War Photographer

Each poetry anthology at GCSE contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem -
printed in full - and asked to compare this printed poem to another. As this is a closed-book exam, you will
not have access to the second poem, so you will have to know it from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to
revise. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:

 The meaning of the poem

 The ideas and messages of the poet
 How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods
 How do these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology

Below is a guide to Carol Ann Duffy’s poem War Photographer, from the Power and Conflict anthology. It
includes:

 Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
 Writer’s Methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
 Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
 What to Compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

Exam Tip

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.

It is therefore as important that you learn how War Photographer compares and contrasts with other poems
in the anthology as understanding the poem in isolation. See the section below on ‘What to Compare it to’
for detailed comparisons of War Photographer and other poems in the anthology.

Overview
In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is vital that you understand what it is about. This
section includes:

 The poem in a nutshell

 A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section
 A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Duffy’s intention and message

War Photographer in a nutshell

War Photographer was written by the poet Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate from 2009 to 2019. Published
in 1985, War Photographer depicts the solitary experience of a photographer at home in England developing
photographs taken in conflicts around the world. The poem comments on the personal distress of the
photographer at what they have seen in warzones, and how people back home respond.

War Photographer breakdown

Lines 1-2

“In his dark room he is finally alone

 with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.”

Translation

 The poem narrates the moment a war photographer begins to develop the photographs taken in
warzones
o A dark room is a room with low lighting designed for processing film

 The narrator describes the spools of film containing images which display the tragedies of those in
conflict

Duffy’s intention

 Duffy alerts readers to a moment of relief for the photographer when he is alone in his dark room
o This implies the photographer’s distress in the external world

 Duffy highlights the many painful images the photographer has taken in conflict which he is about to
process

Lines 3-5

“The only light is red and softly glows,

as though this were a church and he

a priest preparing to intone a Mass.”

Translation

 Duffy sets the scene with soft red light and religious imagery
 She compares the photographer’s task with a religious ceremony
o Taking Mass or taking the sacrament is a ritual in Catholicism which represents sacrifice

Duffy’s intention

 Duffy evokes a solemn mood to present the significance of his work

 She compares the processing of photographs of war with a religious ritual of sacrifice
o The allusion to sacrifice highlights the sacrifice of those in the photographs

Line 6

“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass.”

Translation

 The poet lists several places of conflict, referring to Ireland’s troubles and civil wars in Lebanon and
Cambodia
 The line, “All flesh is grass”, is a biblical reference which suggests life is temporary

Duffy’s intention

 Duffy’s list of warzones connects the photographer’s “spools of suffering” to particular places,
highlighting the reality of the persona’s job
 Duffy refers to a famous photograph, “The Terrors of War”, to remind readers of the power
photography can have
  The biblical line alludes to the fleeting lives of those in the photographer’s photos

Lines 7-8

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

beneath his hands, which did not tremble then”

Translation

 Here, the narrator tells us the photographer sees his work as a job which must be completed, a duty
 The photographer, now developing the photographs, feels the impact of his memories where before
he had to keep a steady hand

Duffys intention

 The narrator begins to explain the photographer’s feelings about his task to convey the perspective
of a war photographer
o The narrator explains that he finds it emotionally painful to remember the conflicts he has
witnessed
o Whereas before he had to stay in control, here, the photographer begins to weaken

Lines 9-12

“though seem to now. Rural England. Home again

to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel,

to fields which don’t explode beneath the feet

of running children in a nightmare heat.”

