The subject of war and death comes with a sense of loss, terror, conflict and pain. Two examples of poetry that present the subject of war and death are Carol Ann Duffy’s poem, “War Photographer,” and Robert Bly’s poem, “Driving Through Minnesota During the Hanoi Bombings.” Both of these poems present vivid images of the battle, show the devastating feelings towards war and provide the psychological impact on those involved in war. It is as if the “War Photographer” has captured similar destructive scenes that are described throughout “Driving Through Minnesota During the Hanoi Bombings.” By examining Carol Ann Duffy’s poem, “War Photographer,” and Robert Bly’s poem, “Driving Through Minnesota During the Hanoi Bombings,” I will compare and
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Referring to the poems “War Photographer” and “Driving Through Minnesota During the Hanoi Bombings,” both authors are admiring and appreciative towards the characters involved with the war but seem to be quite unhappy and critical of the rest of us. For instance, the author in “War Photographer” encourages the readers to imagine the gruesome events that the photographer observes by describing the photographs, but she cannot make them feel what he feels and claims that the photographer “earns his living and they do not care.” (24) Therefore, Duffy endorses the reader to consider our response when confronted with the photographs we often see on the news, and question why so many of us have become apathetic towards these images. In “Driving Through Minnesota During the Hanoi Bombings,” Bly implies that Americans want to demolish parts of their own country by stating “Our own cities were the ones we wanted to bomb!” (18) Duffy and Bly show sympathy towards the characters who have experienced war except they portray an unhappy and critical tone to those not involved in the war who make no effort to recognize or support the true efforts put into …show more content…
For example, “fields which don’t explode beneath the feet / of running children in a nightmare heat.” (11-12) in “War Photographer” is effective because we would normally think of children running through fields as an image of fun and happiness and since Duffy does not tell us what these children are running from, we are left to imagine our own worst fears. Another example of imagery is the line, “how the blood stained into foreign dust” (17) that relates to the bloodshed the photographer has witnessed. Finally, the “reader’s eyeballs prick / with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.” (21-22) allows the reader to see how his awful memories constantly come back to him. In “Driving Through Minnesota During the Hanoi Bombings,” Bly
Referring to the poems “War Photographer” and “Driving Through Minnesota During the Hanoi Bombings,” both authors are admiring and appreciative towards the characters involved with the war but seem to be quite unhappy and critical of the rest of us. For instance, the author in “War Photographer” encourages the readers to imagine the gruesome events that the photographer observes by describing the photographs, but she cannot make them feel what he feels and claims that the photographer “earns his living and they do not care.” (24) Therefore, Duffy endorses the reader to consider our response when confronted with the photographs we often see on the news, and question why so many of us have become apathetic towards these images. In “Driving Through Minnesota During the Hanoi Bombings,” Bly implies that Americans want to demolish parts of their own country by stating “Our own cities were the ones we wanted to bomb!” (18) Duffy and Bly show sympathy towards the characters who have experienced war except they portray an unhappy and critical tone to those not involved in the war who make no effort to recognize or support the true efforts put into …show more content…
For example, “fields which don’t explode beneath the feet / of running children in a nightmare heat.” (11-12) in “War Photographer” is effective because we would normally think of children running through fields as an image of fun and happiness and since Duffy does not tell us what these children are running from, we are left to imagine our own worst fears. Another example of imagery is the line, “how the blood stained into foreign dust” (17) that relates to the bloodshed the photographer has witnessed. Finally, the “reader’s eyeballs prick / with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.” (21-22) allows the reader to see how his awful memories constantly come back to him. In “Driving Through Minnesota During the Hanoi Bombings,” Bly