War Photographer: Stanza Three
Overview of “War Photographer: Stanza Three”
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Within the stanza three, Duffy introduces the readers to the sites of the war that the photographer has visited in the past. Phrases such as “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.” emphasise the global reach of conflicts and the continuous nature of the photographer’s work.
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The stanza emphasises the photographer’s emotional distance from his work, depicting him as an objective observer who captures the conflicts from afar.
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The use of editing in photo development, symbolised through “rural England. Home again / to ordinary pain”, suggests that people at home cannot comprehend the horrors of war as depicted in the unaltered photographs.
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The stanza concludes with a powerful description of a grieving widow in one of the war-torn countries, underlying the emotional impact and personal cost of war.
Analysis of Language and Imagery in “War Photographer: Stanza Three”
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The onomatopoeic phrase “solutions slop” physically represents the process of developing photographs and also refers to the sloppy handling of world issues.
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The juxtaposition of international conflict zones and “rural England” is used to emphasise the contrast between the harsh reality of war zones and the peaceful ignorance of the home front.
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A plosive alliteration is used in “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.” to reinforce the shocking reality and widespread devastation caused by war.
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The metaphor of “ordinary pain” presents the minor daily troubles experienced in rural England as insignificant next to the devastating tragedies of war.
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The symbolism of the “widow’s tremor” indirectly presents the burdens of war casualties, focusing on the emotional toll it takes on surviving loved ones rather than the battle itself.
Through the application of various poetic devices in this stanza, Duffy highlights the discrepancy between war’s stark reality and the sanitised versions people receive at home. This genuinely challenges the reader’s perspective on war and its portrayal.