Translation

 The narrator comments on how life in England is ordinary compared to warzones

o Duffy refers to the weather as something that causes people pain but can easily change

 The narrator refers to a warzone filled with landmines and bombs

o The reference to children running through “nightmare heat” alludes to a famous photograph
of a child running from a bomb in Phnom Penh

Duffy’s intention

 These lines present a contrast between life in the English countryside and life in warzones to show
the photographer’s displacement
o The phrase “ordinary pain” contrasts the violent action of “children running” to show the
problems in England as trivial compared to those in areas of conflict
o Duffy’s contrast of bad weather and “nightmare heat” shows how different things are in
England compared with wartorn areas
o She highlights the devastation of conflict on vulnerable children

Lines 13-15

“Something is happening. A stranger’s features

 faintly start to twist before his eyes,

a half-formed ghost. He remembers the cries”

Translation

 The persona describes the moment the photograph begins to develop and the image of a man caught
up in conflict begins to form in the film
 This reminds him of the moment he took the photograph

Duffy’s intention

 These lines depict the slow-forming image reminding the photographer of the horrors of conflict
o The “half-formed ghost” implies the person in the photo was killed in conflict

 Duffy depicts the agony of the man and how vividly clear the memory is to the photographer,
conveying the suffering experienced by all involved in conflict

Lines 16-18

“of this man’s wife, how he sought approval

without words to do what someone must

and how the blood stained into foreign dust.”

Translation

 The persona refers back to the moment he asked if he could take the photograph
 He refers to the man’s death in vivid description

Duffy’s intention

 Duffy depicts the difficult moment the photographer intruded into others’ tragedy
o The speaker implies a sense of duty to take the photograph

 The modal verb “must” shows his sense of moral obligation to try to change things
 The vivid description implies the photographer is haunted by the images and highlights again the
distance between England and the war zones

Lines 19-22

“A hundred agonies in black and white

from which his editor will pick out five or six

for Sunday’s supplement. The reader’s eyeballs prick

with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.”

Translation

 The narrator represents the tragedies in the photographs as numerous and with much suffering
 Referring back to the photographer’s job, the narrator tells readers that of all the images developed,
only a few will make it into the newspaper
  Duffy describes how the readers respond to the photographs: a temporary sadness that is quickly
replaced by daily activities

Duffy’s intention

 Referring to the many photographs, Duffy emphasises the death toll and the impact of war

to evoke sympathy from the reader

 Indirectly taking on the voice of the photographer, the narrator suggests the response from the
readers, despite the sacrifices of those involved, is brief and temporary
 Duffy implies the English public is desensitised to war and the individual suffering of those
involved

Lines 23-24

“From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where

he earns his living and they do not care.”

Translation

 The poem ends with the photographer back on the aeroplane going to his next job
 The description of the photographer, looking down “impassively” on England, tells us he feels numb
towards his homeland
 The third-person reference “they” refers to the public below

Duffy’s intention

 Duffy’s poem ends without resolution to show the futility of the photographer’s job and the
continuous and unrelenting nature of war
 Duffy’s cynical tone comments on how the public have become numb and desensitised to tragedy in
war
 She suggests the photographer does not feel similar to his compatriots at home and is therefore left
isolated and frustrated

Exam Tip

Your exam question will ask you to compare how poets present ideas about power and/or conflict in the
poem given to you on the exam paper and one other from the Power and Conflict anthology. It is therefore a
good idea to begin your answer using the wording of the question and summarising what the poem tells us
about the nature of conflict. This demonstrates that you have understood the poem and the poet’s intention.
For example, “Duffy presents negative ideas about conflict and its effects in War Photographer by showing
the personal perspective of someone closely involved in conflict remembering the horrors and
acknowledging the futility of his part in it. Similar themes can be found in…”

Writer’s Methods
Although this section is organised into three separate sections - form, structure and language - it is always
best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what
comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have.
Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more
marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes the writer’s
intentions behind their choices in terms of:

 Form
 Structure
 Language

Exam Tip

The last thing examiners want to see is what they call “technique spotting”. This is when students use overly
sophisticated terminology unnecessarily (“polysyndeton”; “epanalepsis”), without explaining their analysis.

Knowing the names of sophisticated techniques will not gain you any more marks, especially if these
techniques are only “spotted” and the poet’s intentions for this language is not explained. Instead of
technique spotting, focus your analysis on the reasons why the poet is presenting their ideas in the way that
they do: what is their message? What ideas are they presenting, or challenging?

