1. War Photographer By Carol Ann Duffy Presentation by Lucas R. Llana

3. War Photographer 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.

4. 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. Mark Up Imagery Enjambment Juxtaposition Rhyme Alliteration Metaphor Symbolism Allusion

5. 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. Mark Up

6. Form 4 Stanzas 6 Lines each (24 total) 10-13 syllables per line Enjambment Constant Rhyme scheme A B B C D D Constant alliteration

7. Literal Meaning A war photographer is standing in a dark room. Working on his photographs. He feels like a priest who is organizing a funeral. He remembers what he saw during his trips to take photographs. While he was calm during his stay in the battlefield, he now feels fear for what he saw, even though he is safe in his house. People who see the photos in the newspaper aren’t affected by what they see.

8. Figurative Meaning Poem describes the agonies of war. Apathy of people towards war. One side of the world is constant death and suffering, while the other side is filled with people who do not care and have no time to care about things that don’t directly affect them. Exploit of the dead and dying.

9. Imagery “In his darkroom he is finally alone…” (line 1) “…his hands which did not tremble then though seem to now…” (line 8-9) “…fields which don't explode beneath the feet of running children in a nightmare heat.” (lines 11-12) “…how the blood stained into foreign dust.” (line 18) “A hundred agonies in black-and-white…” (line 19) “…from which his editor will pick out five or six for Sunday's supplement…” (line 20-21) “The reader's eyeballs prick with tears between bath and pre-lunch beers.” (lines 21-22)

10. Juxtaposition “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.” (line 6) “Rural England. Home again…” (line 8) “…ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel…” (line 9) “…fields…explode beneath the feet of running children in a nightmare heat” (line 11-12) “…running children…” (line 12)

11. Diction Suffering (line 2) Ordered rows (line 2) Red (line 3) Church (line 4) Priest (line 5) Belfast, Beirut, Phnom Penh (line 6) Flesh (line 6) Tremble (line 8) Then (line 8) Now (line 9) Ordinary pain (line 10) Explode beneath (line 11) Running children (line 12) Nightmare (line 12) Blood (line 18) Stained (line 18) Agonies (line 19) Black-and-white (line 19) Baths (line 22) Beers (line 22) Impassively (line 23) Living (line 23)

12. Symbolism “…only light is red…” (line 3) “…intone a Mass…” (line 5) “…flesh…” (line 6) “A stranger's features faintly start to twist before his eyes, a half-formed ghost.” (lines 13-15) “…how he sought approval/without words to do what someone must…” (lines 16-17) “…aeroplane…” (line 23) “…and they do not care.” (line 24)

13. Discussion Questions Do you think it is a valid excuse to kill for the name of your country? Should war atrocities be shown or remain hidden to the public? Could these themes and ideas also describe other things such as world hunger or poverty?