War Photographer

What happens?

A war photographer is developing the pictures he has taken in a darkroom. There is a sense of purpose and religious responsibility to his actions. He finds the process troubling, more troubling than when he took the photos in war torn countries. He starts to remember the memories surrounding each image, specifically the photo of dying man whilst looking to his wife for approval. The poem ends with a sense of futility and defeat, as the poet realises only a few photos will make it to print and that the impact on the public will be momentary. 

What's it about?

The poem deals with the serious and horrific effects of conflict, both to the civilians suffering in the violence of war, and in respect of the emotional damage done to the photographer. The poem also highlights how desensitised the public are to the awful effects of conflict around the world.

Key ideas:

• Dealing with trauma: 'In his darkroom he is finally alone with spools of suffering...' The opening line of the poem highlights the central character's need for space to literally develop the images, but also metaphorically process the difficult things he has seen. The use of the adverb 'finally' suggests there has been a need for this time, alluding to his fragile emotional state. 'Spools of suffering' - this metaphor highlights the endless amount of images (spools) whilst also using sibilance to create the sound of the developing solutions in trays. 
• Dealing with trauma continued: 'half formed ghost' - This metaphor…