Form

The poem is a rigid, third-person narration depicting a war photographer’s complex emotions as he
processes the photographs he has taken in warzones.

Theme Evidence Poet’s intention

The perspective is detached and distant to
present the photographer’s isolation, showing
Duffy shows a third-person perspective how conflict isolates individuals even after war
of a war photographer haunted by the
photographs and memories of conflict This offers a different perspective on conflict,
The wide- presenting the quiet suffering of those who
reaching impact report on war
of conflict Duffy’s poem represents the
photographer’s personal grief through the The persona’s tone changes from emotional to
photographer’s disjointed reflections: cynical to convey the complex pain of the
Free-flowing reflective enjambment is photographer
disrupted by caesurae

Structure

The poem follows a cyclical structure which ends with the photographer going back to warzones,
suggesting the futility of his work, as well as a sense of continuing conflict.

Theme Evidence Poet’s intention

Suffering and The line “they do not care” suggests
Duffy’s use of third-person “they” shows the
powerlessness due to the public are indifferent to the
photographer’s sense of isolation
conflict photographs he takes, and to war
The poem ends with the The ending suggests the futility of his job as
photographer returning to warzones, nothing changes. Duffy presents a lack of
repeating the painful process resolution for the photographer, as well as his
powerlessness to bring about change
 Duffy’s poem criticises the desensitised attitude
As the photographer stares of the public towards conflict
“impassively” back at England he
mirrors the detachment commented The poem’s ending suggests the photographer’s
on in the poem powerlessness to change his life or heal his own
suffering

Language

Duffy’s imagery describes a variety of settings, from a dark room in rural England to conflict zones around
the world. The contrasting imagery conveys the very different lives of those involved in conflict to those
safe at home.

Theme Evidence Poet’s intention

The contrasting settings (from a dark room in
Duffy’s imagery contrasts a “rural
England where the photographer feels safe and alone,
England” with a warzone where
to a warzone where he interacts with dying strangers)
“running children” try to escape
suggest the photographer is caught between two
exploding bombs
worlds
Duffy contrasts the tragedies elsewhere
Duffy’s contrasting imagery at the end of the poem
(“blood stained into foreign dust”) with
comments on the apathy of those at home, and, thus,
the luxurious life in England (“bath and
the continuous nature of conflict elsewhere
Response to pre-lunch beers”)
conflict Duffy weaves Christian ideals of peace through
Duffy juxtaposes religious imagery references to conflict: she highlights the
with a list of warzones, “Belfast. photographer’s role as significant within society, and
Beirut. Phnom Penh” also presents the incongruous response of the public
to war
The plosive consonants create an
aggressive tone which contrasts the The aggressive tone conveys a sense of frustration
softer “priest preparing to intone a and anger toward the response to conflict
Mass”
Duffy highlights the numerous examples of
Pain as a result of conflict is conveyed
individual suffering by referencing “a hundred
in the sibilance, “spools of suffering”
agonies” caught on film
The sensory experience of the photographer
Suffering as a The narrator refers to the hands of the
remembering the suffering he has seen evokes
result of photographer trembling as develops the
sympathy in the reader; this helps convey the
conflict photographs
emotional impact of conflict
Duffy describes the haunting image of Duffy comments on how the photographer has to
a “half-formed ghost” twisting before revisit the painful experience, illustrating the
the photographer’s eyes individual suffering of those involved in conflict

Exam Tip

Try not to separate “language”, “form” and “structure” into three separate elements you need to include in
your answer. To achieve top marks, you need to include an integrated comparison of the themes and ideas in
this and the other poems in the anthology, and focus on the relevance of the method used by the poet to the
ideas in the poem(s).

This means it is better to structure your answer around an exploration of the ideas and themes in the poems,
commenting on elements of language, form or structure that contribute to the presentation of these themes,
rather than simply listing all of the key methods you think should be covered when writing about poetry
(with no analysis or exploration of their relevance to the themes and ideas). Stay focused on the task, and
then choose your comments based on the focus of the question.

