Duffy And Achebe Analysis

In War Photographer and in Refugee mother and child, Duffy and Achebe both witness the deadly war in Northern Ireland, the Lebanon and Cambodia, and Biafra respectively. Duffy and Achebe sympathize with the victims of the war as people are suffering from war. They look upon the idea of anti-war, which stops any further suffering and death. Duffy is viewing the war through the eyes as a photographer while Achebe is looking through the perspective of the mother, where a mother lost a child due to his death of starvation. In War Photographer, Duffy is sad and desolated and trying to convey the message that no one cares about the war and does nothing to it, thinking that this is a photographer’s job, so the war continues. While in Refugee Mother …show more content…
Achebe creates a visual imagery by mentioning “heavy with odours of diarrhoea”, which implements a juxtaposing switch with revulsion and stench throughout the camp and the awful smell from children’s washed-out ribs. Achebe tries to describe as detailed as possible to leave an unforgettable impression of the sick and hopeless children on the reader, wishing to evoke sympathy into the reader of poverty and despair, and feel for the mother who has “long ceased to care.” Achebe is trying to indoctrinate the reader that war is awful and leads to undesired living qualities and high rate of children death. “Unwashed children with washed-out ribs and dried up bottoms struggling in laboured steps behind blown empty bellies”, suggests that lack of nutrients and no proper showers are due to lack of water, poor living conditions, not enough food and children have to do manual labour. Achebe is trying to let the reader to be affectionate with them as he or she might be more fortunate than them. In the poem, “Long ceased to care” shows that many mothers have lost their children a period of time. However, there was a mother who “held a ghost smile between her teeth” and remembers about her starved child’s appearance when he was alive. “A mother’s pride as she combed the rust-coloured hair left on his skull”, acts as a visual imagery of the close relationship between the mother and child. She combs his rusty hair for the last time before burying him. Hence, this is effective in supporting the theme of anti-war, to let people have better living conditions and nutrition to stay alive and spending peaceful life with their family.

In Refugee mother and child, Achebe uses the term “ghost” to describe death of people during war, also uses application of senses, such as taste and smell.