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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Darkroom |
The phrase tells us where he is, but "dark" also hints at the subject matter of his photographs. |
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Spools of suffering set out in ordered rows |
The reels of film are described like soldiers, or like rows of War graves. Paradox - chaos and suffering are reduced to something ordered. |
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As though this were church and he a priest preparing to intone a mass. |
This simile shows the seriousness of his work. This is a solemn act, almost like a funeral mass. |
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B... B... P... P |
The succession of plosive Sounds breaks the soft mood like gunfire. |
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All flesh is grass |
This is a quote from the Bible (Isaiah 40:6) which means that human life is temporary. |
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He has a job to do. |
Short, simple sentence using monosyllabic words - he has to put his emotions aside, like a soldier does. |
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His hands, which did not tremble then |
Irony - he was calm in the face of Horrors, but now they affect him. |
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Rural England |
Soft sounds contrast strongly with the place-names in stanza 1. |
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Of running children in a nightmare heat. |
Maybe reference to a Vietnam War photo (see below). This link hints at the importance of the photographer's work, as the photo is sometimes credited with helping to end the war. |
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Something is Happening. |
Turning Point (Volta) in the poem. The focus switches to the personal cost of War - is remembering a specific death and it's impact. |
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Strangers features faintly start to twist before his eyes |
Focusing on one photo and family make this personal and emphasizes the real suffering of War. |
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A half formed ghost. |
He's "half formed" because the photograph is still developing, but also suggest his bodies being mutilated. |
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To do what someone must |
Emphasises that he has an important role in informing public of the reality of War. |
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Blood stained into foreign dust. |
Reminder that this is all happening somewhere else. "Stained" hints at the lasting impact of War. |
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100 agonies in black and white |
Emotive metaphor to describe his photos. Having the pictures printed seems to confirm and solidify the suffering they show. |
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Sunday's supplement |
Sibilance and plosives help make the reader almost spit the word out. This may be at frustration that the photos aren't considered important enough to feature in the main newspaper. |
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Prick |
"Prick" suggest pain, but only a small amount of pain for a short time. This suggests the readers will quickly forget the photos. |
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Tears... Beers |
The internal rhyme of "tears" and "beers" emphasises the short duration of the readers' pain - the tears will quickly be replaced by beers. |
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From the aeroplane |
Suggestion that he's returning to the war zone - like a soldier, he's been like a soldier, he's on leave, but now he must return to do his job. |
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They do not care |
It is ambiguous - it could refer to the readers of the newspapers who don't care about the victims of War, or it could refer to the wider world, which is apathetic about others suffering. |