Context
Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information: in this
case, it is not random biographical information about Carol Ann Duffy, or historical facts about war zones
which are unrelated to the ideas in War Photographer. The best way to understand context is as the ideas and
perspectives explored by Duffy in War Photographer which relate to power or conflict. This section has
therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Duffy explores:

 The wide-reaching impact of conflict

 Suffering and powerlessness due to conflict

The Wide-reaching impact of conflict

 The poem, published in 1985, refers to a famous photograph called “The Terrors of War”, taken
during the Vietnam War:
o The powerful image shows a naked, terrified child running away from an exploding bomb

o The line “children running in nightmare heat” connotes to this photograph

o In the photo a photographer can be seen taking a picture of the child
o This image had a powerful impact on the public at the time, and raised debates about the
moral duty of those witnessing conflict
o Referring to this photograph helps raise awareness of the wide-reaching impact war
photography can have
o The emotive reference to the children highlights how conflict affects even the innocent

Suffering and Powerlessness due to conflict

 Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate in the United Kingdom between 2009 and 2019, was friends with
two war photographers:
o This may have influenced her to write from the perspective of a war photographer

o In the poem, Duffy presents the photographer as haunted and traumatised by his work
o This presents the suffering of all those involved in conflict
o However, her poem encourages the public to pay closer attention to their work
 Duffy’s poem depicts the suffering of a war photographer haunted by memories of the many horrors
he has witnessed around the world:
o She names international conflict zones he has been involved in to represent his repeated
suffering
 She refers to the troubles in Belfast and the conflict in Beirut to remind readers of the
reality behind her poem
o Duffy’s message is that these are just examples of the many conflicts around the world, and
the photographer feels powerless to change things

Exam Tip
Remember, AO3 (context) is only worth up to 6 marks in this question. You will be expected to demonstrate
your understanding of the relationship between the poem and the context in which it was written in an
integrated way, throughout your answer. It is therefore important to focus on the key themes, and have a
thorough knowledge of the cluster of poems.

Context comes from the key word in the task, so your answer should emphasise the key themes of
powerlessness and the impact of conflict. Writing a whole paragraph about Vietnam is not an integrated
approach, and will not achieve high marks.

What to Compare it to
The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of
your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand
how each poet presents ideas about power, or conflict, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given
that War Photographer explores ideas of suffering and powerlessness due to conflict and the wide-
reaching impact of conflict, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:

 War Photographer and Poppies

 War Photographer and Kamikaze
 War Photographer and Remains

For each pair of poems, you will find:

 The comparison in a nutshell

 Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
 Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
 Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

Exam Tip

You will be expected to not only explore this poem in depth, but make perceptive comparisons to themes,
language, form and structure used in other poems in the anthology that also comment on powerlessness and
suffering due to conflict. It is therefore important that you have a thorough knowledge of all of the poems,
rather than just memorising a series of quotations. It is also essential that you not only write about the named
poem, but compare it to one other in the anthology. Only writing about the poem given on the paper will
severely limit your marks.

War Photographer and Poppies

Comparison in a nutshell:

This is an effective comparative choice to explore the impact of conflict on those other than soldiers
themselves in order to present the wide-reaching impact of conflict. Both Duffy’s War Photographer and
Weir’s Poppies present individual perspectives on powerlessness and suffering due to war.

