for God’s blessing “in our united crusade ... over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that civil rights protesters stood for “the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage.”

What do progressive Christians say today?

“Christian nationalism has traditionally employed images that advocate an idealized view of the nation’s identity and mission, while deliberately ignoring those persons who have been excluded, exploited, and persecuted,” said a 2021 statement from the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, an umbrella group that includes multiple progressive denominations.

What do Americans believe about this?

Six in 10 U.S. adults said the founders originally intended America to be a Christian nation, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey. Forty-five percent said the U.S. should be a Christian nation, but only a third thought it was one currently.

Among white evangelical Protestants, 81% said the founders intended a Christian nation, and the same number said that the U.S. should be one — but only 23% thought it currently was one, according to Pew.

In a 2021 Pew report, 15% of U.S. adults surveyed said the federal government should declare the U.S. a Christian nation, while 18% said the U.S. Constitution was inspired by God.

One-third of U.S. adults surveyed in 2023 said God intended America to be a promised land for European Christians to set an example to the world, according to a Public Religion Research Institute/Brookings survey. Those who embraced this view were also more likely to dismiss the impact of anti-Black discrimination and more likely to say true patriots may need to act violently to save the country, the survey said.

Sources: Pew Research Center; Public Religion Research Institute/Brookings; “Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?” by John Fea.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

essay question on war photographer

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  2. War Photographer: AQA 2019 model answer by HMBenglishresources1984

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  4. Model Answer: Comparing War Photographer and Poppies

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  5. AQA Power and Conflict Poetry

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  6. 'War Photographer' Introduction Lesson

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  1. War Photographer Essay Questions

    War Photographer Essay Questions 1 Describe how Duffy uses literary elements (for example, symbols, metaphors, irony, and setting) to connect the four stanzas. What similarities and contrasts are there across the stanzas in terms of literary elements? We can point to many connections across the stanzas.

  2. PDF Year 10 War Photographer Exam Question

    We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us.

  3. War Photographer

    War Photographer is part of the Power and Conflict anthology of poems, and the exam question asks you to compare the ideas presented in two of these anthology poems, specifically related to the ideas of power and conflict.

  4. War photographer test questions

    5 Even though the photographer's hands 'did not tremble then' when he was taking his pictures, why are his hands shaking in the darkroom? He couldn't react in the war zone because he had to...

  5. Carol Ann Duffy

    38. Look at lines 7—12. Analyse how Duffy conveys the photographer's perception of the difference between life in Britain and life in the war zones abroad. (4) Duffy makes life in Britain sounds safe. This is done when Duffy says 'Rural England'. The words are capitalised making it seem like its own little kingdom and sounds strong.

  6. War Photographer Study Guide

    War Photographer study guide contains a biography of Carol Ann Duffy, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

  7. War Photographer Quizzes

    War Photographer study guide contains a biography of Carol Ann Duffy, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes.

  8. JAC English Revision

    (Grade 8-9) Both 'War Photographer' and 'Remains' explore the haunting power of memories. In the second stanza of 'War Photographer', Duffy creates a vivid image of one of the photographer's...

  9. Chris Hondros: War Photographer

    The most common process for Hondros was to capture live emotions, which required the presence of people in the majority of photographs. 2 Chris Hondros' typical photographs tended to focus on distinct war situations, and the current paper is going to review the common topics that allowed the photographer to capture the most important split ...

  10. PDF War Photographer By Carol Ann Duffy

    By Carol Ann Duffy War Photographer In his dark room he is finally alone with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows. The only light is red and softly glows, as though this were a church and he a priest preparing to intone a Mass. Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass. He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays

  11. War Photographer by Carol Ann Duffy Essay

    Carol Ann Duffy's 1985 poem, "War Photographer" captures the devastating experiences and effects of war. The poem results from Duffy's friendship with Don McCullin and Philip Jones Griffiths, two highly-respected stills photographers who specialised in documenting war. Her poem conveys the critical importance of taking action against War ...

