Power And Conflict In Carol Ann Duffy's Poem 'War Photographer'

How does Duffy use language to present the themes of power and conflict in her poem ‘War Photographer’

In the first stanza, Duffy uses juxtaposition and metaphors to portray a theme of conflict. The poet’s use of juxtaposition, “Spools of suffering set out in ordered rows”, could suggest that the photographer is feeling a sense of inner conflict. When Duffy uses the noun ‘spools’ it could suggest that the conflict and suffering is ceaseless; the suffering he witnessed is forever imprinted in his memory. However, when Duffy says “in ordered rows”, it might imply that the photographer is trying to control the chaos that developing the photos brings by filing them away, dealing with them neatly. It could also suggest that he is trying to depersonalise

the people in the picture by setting them out orderly which could be his way of coping with the trauma he is experiencing after coming back from the place he was photographing. This use of juxtaposition may connote that the photographer is feeling conflicted; he could feel that the conflict has followed him home and he should accept this because the suffering is ceaseless but on the other hand he wants to file it away neatly and forget everything he saw. This could make the reader sympathise with the photographer because he is so conflicted and damaged by the war zone he had to photograph. However, this may also make the reader think that the photographer could have not went to the war zone and therefore do not sympathise with him because he went there to make a living and he could have simply stayed away. Also the adjective ‘suffering’ could suggest that not only the people the photographer took photographs of are suffering, but he is also because what he saw in the conflict zone could have traumatised him and he could also be suffering because of the trauma and memories that developing the photographs remind him of.

Also Duffys use of caesura at the end of the stanza could suggest that even though the photographer is feeling conflicted he still feels he must remember each place, “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass.” The use of caesura shows that even though similar events happened in all three conflicts, they each need their own personal reflection as the events that happened there were so horrific, the people affected must be remembered. Also, full stops make the reader pause reading which will in turn make the reader think about the conflict which will make readers more aware of their importance. Duffy’s use of the metaphor, “All flesh is grass” could imply that the poet was trying to connote that the photographer blames God for the events he witnessed. “All flesh is grass” is a bible reference taken from Isaiah 40:6; it tells us that we have no power over our own lives, God has the power, and it reminds us of the fragility of life. The poet may have used this to imply that the photographer blames God and doesn’t like the control and power he has over his life. The references to Beirut, Belfast and Phnom Penh could resonate with some readers because they may understand the events that happened in each

place for example the Lebanese-Israeli conflict, the Troubles in Belfast or Pol Pot’s control in Cambodia. Duffy’s use of these metaphors and various other literary techniques portray a theme of conflict.

In the last stanza, Duffy uses metaphors and sarcasm to portray a theme of power that the editor has over the photographer and the public. When Duffy uses the metaphor, “A hundred agonies in black and white” she could be implying that the photographer thinks the people he works for are exploitative, that they take gain from those who are suffering and the more horrific the image he captures for them, the more they will earn. The reader could infer from this that the photographer feels resentment towards his editor for exploiting the suffering he is forced to photograph as the reader could infer that the photographer needs this job to support himself even though he may not like it. It could also suggest that he feels bad about capturing such pain into a still, black and white image. “Black and white” could suggest that the photographer sees the events very clear and vivid to him, there is no ‘grey’, he recalls everything clearly. The noun “agonies” could connote that the photographer feels he captured such horrific images that in the photograph itself you can see and potentially feel the essence of the person’s pain but of course, his editor will use the most horrific photographs to his advantage because they will make him the most money. It could also suggest that the photographer feels ‘agony’ because he needs to capture these images even if he doesn’t want to. Duffy’s use of enjambment could suggest that the suffering isn’t stopping because the lack of punctuation connotes no end. When Duffy uses a sarcastic tone, “from which his editor will pick out five or six/ for Sundays supplement”, she may be implying that the photographer thinks that the editor is so obsessed with money and exploiting the people in the pictures that he is desensitised and he doesn’t see the pictures as people’s lives; he sees them as a living and he will only pick a small percentage as ‘good enough’ to be featured in the paper. The reader could infer that the photographer is disgusted by the way his editor sees the people who essentially make his living and it may make them feel anger towards the editors of today’s papers that choose the war pictures. They could also infer that the editor has power over what is published in the papers even though the photographer is the person sent to conflict to take pictures of the war and witness it first-hand. Duffy also uses a sarcastic tone in the second stanza when she says “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”, she may be trying to connote that in England we cannot not fully fathom what it is like to endure suffering, our suffering is the type that can be undermined by some sunshine; she is making England sound like the idyllic lifestyle by using the adjective “rural” which could make the reader imagine a cosy village where problems do not seem to occur. The latter part of this quote about “fields which don’t explode beneath the feet/ of running children in a nightmare heat” is referring to a particular image taken in the Vietnam War when the Americans used Agent Orange on a small village in Vietnam and children were photographed running from a large gas cloud screaming as their skin was burning. The poet has used this to provide historical context for the reader. When Duffy uses a sarcastic tone it could be implying that the photographer does not agree with what the editors do; he is mocking them. The final line in the stanza, “he earns his living and they do not care” could suggest that the horror that happens does not matter to the people he works for or the general public because the editors essentially indoctrinate the public to be against the refugees and readers do not understand the true suffering that happens in the places featured. Duffy’s overall use of adjectives, metaphors and sarcastic tone portray a theme of power which the editor has over the photographer but also the views of the general public concerning conflict.