Similarities:

Topic Both poems show that conflict has wide-reaching influence by showing particular
sentence individuals affected by it
War Photographer Poppies
Evidence
Duffy shows the experience of suffering Similarly, an unconventional experience of grief is
and analysis from the perspective of a war
presented through a narration of a parent visiting their
photographer remembering images of
son’s grave and remembering his childhood
war
Duffy’s poem represents the Weir’s poem is structured to represent the parent’s
photographer’s personal grief through personal grief as they stand at the grave and remember
disjointed flashbacks as he remembers their son. The poem uses adverbs of time such as
those who have suffered in conflict: “a “before” and “after” to depict the way the parent’s life
half-formed ghost” has been impacted by the loss of their son
The poem ends with the line “they do
not care” suggesting a lack of resolution The speaker is left remembering their son at the end of
for the speaker as he realises the futility the poem, suggesting their continued suffering
of his work
Both poets reflect on the impact of conflict by presenting the experience of grief by speakers
who are traumatised by their memories and whose lives have been affected negatively
The poems consider the experience of grief as a solitary one; they convey the isolation of the
parent and the photographer in their settings
Both poets wish to raise awareness of the effect of conflict on individual lives beyond the
battlefields, at home or at work
 Therefore, both poems could be considered a social commentary on the wide-reaching
negative impact of conflict

 The memories of each character are not resolved at the end of the poems, suggesting
continued suffering for all those involved in war

Differences:

While Duffy’s War Photographer uses a detached, third-person voice, Weir chooses a
Topic
nostalgic and emotional first-person reflection in Poppies to portray the wide-reaching
sentence
impact of conflict
Evidence War Photographer Poppies
and
Duffy distances the reader by telling the story of a
analysis The first-person perspective of a parent
photographer in a dark-room in third-person
addressing their son has an emotive
narration. The omniscient voice of the narrator allows
effect, in order to build empathy for the
the reader insight to the photographer’s thoughts while
parent’s suffering
emphasising his solitude
However, the photographer’s emotive memories in
The parent speaks to their son,
Duffy’s poem are disjointed, caught between a
remembering intimate moments of his
detached and cynical tone of the omniscient narrator:
childhood: “I pinned one onto your
“stares impassively at where/he earns his living and
lapel”
they do not care”
As the reader listens in on the parent’s
thoughts, they are aware the son does
Duffy’s poem uses pronouns to convey the
not reply, creating a sense of solitude
photographer’s isolation from the public: “they”
and an emotive commentary on personal
grief
Though the tone and perspective of each poem is different, they both present individual
powerlessness and suffering due to conflict
War Photographer and Kamikaze

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both War Photographer and Kamikaze present personal and individual suffering due to conflict. The poems
explore ideas related to the wide-reaching impact of conflict by describing a sense of powerlessness
experienced by those involved.

Similarities:

Topic
Both poems present wide-reaching suffering due to conflict
sentence

Evidence War Photographer Kamikaze

and
analysis
Duffy distances the persona by showing the
perspective of a war photographer through a
third-person omniscient narrator Similarly, in Kamikaze, a third-person narrative
creates a distance between the reader and the poet
persona, a Kamikaze pilot, to represent the
The poet shows the effect of conflict on the distance between him and his daughter
photographer as isolating: “in his dark room
he is finally alone”

In Garland’s poem, the perspective alternates

Duffy uses enjambment to present the
between the father’s evocative memories as he
photographer’s emotional reflections as he is
leaves for war, and the daughter’s recounting of
reminded of the horrors he has witnessed
his dishonourable return

Although, at points, Duffy changes the tone The shift from personal and emotional pain of the
with caesurae to break the flow, signifying a father contrasts with the pragmatic retelling of
disrupted and cynical break in voice the loss the family felt on his return

Duffy contrasts imagery to show the The speaker in Kamikaze also uses sensory
photographer’s sense of detachment. The imagery to describe the intimate moments the
“ordinary pain” of “Rural England” contrasts father remembers about his past as he flies to war
with the “blood stained into foreign dust”  These images convey the difficult choice
the father had to make as he chooses
Duffy illustrates the photographer’s sense of between his home and fighting for his
displacement, caught between two worlds country

Suffering of individuals after war is presented through memories and displacement in order to
build empathy in the reader and convey the wide-reaching impact of conflict