  12. Questions on 'War Photographer'

    Worksheet. Title. War Photographer. Author. Carol Ann Duffy. This resource for the poem 'War Photographer' is a series of questions exploring how Duffy has created meaning in the poem through her use of literary devices. A teacher's answer sheet is included. 186.63 KB.

  13. Candidate One

    Compare the ways that effects of conflict are presented in War Photographer and one other poem from the conflict & power cluster. Plan: Effects of conflict Named poem (War Photographer) Chosen Poem (Remains) M The poem projects the harsh reality of how many people are actually affected by the war, that the reader does not consider.

  14. War Photographer

    The poem follows the journey of a man who returns from a war-torn land to develop his photographs. The pictures remind him of his experiences and the atrocities which are happening abroad. The violence in the war zones is contrasted with the nonchalant attitude of the Western world. The photographer is dismayed, as he leaves to go to work again.

  15. "War Photographer" Essay

    GCSE English. "War Photographer" Essay. Choose a poem which explores the theme of loneliness or isolation. Show how the poet explores the theme and discuss, to what extent, your appreciation of the theme was deepened by the poet's treatment. In your answer you may refer closely to the text and to at least two of the following; theme, imagery ...

  16. Poetry Essay

    In 'War Photographer', there is a semantic field of violence, which conveys the feeling that although he is in "rural England", he will always be haunted by the atrocities he witnessed: "pain", "explode", "ghosts" and "agonies".

  17. War Photographer Summary

    War Photographer Summary. The poem is told in the close third person, from the perspective of the war photographer. He is in a darkroom, a special room used by photographers to develop black-and-white pictures from their original negatives. He stands in front of "ordered rows" of film developing in trays filled with chemical mixtures.

  18. Edexcel Style Sample Exam Questions to Support Teaching on 'War

    Twinkl KS3 / KS4 English GCSE English - Full Collection GCSE English Literature GCSE Poetry Edexcel Conflict War Photographer (Satyamurti) GCSE Poetry Revision Notes - War Photographer. Practise key exam skills with these sample questions about Carole Satyamurti's poem from the Conflict cluster of Edexcel's GCSE English Literature Poetry Anthology.

  19. PDF International GCSE (9-1) English Literature Paper 1: Poetry and Modern

    Paper 1: Poetry and Modern Prose Exemplar Responses Section B: Anthology Poetry 2. Re-read Blessing and War Photographer. Compare the ways the writers present powerful images in Blessing and War Photographer. You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems. RESPONSE 1.

  20. Susan Sontag's Radical Essays "On Photography" Still ...

    We question the proliferation of violent images, worry about subjects' consent to be photographed, fear that manipulated pictures will create harmful misreadings of critical issues, and fret that taking pictures excessively diminishes our ability to experience the world.

  21. "War Photograph" and "War Photographer" Free Essay Example

    Download. Essay, Pages 5 (1127 words) Views. 692. In the poem War Photograph, Kate Daniels immediately expects us to know which photograph she is talking about as soon as she gets past the first verse (which describes the photo in question) which explains why it is so short. The first stanza is describing what we see, immediately in front of us ...

  22. PDF AQA English GCSE Poetry: Power and Conflict

    The mood is calm but sombre. Places that are experiencing conflict are listed. The man is revealed to be developing his photos. He is relieved to be in England away from the threat of violence. The photographer sees his photos come into focus and remembers the suffering of his subjects.

  23. War Photographer Quotes and Analysis

    "War Photographer" takes place in a darkroom, where a man is developing his photographs from his experiences on the battlefield. Although he is "finally alone," in a calm environment away from the constant action of the battlefield, he is "with" the photographs—they are developing in front of him and constantly present in his mind, haunting him.

  24. War in Ukraine: York conflict photographer documents life in ...

    A photographer's new exhibition on life in Ukraine is aimed at moving the focus away from the "graphic" side of conflict. Ed Matthews spent two years picturing the ordinary civilians living under ...

  25. Is the US a Christian nation? What the Constitution says

    Within a few decades, all had removed such support. The post-Civil War 14th Amendment guaranteed all U.S. citizens "equal protection of the laws" and said states couldn't impede on their "privileges or immunities" without due process.