WAR PHOTOGRAPHER
CAROL ANN DUFFY
“Photography is the truth, if it’s being handled by a truthful person.”
-Don McCullin
In his darkroom he is finally alone
with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.
The only light is red and softly glows,
as though this were a church and he
a priest preparing to intone a Mass.
Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass.
He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays
beneath his hands which did not tremble then
though seem to now. 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.
Something is happening. A stranger's features
faintly start to twist before his eyes,
a half-formed ghost. He remembers the cries
of this man's wife, how he sought approval
without words to do what someone must
and how the blood stained into foreign dust.
A hundred agonies in black-and-white
from which his editor will pick out five or six
for Sunday's supplement. The reader's eyeballs prick
with tears between bath and pre-lunch beers.
From aeroplane he stares impassively at where
he earns a living and they do not care.
THEME
The text explores…
• …the experiences of a photographer as he
develops his photographs from a warzone.
• …the psychological damage done by a
photographer’s experiences in war.
• …the isolation and alienation felt by a war
photographer.
KEY TECHNIQUES
The poet makes use of…
• …word choice
• …imagery
• …alliteration
• …structure
GALLERY
The following slides include examples of
Don McCullin’s work; many are graphic and
shocking, and all have been taken in places
either mentioned or alluded to in the poem.
Cyprus
He remembers the cries
of this man's wife, how he sought approval
without words to do what someone must
and how the blood stained into foreign dust.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon
Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“Those photographs are in the background
but I'm more interested in the
photographer... in the dilemma of someone
who has that as a job... to go to these places
and come back with the images.”
-Carol Ann Duffy
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“I don't think I could have touched on more
tragedy under one roof than I saw in that hospital
that day...I've never forgotten it.”
“I don't think I was ever more ashamed of
humanity”
“[The past returns] on a regular basis, as fresh as
if it was happening today, to haunt me".
-Don McCullin
CRITICAL ESSAYS
‘War Photographer’ is an excellent option for
critical essays as it allows you to deal with
questions which focus on a wide range of
topics such as:
An important theme or message; an
interesting character; a particular experience;
a specific atmosphere; a lasting emotional
response from the reader
CRITICAL ESSAYS
In pairs select at least 2 of the critical essay
questions provided in your study pack.
Prepare a mind-map essay plan for each of
your chosen questions using your desks and
the dry-wipe markers.
Your plans must include evidence, full
explanations and detailed comments.
PRELIM REVISION
Revision Plan:
Central Concerns
Atmosphere
Personal response
Key features
PRELIM REVISION
Central Concerns
• Make a list of anything that you would
consider to be a central concern of ‘War
Photographer’
• Be able to explain why you think this by
referring to specific aspects of the text
PRELIM REVISION
Atmosphere
• What sort of mood/atmosphere is
developed throughout the poem?
• How does the poet initially create, and
then further develop, this
mood/atmosphere?
PRELIM REVISION
Personal Response
• What sort of personal response is
provoked by the poem?
• Is your response emotional, intellectual or
both?
• How does the poet provoke and develop
this response?
PRELIM REVISION
Critical Features
• What are the key critical features of the
poem?
• How – and why – does Duffy makes use of
a range of different techniques?
• Which ones are likely to be relevant to
most essay questions?