Topic
Both poets represent powerlessness of those involved in conflict
sentence
Evidence War Photographer Kamikaze
and
The sense of powerlessness a war Kamikaze’s third-person narration shows the
analysis
photographer feels in the face of an apathetic father as silent, only present through his daughter’s
public is expressed through the cynical tone: voice: “he must have wondered which had been the
“his editor will pick out five or six for better way to die”
 Sunday’s supplement”
Duffy represents the photographer’s
powerlessness to change the cycle of conflict Garland presents the daughter’s powerlessness as
as the poem ends with the photographer she is told to alienate her father for his
returning to another war zone dishonourable behaviour: “we too learned to be
silent”, suggesting the daughter’s broken
 The line “they do not care” relationship with her father was not autonomous
highlights his isolation and and without clear resolution
ineffectiveness.

Differences:

Topic While both poets suggest conflict leads to suffering and powerlessness for individuals, the
sentence poems present different relationships to home
Evidence War Photographer Kamikaze
and analysis
Duffy’s war photographer looks
down upon his homeland from the The poet persona in Kamikaze, looks down on his home
aeroplane with an impassive stare. from his aeroplane positively. He looks back on his
His attitude to his home has been childhood, describing it in sensory imagery connoting
affected by his involvement in war, colourful treasure: “pearl-grey pebbles” and “shoals of
as he feels unable to fit back into fishes flashing silver”
society
The “ordinary pain” of bad weather Here, the father is convinced by his memories to return
presents the photographer’s home instead of dying for his country:
bitterness toward England’s trivial
problems and superficial attitude to  Nevertheless, upon his return, he too is unable to
conflict find a place to belong
While both poets suggest returning from conflict isolates individuals, Duffy shows a
photographer’s bitterness towards his homeland and Garland shows how the pilot’s love for his
home kept him from conflict

Exam Tip

You can choose whichever poem you feel you are able to make the most in-depth comparisons to in the
exam. For example, you could choose to compare the way memories convey suffering in War Photographer
and Poppies. Or you might wish to explore the ways in which varied responses to conflict are portrayed in
War Photographer and Kamikaze. What is important is that you view the poems thematically, with a clear
emphasis on power and conflict. This will give you a better framework in which to write your response in
the exam.

War Photographer and Remains

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both Duffy’s War Photographer and Armitage’s Remains highlight the unrelenting nature of suffering
through haunting memories in the wake of war.

Similarities:
Topic Both poems highlight relentless trauma through the presentation of unrelieved memories
sentence related to conflict

Evidence War Photographer Remains

and
analysis
In Duffy’s poem, the narrator describes a In Remains, the speaker has a flashback
photographer reliving the horrors of “a hundred to a moment during battle: “On another
agonies” as he develops photographs from “spools of occasion, we get sent out
suffering” to tackle looters raiding a bank”

His description of vivid memories

implies the speaker is unable to forget
The photographer sees a “half-formed ghost” twisting the images: “I see every round as it rips
before his eyes, suggesting he is haunted by the through his life”
suffering he has witnessed
 He confirms this: “the drink and
drugs won’t flush him out”

The speaker in War Photographer acknowledges the The speaker in Remains is left in the
futility of his job as he returns to yet another warzone desert sands, in the “here and now”
at the end of the poem, aware of the passive response without resolution (“end of story.
the public will have Except not really”).

Similarly, both poems show the speaker’s powerful and detailed memories in order to express
the haunting effects of conflict

The poems’ personae are both caught between the present and past throughout the poem,
suggesting the relentless nature of their trauma

Differences:

