The theme of conflict is an impotent idea across various poems in that it presents many dominant emotions and brings up universal experiences of loss and change. It can create feelings of dread, indignation or pain as seen in the key poems ‘War Photographer’, ‘Prayer Before Birth’ and ‘Mother in A Refugee Camp’. In ‘War Photographer’ the photographer feels both increasing separateness and isolation towards his own country and the newspaper he works for. In the poem ‘Prayer Before Birth’ the poet shows the conflict of the dehumanising effect of war by juxtaposing it with the innocence of the baby. Remorse and mourning are explored in the ‘Mother in A Refugee Camp’, a mother watches her vulnerable dying child fade away, the sense of loss and loneliness she feels inundates her. Confusion is shown in ‘Who’s for The Game’ and ‘The Right Word’ whereas in ‘Catrin’ the conflict of bonds and ties is present.

To begin with, the poem ‘War Photographer’, written by Carol Ann Duffy show us the brutality of war and the indifference of those who live in comfort. Duffy emphasises the fact that we live in a vastly different world to those in the war and how this affects our attitude towards war and suffering. Similarly, the photographer feels the conflict of guilt because how far-fetched his life is from the life of the victims of the war. Unlike everyone, the photographer has no choice, he is unable to protect himself from such horrors that he photographs. This is evident in the poem.