Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary setting of the poem?
What is the primary setting of the poem?
The war photographer feels completely at ease while working.
The war photographer feels completely at ease while working.
False
Name two locations mentioned in the poem where the photographer has worked.
Name two locations mentioned in the poem where the photographer has worked.
Belfast and Beirut
The war photographer's job involves capturing __________ of suffering.
The war photographer's job involves capturing __________ of suffering.
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Match the following phrases with their meanings:
Match the following phrases with their meanings:
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Study Notes
War Photographer
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Isolation and Preparation: The photographer is alone in a darkroom, surrounded by film spools of suffering. The only light is red, reminiscent of a church service.
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Setting and Imagery: The scene evokes locations such as Belfast, Beirut, and Phnom Penh, emphasizing the pervasiveness of suffering ("All flesh is grass").
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Duty and Reality: The photographer has a job to do, handling solutions. However, the work's impact is apparent, as his hands tremble now, contrasting with the earlier scene.
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Contrast of Locations: Rural England represents ordinary pain that weather can alleviate, in contrast to the violent, unyielding suffering in locations like Belfast.
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Witness and Trauma: The photographer experiences a stranger's agony, both externally (a man's disfigured face/features) and internally (his wife's cries). A visceral image of the suffering's aftermath is highlighted, as is the photographer's role in observing trauma and pain.
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Media and Representation: The photographer's work is reduced to images ("a hundred agonies in black-and-white"). His editor selects a few images for a Sunday supplement, which suggests the dehumanizing tendency of news and media.
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Detachment and Cynicism: The reader's tears and the photographer's aeroplane-borne, passive observation reinforce the detachment of the photographer from his work and the world. This signifies the lack of concern demonstrated by those in the media.
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Description
Explore the themes and imagery in the poem 'War Photographer' by Carol Ann Duffy. This quiz delves into the contrast between war-torn locations and the photographer's inner turmoil. Analyze the impact of witnessing suffering and the emotional weight carried by those documenting trauma.
