War Photographer Comparison
In War Photographer, the poet portrays that conflict is severe and explores the disastrous effects of it. This is implied through metaphors especially when it describes seeing a man ‘a half-formed ghost’. Remains similarly explores the idea of conflict but shows its lasting effect through similar techniques like repetition as when the poet repeats ‘dozen rounds.’
In War Photographer, Duffy uses a range of techniques to explore the idea of conflict and its evil nature. As said before, metaphors are used like ‘half formed ghost’ to portray the photograph that he took was of a dying man and to get the reader to understand the severity of war and the lives cost in it. The overall point of this poem is to convey the cruelty of war and what it accomplishes. The poet expresses the dilemma faced by the photographer in these circumstances through the way he ‘sought approval’ and tried to make ‘the readers eyeballs prick’ so that they would care. Duffy was inspired to write this poem by her friendship with a war photographer. She was especially intrigued by the peculiar challenge faced by these people whose job requires them to record terrible, horrific events without being able to directly help their subjects. The use of a semantic field of death shows the very dark side of conflict and gives an almost savage and sinister edge to the poem to make the act of war all the more evil. The poet does this to make the point that such wars create extremely dark