Themes
English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Power & Conflict, topic 5.1.2
Contrast: Home and Away
The contrast between the comfortable and safe lives of those in countries unaffected by war, and the indescribable horror of those living in war-torn countries is a running theme throughout the poem.
Images of pain
- “Running children in a nightmare heat”
- “Cries of this man’s wife”
- “Blood-stained”
- “Fields which don’t explode beneath the feet”
Images of comfort
- “Rural England”
- “Ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel”
- “Sunday supplement”
- “Eyeball’s prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers”.
Uncaring Attitudes
One of the biggest contrasts in the poem is the uncaring attitude of people at home compared to the terrible suffering going on in war.
Characters
- The editor in the poem and those who browse the images on a Sunday morning represent these uncaring attitudes.
- They represent the lack of empathy or thought that some people have for those affected by war.
Caesura/one-word sentences
- “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.”
- These one-word sentences/caesura (breaks in the line) give the poem a stop-start feel.
- This could reflect the casual and dismissive tone of those unaffected by suffering.
Role of a War Photographer
Carol Ann Duffy uses War Photographer to explore the complex and potentially controversial role of a war photographer. A war photographer is close to horrific events but can do nothing to help.
Practical approach to work
- The poem has a generally neat and ordered form on the page.
- This could mimic the way war photographers have to have a practical, emotionless approach to their work as they face the chaos of war.
- It could also signify the photographer’s serious and careful approach to his work.
Relief
- The opening phrase “finally alone” indicates a sense of relief. The photographer is able to separate himself from what he has seen and begin to process it.
Horrific events
- Carol Ann Duffy lets us see the horrors of war through the war photographer.
- “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.”
- The caesura (breaks in the line) and one-word sentences could reflect the photographer slowly considering each country suffering from war and respecting them.
Test yourself on Themes
Which of these is not an image showing comfort in War Photographer?
What are some of the contrasts Carol Ann Duffy draws in War Photographer?
Which characters in War Photographer represent people's uncaring attitudes towards war?
Apart from alliteration, what techniques are being used for emphasis in this quote:
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.”What's the significance of the newspaper editor in War Photographer?