Topic While both poets explore the suffering of individuals reliving memories of conflict, the
sentence poets choose to present varied perspectives
Evidence War Photographer Remains
and analysis
On the other hand, in Remains the first-person
speaker conveys intimate thoughts. His personal
The third-person perspective of the
pain is raw as he constantly relives the violence
photographer is distant and detached.
of conflict: “he’s here in my head when I close
my eyes”.
Although the photographer is haunted by the
The private monologue of the soldier evokes
memories, his tone is one of apathy and
sympathy from the reader.
resignation.
However haunted he is by the images, he still The speaker in this poem confirms that even “the
returns to a war zone at the end of the poem drink and drugs won’t flush him out” and at the
end of the poem the soldier conveys his trauma:
Duffy also suggests that the public easily
“his blood life in my bloody hands”
forget the images of war they see in the
newspapers: “The reader’s eyeballs prick with
tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers”
 Although both poets criticise the trauma associated with conflict, Duffy’s persona conveys a
tone of detachment and apathy which contrasts with the emotional and poignant tone of
Armitage’s speaker
Duffy shows the external world of conflict via a photographer and the public, while Armitage
explores the experience of a soldier

rade 9 GCSE Essay - AQA - June 2019

Compare how poets present the ways that people are affected by war in ‘War Photographer’ and in one
other poem from ‘Power and Conflict’.
In ‘War Photographer’, the protagonist appears to have become inured and desensitised to the horrors
of war. For instance, the alliteration / sibilance “spools of suffering” is rhythmically read aloud with
ease and almost rolls off the tongue, implying that, perhaps due to experience, this process has
become instinctive. Alternatively, “he” is no longer affected by it, despite there being large quantities
(“spools”) of presumably quite lurid (“suffering”) imagery before him. This sense is compounded by
the simile “as though…he a priest preparing to intone a Mass”. This simile signifies that he is acting
out of a solemn duty, as a priest would, performing a ritual that may not be pleasant, but must be done
regardless. Such a sacrifice would be salient to the reader and elicit much gratitude and sympathy,
which could have been the objective of Duffy, who is friends with people (McCullin and Griffiths) who
specialise in war photography and have struggled with what they have witnessed.

In contrast, ‘Remains’ by Simon Armitage depicts a solider from the Iraq war who is struggling with
excruciating guilt and remorse after taking a “looter(s)”’s life. For example, in ‘Remains’, the repetition
of “probably armed, possibly not” demonstrates how the duty he undertook still haunts him; the guilt
he carries is inescapable and impossible to shed. This is different to Duffy’s poem, where the duty is
being actively and voluntarily undertaken, with the present progressive verb “preparing” telling the
reader this. Again, the regret and remorse felt by Armitage’s solider is apparent in the quote “the drink
and drugs won’t flush him out”. This indicates that the memory is so stubborn and traumatic that the
solider (stereotypically stoic and resilient men) is suffering so acutely in an emotional sense, that he has
been forced to turn to vice.

Furthermore, “drink” and “drugs” generally have the impact of limiting consciousness and numbing
reality, implying the soldier would rather be unconscious and intoxicated, than awake with his thoughts
– again underscoring how traumatic the memories must be. In short, the solider is no longer in control,
which is reflected in the vagarious structure of ‘Remains’ and contrasts with the ordered structure of
‘War Photographer’, that suggests Duffy’s protagonist still maintains a semblance of control.
Moreover, the verb “flush” connotes a toilet flush, which is essential for cleanliness, hygiene and
health. The fact the soldier cannot flush out the thoughts, suggests that they are having a toxic,
polluting impact on his life, and they are tantamount to the stale, festering excrement.

The impact of war is presented through graphic and visceral imagery in both poems. 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”. Similar gory imagery is used in ‘Remains’ to much the same effect, with descriptions of
entrails (“guts”) and repetition of the word “bloody”.

Interestingly, in both poems, there are references to shadows or stains. In ‘Remains’, the “blood
shadow” metaphor implies that the protagonist will always be followed by a gory spectre, reminding
him of his actions, never allowing him closure. Similarly, a “half-formed ghost” hints at an eerie form of
supernatural punishment. In addition, the phrase “blood stained” echoes the sentiment in ‘Remains’,
that the memories are difficult to erase. Indeed, the noun “nightmare” suggests the protagonist has
been reduced to a young boy, suffering from night-terrors as an impact of war.

In what ways could ‘An Easy Passage’ be interpreted as a surreal poem?

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