War Photographer: Stanza Four

Overview of “War Photographer: Stanza Four”

• The final stanza of “War Photographer” delves into the public’s detachment and indifference towards war, emphasizing the vast chasm between witnessing war and grasping its real impact.

Analysis of “War Photographer: Stanza Four”

• Duffy opens this stanza with “A hundred agonies in black-and-white…“, pointing to the numerous horrors of war captured in the photographer’s prints. The use of ‘black-and-white’ emphasises the stark nature of these images.

• A poignant shift occurs as the photos are described as “which his editor will pick out five or six”. This reveals the selective nature of media, and the stark reality that many ‘agonies’ might not make it to the public eye.

• The stark disconnect between the horrors of war and daily, comfortable life is shown in “…for the Sunday’s supplement”; the thought that such devastating images will be consumed as leisurely weekend reading portrays the desensitization of society towards war.

• The line “The reader’s eyeballs prick with tears between bath and pre-lunch beers.” underscores the transitory nature of the viewer’s empathic response. This fleeting emotional response is trivial compared to the permanent realities of war.

Themes in “War Photographer: Stanza Four”

• The major theme of desensitization and indifference to violence is underlined. War horrors are consumed alongside daily trivial activities, showing the complacency of the readers.

• The unseen realities of war are emphasized, depicting how many war stories remain untold and are omitted by media for various factors like space constraints.

Poetic Techniques in “War Photographer: Stanza Four”

• Duffy utilises irony in describing the contrast between the actual devastation of war and its portrayal in Sunday supplements, highlighting societies’ insensitivity to violence.

• Hyperbole is used in ‘a hundred agonies’ to emphasize the abundance of suffering captured in the photographs, and to underline the disparity between the vast reality and its limited portrayal.

• The transition from a serious consideration of war horrors to a casual mention of ‘pre-lunch beers’ is an effective use of juxtaposition, painting a bleak picture of how society can easily switch between empathy and indifference.

The last stanza concludes “War Photographer” with a hard-hitting commentary on the societal apathy towards war and the limited scope of showcasing its bitter realities.